I agree with Walter more often than not. That said, I feel encouraged that Matt has chosen to steer the ship away from opinions and toward presenting more in-depth, "just the facts" reporting. While I'm sure that I'll continue to seek out Walter's narratives from time to time (just for comfort), I'm looking forward to honest stories, presented without bias, to inform my positions.
Agreed. Enjoying a journalist's work isn't as much about the topic of the article, as it is the quality of the work. When I look back at those wonderful days when The Atlantic, for instance, was an actual magazine and not an anus crapping out propaganda, it didn't really matter what the story was about. I read the stories I liked first, but I usually read that darn magazine from cover to cover. Everything in it was well-researched and well-written.
I think I speak for many subscribers when I say you've never let me down, and I believe those that may have felt let down over the years, felt that way because of their politics, not because of the work Racket has produced. That was their loss. I read Racket News cover to cover!
ATW was great, but it was increasingly little journalism. In recent weeks I actually felt like speaking up on that, but held my tongue in the hopes that Matt would naturally be pulled to getting back to basic journalism...
"In most commercial media, however, forcing staffers to adopt slates of positions has become the standard, another pattern we hope to break, not that there’s much risk of falling into it with Kopp."
Well alright! This is why i signed up in the first place.
One ask though. Please don't turn into the FP or the Bulwark or the Dispatch with all these new contributors. Or dog forbid the NYT circle jerk format of the op-ed section now. I'm here for investigative journalism, not hot takes and opinion "journalism".
True, but I think Racket's new invigorated staff should, as a normal function of reporters and editors, make an effort to review and clean up the transcripts for public consumption.
Indeed they are ai and they are often full of mistakes! I’m the editor for two podcasts using Otter.ai generated transcripts - I wish I had kept a list of the mistakes that made me laugh out loud! I’ve done almost 400 transcripts over the past 5 years and although ai is better now it’s definitely not good enough to publish as is. Humans needed!
02/09/26: Agree, 100%. Having seen 150,000 of them, I've become allergic to videos. Creating transcripts does take more time and incurs additional expense. How to compensate?
Aside from this one, my other favorite Substack is The Liberal Patriot (full disclosure - they're close to my sweet spot politically). 5 or 6 guys who keep the focus on working class economics.
With you on the decline of the other new alts. I can't put my finger on it, why are they slacking? Is it that in the attempt to surpass their previous rivals, they ate the poison parts?—the tainted writers.
I never even got into reading them. It seemed to me that they sort of coalesced around a viewpoint - ie pro-Israel and anti- woke/trans for the FP, or Republicans who hate Trump for the others .
I think Yuri above put a finger on it - slop for clicks and paychecks.
02/09/26: My cherished alibi is that my first priority is reading books. Which is why verbose internet writers at this address are given the bum's rush.
Most definitely. The FP tried to become a broadsheet with broad topics and many subsections and lost my interest. Too much Joe Nocera (any is too much), too many random Douglas Murray musings, too little of things like the deep JK Rowling trans issue profile they once did.
02/09/26: The thought of those 13 "climate change reporters" out in the cold produced the most pleasant feeling. Thank you for mentioning the subject! How many of the 300 will end up being "beer donkeys" in Amazon warehouses?
I want the news rather some rando contributor on theFP dive bomb in on an occassion. I rather read investigative reporting. If I want opinion piece, I would read NYT, or other big national newspaper. But then I don't read opinion pieces, I can form my own. I need real news.
You know what? When the Guardian tries to do US politics, even with US journalists, they suck. But they do some deep dive reporting into some obscure stories that you don't see elsewhere. And some of them are really very good.
02/09/26: In the respect to the U.,S., the G never learns from its mistakes. It is astonishing how far they have descended from their esteemed reputation that existed decades ago. It is as if they WANT to fail. And it is possible that whatever they are today is financially subsidized by the UK's and America's enemies (in which case, they can't $$$ fail).
The Guardian does some biased "deep dive" stories, I agree, but they are few and far between. It seems to have devolved into a woke opinion piece rag, although the crossword puzzles are ok. Will not continue to subscribe, it has become a parody of a good newspaper.
