Welcome! Today we are launching a new news website. We are called PolicySphere.
In a word, our goal is to cover the policy space on the center and right-of-center in Washington, DC in a way that best helps policy professionals do their jobs better.
We are declaring a war on fluff, clickbait, BS, and needless rage. And we’re doing it in an election year. In this election year. Perhaps we’re insane. But we don’t think so (this is what we would say if we were insane).
Please don’t mind our ugly website. We are working on improving it.
We are building PolicySphere on a handful of core beliefs. They may strike you as contrarian. They strike us as obvious. Here they are:
- Policy matters. Some say policy is dead. Some say it’s all politics now. Some say nothing happens–ever. We disagree. Policy does happen, perhaps not enough, but more often than most people think. Sometimes in ways not talked about. Sorry to be idealistic for a second (we promise not to do it too often), but: is free trade good or bad? Is mutilating children good or bad? How can crime rates be reduced? How many people should the US allow to immigrate every year and under what conditions? Will Medicare go “bankrupt” if we do nothing, and if so what can we do to prevent it? How can working and middle class families buy a home if the mortgage rate is 7.5%? Should we stop children from using social media apps designed by the world’s best neuroscientists to melt their brains? Is it sane to ask people who have built new businesses from the ground up to pay half of each additional dollar they make to the government? The answers to these questions (and infinitely many more) makes real, tangible differences to the lives of millions of ordinary people who have a stake in that amazing, strange experiment called the United States of America. And the answers to these questions are, not completely, but in big measure, for better and worse, provided by a few thousand people living and working in and around Washington, DC. Most of these people, we know from personal experience, are good, intelligent, hard-working, and love their country and their fellow citizens. But they live and work in a system where, for reasons both good and bad, policy change can be very difficult to accomplish. Our goal is to help, in some small and marginal way, these people to do a better job by providing a reliable, trusted source of news and information that is laser-focused on its topic and on being useful.
- The American Right needs to figure what it’s about. In 2017, people spoke of a realignment. In some ways, that realignment is happening regardless of what we do. In other ways, it is oversold–the Republican Party cannot be nationally competitive without certain core constituencies, including values voters, small business owners, and suburbanites. The discussion about where that leaves us has, in some ways, been going on since at least 2008. And it’s not over. We want to host a friendly, open forum for this discussion. Those who know us will know that we have personal positions on many of these issues. But we also believe that it’s important for every constituency on the center and right-of-center to be heard. We plan to air out the debate. We’ve read the New York Times too often to know it’s pointless to claim to be “neutral” but we will certainly make a sincere effort and do our best to be fair to everyone.
Ok, what does that mean in practice?
To start with, PolicySphere will publish a daily briefing email plus 2-3 articles per week on what is happening in the world of policy that we think will interest our readers. You should sign up here:
Obviously, much more will be coming in the next weeks and months.
And, at least for now, it’s free!
Wait, who the H-E-double hockey sticks are you? Why should I trust you?
The editor of PolicySphere is Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry. I have been an expert on policy for 15 years. I have been a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and have written on policy for numerous publications, including National Review, First Things, The American Interest, and many more. I was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law and Policy some time ago (I am no longer under 30).
These are all reasons why you should read me, but you should definitely not trust me! Instead you should read the website and make up your mind (and share it with all your friend).
And don’t forget to give us your email!
So, what is this? Is this your hobby?
No, PolicySphere is a professional news website published by Sphere Media, Inc., a Delaware company. We are business startup, funded by private investors, and we generate revenue through sponsorships, subscriptions, and other services (coming soon).
