The Dispatch
Fact-based conservative news and analysis focused on policy over partisanship.
Best for
Center-right readers who want fact-based policy analysis and reporting without partisan rage or tribal loyalty
Why we recommend it
- Founded by respected conservative journalists who left major outlets on principle
- Prioritizes policy substance and fact-checking over partisan outrage
- Multiple newsletter products covering daily news, foreign policy, and long-form analysis
The Dispatch is a daily center-right news and analysis newsletter co-founded by Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes that prioritizes factual reporting and policy substance over partisan outrage. Launched with a beta in October 2019 and fully debuting in January 2020, The Dispatch was backed by $6 million in initial investment capital and started with a staff of eight, including founding editor-in-chief Goldberg, formerly of National Review, and Hayes, former editor-in-chief of The Weekly Standard.
The organization quickly found its audience, growing to nearly 10,000 paying subscribers by March 2020 and surpassing 30,000 subscribers before transitioning to a paid model. Notable early hires included David French, now a New York Times columnist, and the staff has since expanded beyond its initial team. The Dispatch was also one of Substack's first institutional media partners before eventually moving to its own platform, and it surpassed $1 million in revenue within months of launching.
What sets The Dispatch apart in the crowded political media landscape is its willingness to criticize its own political coalition. While clearly positioned on the center-right, the publication has consistently prioritized intellectual honesty over tribal loyalty, a stance that cost its founders their positions at Fox News but earned them a loyal subscriber base that values substance over performative partisanship.