I would add to this request to not feel like you need to cover ANY story du jour. Honestly I could care less about your (Matt's) take on Israel, or whatever. I'd MUCH rather have unexpected muckraking stories like the Minnesota fraud stuff. Anything that reveals the puppet strings and actually has an impact on how we understand the world, versus more hot takes on whatever the internet is freaked out about starting 5 minutes ago.
But I DO like the long form discussions. I like Walter a lot but he tended to steam roll you and I was ALWAYS wanting to hear more from you during ATW. Maybe rotating conversations between you and members of your new staff?.. Written pieces are good of course, but I really like the oral tradition and watching how people reason and navigate in real time, I feel like there's more of a "transmission" there than the polished written word. At least for me.
Icare about both. I also care about proposed solutions. No single source can do all three things with clarity - so, yes, start with and hold to the truth. Without the truth, there can be neither a reason why nor a solution forward. When reporting strays from the truth, it lands in opinion, however well or badly argued, and truth gets lost in the dust.
Very exciting. My view is you and your operation, Catherine Herridge, and Michael Shellenberger are the true investigative reporters today. Without all of you, real news stories would never see the light of day.
Matt, in all seriousness, I hope that you are taking ample care of yourself and getting enough brain rest following your concussion.
I had one in a car accident decades ago when I was younger, and it had a significant — and continued impact on my memory and cognitive function. Forced me into taking notes on everything.
02/09/26: I entirely agree and thank you for bringing up this subject, which hadn't occurred to me. We need a take-your-time, quality Matt Taibbi, not a Frequent Flyer concerned with or even prioritizing quantity.
I'm excited for Shelly-B's new book. The title sounds a little stock-Ann Coulter/David Horowitz-y, though, and is likely to turn off precisely those who need it most.
Ages ago, ie a few years ago in these modern times lol, I praised your reporting as reporting. While seemingly everywhere else had moved to editorials as news, basically propaganda, you did not. What, when, where, who; that's reporting. The new moto is music to my ears. Thanks Matt!
Looking forward to the reboot. I am so sick of “why” journalism; and I hate “truthiness”. Leave it to the NYT and NPR whose audience just wants to know what to say to their friends.
I love the idea of both sides, if one side isn’t sarcastic and snarky while the other side sounds “reasonable.” I see this in TFP too much. The suggestion of being able to find the money behind every story is awesome! When I see “facts” I want to know who is paying for that particular list of facts. Looking forward to it.
Yes, and if her bailiwick is Covid origins, it would be nice to know why clowns like Peter Daszak, Ralph Baric, and their pals haven’t been investigated criminally. Reckless indifference at a minimum. Who the hell tinkers with viruses to make them more lethal and transmissible knowing full well of the potential consequences? And why? Let’s rule out scientific curiosity. These people turned our lives upside down for years and it would be nice to know why.
Yes. Doing investigations and reporting facts is fine but if nothing concrete happens as a result, it's like howling into the wind. There have been so many exposes of criminality, corruption and morally bankrupt people/institutions yet here we are. I hope the new Racket helps move the needle from inaction to accountability. Good luck.
Baric is apparently a genuinely top-notch scientist.
He specializes in a field (virology) that has clear strategic and defense importance.
As such, it's hardly surprising that he's had "intelligence community" contact for some time.
That being said, I'm fine with our best scientists cooperating with the strategic goals of our country -- defense-related or otherwise.
But what happened with COVID is another matter.
If Baric was simply caught up in "development" and either didn't know or wasn't curious about "policy", I can handle that, but if he was used to help what now clearly appears to have been a disaster-on-wheels-with-coverup, then we should know what his involvement was.
Baric was, from what I can tell (and Kopp would be the person to corroborate or refute), directly involved with the Wuhan Institute for Mircobiological Shenanigans.
I am confident there's a bunch of stories there. Serious, nasty, deep-state stories.
And, of course, there are the clear, ultra-nasty policy decisions:
02/09/26: PD. RB & Co. should have been indicted by now for accepting bribes from Fauci's government funds ("Lie about the origin of Covid and get your projects funded. Do not = no dough"). Fauci's been "pardoned" but the takers of bribes haven't been.
They didn't commit any legally recognizable crimes because their culpability is likely too indirect. A mock trial might be educational, but they would never participate. What should happen is that those who facilitated the COVID disaster should be named and shamed, the evidence for culpability laid out in as much detail as possible, so that their names will live on in infamy.
