Some Days I’m a "Hero," Other Days Everyone Hates Me — And That’s Fine

In an age of partisan echo chambers, asking fair questions can feel radical.

When I started The Red Letter, I knew I wasn’t choosing the easy path.

It’s inconvenient to be independent. It’s inconvenient to stand alone.

In a world that rewards tribal loyalty and punishes dissent, true independence isn’t glamorous, it’s lonely. But it’s also essential.

This week, that independence was tested again.

I interviewed congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, a rising social media star on the left. She’s smart, quick, and knows how to work an audience. But when I asked her straightforward questions about her recent indictment, basic questions about what happened, how she felt, and what it meant for her campaign she abruptly ended the interview.

It was shocking, but also telling.

It reminded me how fragile our media ecosystem has become, how many people, especially those running for office, now only want to be questioned by people who agree with them. Even before I started the interview, I received flack online from the Right for using the word protest in the promotion of the interview. They thought it was too light. They changed their tune after the interview.

But just because I asked Kat about what happened that day doesn’t mean I support the charges against her. It means I’m doing my job: asking questions. She has every right to refuse to answer and I have every right to ask. That’s what journalism is supposed to be.

The Cost of Being Down the Middle

It would be easier to pick a side.

If I wanted to be a partisan influencer, I could tap into an instant fanbase of people who only want their opinions validated. I’d have the algorithms on my side and probably a Super PAC or two supporting me financially or at the very least, sharing my work and funneling me interviews.

But that’s not why I’m here.

I built The Red Letter because I believe there’s power in independence, not as a position of neutrality, but as a commitment to truth. I go where the story leads, not where the party lines tell me to go.

That’s why I dug into the deciding vote on releasing the Epstein files — Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski — and found nearly a decade of quiet business ties to Ghislaine Maxwell’s husband.

It’s why I pressed Michael Cohen on MSNBC’s glaring omission — when he claimed Trump had no ties to Epstein, even though there was a 2016 lawsuit against him. I wanted to know what Cohen really knew. It turned out he’d once been asked to “take care of” an Epstein matter involving an “infant” — and he used a private investigator to handle it.

And now, it’s why I asked a 26-year-old congressional candidate about an indictment. The through line is simple: I ask questions, without fear or favor.

The Reality of Independent Journalism

Do I lose followers sometimes? Absolutely. Some days, I’m a hero on the left. Other days, on the right. And some days, everyone hates me. That’s okay.

Because independence isn’t about comfort, it’s about credibility.

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” — EE Cummings

Abughazaleh may not need the press right now; she has her own audience. But one day, if she wins, she’ll walk through the halls of Congress, and reporters from every outlet will be shouting questions at her. They won’t care which side she’s on. They’ll just want answers. That’s accountability and it doesn’t stop at ideology.

Tribal affiliation drives clicks and cash. But truth drives change.

That’s why I’m still here, doing it this way, without shareholders, without a political benefactor, without fear. Whoever wins office doesn’t make me richer or more powerful. I stay the same, asking the hard questions for you.

If you believe in that kind of journalism — journalism that doesn’t bend to power or partisanship — I could really use your support.

👉 Subscribe to The Red Letter to help me keep doing this work.
Not for clicks. Not for a party. But for the truth.