Fauci would be the top name. People don't realize how influential he was in the creation and sustainment of the gain-of-function (GoF) research after the experiments of Fouchier and Kawaoka created such a concern and a subsequent schism in the scientific community. Fauci was a pro-GoF guy, and he controlled the biggest pot of money, so his point of view won the day. After a moratorium (which Fauci appears to have ignored by playing with the definition of GoF), GoF research resumed, and the worst fears of the scientists who opposed it came true.
Count me in! I care, in this order, The Truth, and whose money is behind the sources. Also, never let Walter escape, even to the point of hand cuffing him to his chair and only feeding him in exchange for his commentary. ;-)
I need, right now, a tee shirt with that fantastic image of Matt (you'd know him anywhere, wouldn't you?) and the slogan "We Care If It's True. We Don't Care Why." Fire up that Racket merch! Let's do this! ;-)
I'm looking forward to learning what you are going to do with ATW, because it seems to be mostly Walter's "take" on the world, one that often is not particularly well informed (no offense to Walter--he often admits this but gives his take anyway). Now I understand a bit more why you so infrequently give your opinion. So yeah, I don't always like what you cover, but I like that I can always trust what you report. Happy to continue to support you.
Maybe this is why I always get so frustrated listening to ATW. Matt is a hard-charging force of nature in print and then he's a little scared chihuahua on camera, rolling over for Walter's impromptu tirades about how cops are shooting us for our own good and our regime change wars are justified and good actually, or whatever it is. I'm like, what is this garbage? Give me that guy who wrote Matt Taibbi's books and his articles!
I renewed my subscription with you at a time when I was eliminating and cutting back on all my bills. I am so happy I did, and I did it BECAUSE I TRUST YOU!
I'm with you all the way, and if I waiver I'll let you know why. You're a top tier go-to news reporter, and we welcome your new associates with open arms! Congratulations!
Yes - I have pared back subscriptions and streaming services, but unsubscribing to Racket didn't even occur to me. Not an option - Matt's writing reminds me that either I am really not crazy, or if I am in the best of company.
I'm sure I speak for many subscribers when I say I couldn't care less about pacing. Just keep up the good work.
I really like hearing Walter’s perspective on current news so hope that can continue.
I agree with Walter more often than not. That said, I feel encouraged that Matt has chosen to steer the ship away from opinions and toward presenting more in-depth, "just the facts" reporting. While I'm sure that I'll continue to seek out Walter's narratives from time to time (just for comfort), I'm looking forward to honest stories, presented without bias, to inform my positions.
Same.
I think Walter has his own Substack, so you can look for him there.
Agreed. Enjoying a journalist's work isn't as much about the topic of the article, as it is the quality of the work. When I look back at those wonderful days when The Atlantic, for instance, was an actual magazine and not an anus crapping out propaganda, it didn't really matter what the story was about. I read the stories I liked first, but I usually read that darn magazine from cover to cover. Everything in it was well-researched and well-written.
I think I speak for many subscribers when I say you've never let me down, and I believe those that may have felt let down over the years, felt that way because of their politics, not because of the work Racket has produced. That was their loss. I read Racket News cover to cover!
Totally agree!!!!
ATW was great, but it was increasingly little journalism. In recent weeks I actually felt like speaking up on that, but held my tongue in the hopes that Matt would naturally be pulled to getting back to basic journalism...
02/09/26: Agreed!
"In most commercial media, however, forcing staffers to adopt slates of positions has become the standard, another pattern we hope to break, not that there’s much risk of falling into it with Kopp."
[Matt's the Good Cop and she’s the Bad…]
Well alright! This is why i signed up in the first place.
One ask though. Please don't turn into the FP or the Bulwark or the Dispatch with all these new contributors. Or dog forbid the NYT circle jerk format of the op-ed section now. I'm here for investigative journalism, not hot takes and opinion "journalism".
Oh, and please write or at least provide transcripts. I'm tired of heads that talk too.
YES. Thank you. There's a time for video, but sometimes I just want to skim a transcript and see what's going on.
Yes, this 👆👆please! Despite the pleasure of seeing your handsome face and that of the silverest of foxes, Walter, I like reading print vs. listening.
Yes, and please do a better job of proofreading those transcripts. The errors in the ATW transcripts range from the confusing to the comical.
My guess is that they're AI generated. Which is better than no transcript.
True, but I think Racket's new invigorated staff should, as a normal function of reporters and editors, make an effort to review and clean up the transcripts for public consumption.
02/09/26: This will cost more money. Where do we volunteer to pay for it?
Indeed they are ai and they are often full of mistakes! I’m the editor for two podcasts using Otter.ai generated transcripts - I wish I had kept a list of the mistakes that made me laugh out loud! I’ve done almost 400 transcripts over the past 5 years and although ai is better now it’s definitely not good enough to publish as is. Humans needed!
02/09/26: Agree, 100%. Having seen 150,000 of them, I've become allergic to videos. Creating transcripts does take more time and incurs additional expense. How to compensate?
Seconded. Don’t join the human centipede of slop. The larger Substacks rtj mentioned are no different from MSM.
Aside from this one, my other favorite Substack is The Liberal Patriot (full disclosure - they're close to my sweet spot politically). 5 or 6 guys who keep the focus on working class economics.
A bit too liberal for me but I’ll give them points for not being insane.
As an early subscriber, I agree. I suspect you will be very successful, because almost no one else is doing this.
Almost?
As in none?
With you on the decline of the other new alts. I can't put my finger on it, why are they slacking? Is it that in the attempt to surpass their previous rivals, they ate the poison parts?—the tainted writers.
I never even got into reading them. It seemed to me that they sort of coalesced around a viewpoint - ie pro-Israel and anti- woke/trans for the FP, or Republicans who hate Trump for the others .
I think Yuri above put a finger on it - slop for clicks and paychecks.
02/09/26: My cherished alibi is that my first priority is reading books. Which is why verbose internet writers at this address are given the bum's rush.
Most definitely. The FP tried to become a broadsheet with broad topics and many subsections and lost my interest. Too much Joe Nocera (any is too much), too many random Douglas Murray musings, too little of things like the deep JK Rowling trans issue profile they once did.
02/09/26: Writers without a sense of humor. A decent headstone inscription.
WaPo 'journalists' looking for jobs....
Bwahahahahaha!
02/09/26: The thought of those 13 "climate change reporters" out in the cold produced the most pleasant feeling. Thank you for mentioning the subject! How many of the 300 will end up being "beer donkeys" in Amazon warehouses?
ew.
I want the news rather some rando contributor on theFP dive bomb in on an occassion. I rather read investigative reporting. If I want opinion piece, I would read NYT, or other big national newspaper. But then I don't read opinion pieces, I can form my own. I need real news.
Right? Guardian we do not want.
You know what? When the Guardian tries to do US politics, even with US journalists, they suck. But they do some deep dive reporting into some obscure stories that you don't see elsewhere. And some of them are really very good.
02/09/26: In the respect to the U.,S., the G never learns from its mistakes. It is astonishing how far they have descended from their esteemed reputation that existed decades ago. It is as if they WANT to fail. And it is possible that whatever they are today is financially subsidized by the UK's and America's enemies (in which case, they can't $$$ fail).
The Guardian does some biased "deep dive" stories, I agree, but they are few and far between. It seems to have devolved into a woke opinion piece rag, although the crossword puzzles are ok. Will not continue to subscribe, it has become a parody of a good newspaper.
Agree with this.
I would add to this request to not feel like you need to cover ANY story du jour. Honestly I could care less about your (Matt's) take on Israel, or whatever. I'd MUCH rather have unexpected muckraking stories like the Minnesota fraud stuff. Anything that reveals the puppet strings and actually has an impact on how we understand the world, versus more hot takes on whatever the internet is freaked out about starting 5 minutes ago.
But I DO like the long form discussions. I like Walter a lot but he tended to steam roll you and I was ALWAYS wanting to hear more from you during ATW. Maybe rotating conversations between you and members of your new staff?.. Written pieces are good of course, but I really like the oral tradition and watching how people reason and navigate in real time, I feel like there's more of a "transmission" there than the polished written word. At least for me.
exactly
"We care if it's true. We don't care why" Not many journos out there who adhere to this, so hoping you continue.
Icare about both. I also care about proposed solutions. No single source can do all three things with clarity - so, yes, start with and hold to the truth. Without the truth, there can be neither a reason why nor a solution forward. When reporting strays from the truth, it lands in opinion, however well or badly argued, and truth gets lost in the dust.
I agree. Matt, looking forward to the new Racket. Best wishes for success!
Very exciting. My view is you and your operation, Catherine Herridge, and Michael Shellenberger are the true investigative reporters today. Without all of you, real news stories would never see the light of day.
I would add Sharyl Attkisson to that list.
Agree. They don’t report every day, so don’t have that added pressure. Katherine just put out an excellent article about the Clintons today.
She did. I read it this morning. Highly recommend
Matt, in all seriousness, I hope that you are taking ample care of yourself and getting enough brain rest following your concussion.
I had one in a car accident decades ago when I was younger, and it had a significant — and continued impact on my memory and cognitive function. Forced me into taking notes on everything.
It needs a lot more rest than I’d given it.
👍🏻thanks for highlighting this!
02/09/26: I entirely agree and thank you for bringing up this subject, which hadn't occurred to me. We need a take-your-time, quality Matt Taibbi, not a Frequent Flyer concerned with or even prioritizing quantity.
Where can I find that article?
CatherineHerridgeReports.com
Or on @X Catherine Herridge
Also Alex Berenson and Julie Kelly.
02/09/26: Please add Emerald Robinson, Chris Rufo and Julie Kelly, among others, to that list.
I'm excited for Shelly-B's new book. The title sounds a little stock-Ann Coulter/David Horowitz-y, though, and is likely to turn off precisely those who need it most.
I've recently found Alexander Muse as a good source. I've also been reading Chris Bray for years. He just accepted a position with the Federalist.
Ages ago, ie a few years ago in these modern times lol, I praised your reporting as reporting. While seemingly everywhere else had moved to editorials as news, basically propaganda, you did not. What, when, where, who; that's reporting. The new moto is music to my ears. Thanks Matt!
Thank you Matt. Racket is the best and most honest journalistic reporting on Substack and you sir, are a national treasure.
Truly a national treasure with the courage, honesty, and patriotism of Lincoln!
Looking forward to the reboot. I am so sick of “why” journalism; and I hate “truthiness”. Leave it to the NYT and NPR whose audience just wants to know what to say to their friends.
And Fox, et. al. on the other hand.
truer words were never spoken: just wants to know what to say to their friends
I love the idea of both sides, if one side isn’t sarcastic and snarky while the other side sounds “reasonable.” I see this in TFP too much. The suggestion of being able to find the money behind every story is awesome! When I see “facts” I want to know who is paying for that particular list of facts. Looking forward to it.
I think the money angle needs to be looked into more.
Love the idea Matt! Your Russiagate reporting was stellar so I have no doubt this well be great too!
Emily Kopp is an excellent addition! Kudos and all the best to Emily!
Yes, and if her bailiwick is Covid origins, it would be nice to know why clowns like Peter Daszak, Ralph Baric, and their pals haven’t been investigated criminally. Reckless indifference at a minimum. Who the hell tinkers with viruses to make them more lethal and transmissible knowing full well of the potential consequences? And why? Let’s rule out scientific curiosity. These people turned our lives upside down for years and it would be nice to know why.
It would be nice if they were held accountable.
Yes. Doing investigations and reporting facts is fine but if nothing concrete happens as a result, it's like howling into the wind. There have been so many exposes of criminality, corruption and morally bankrupt people/institutions yet here we are. I hope the new Racket helps move the needle from inaction to accountability. Good luck.
I hope so too.
Baric is apparently a genuinely top-notch scientist.
He specializes in a field (virology) that has clear strategic and defense importance.
As such, it's hardly surprising that he's had "intelligence community" contact for some time.
That being said, I'm fine with our best scientists cooperating with the strategic goals of our country -- defense-related or otherwise.
But what happened with COVID is another matter.
If Baric was simply caught up in "development" and either didn't know or wasn't curious about "policy", I can handle that, but if he was used to help what now clearly appears to have been a disaster-on-wheels-with-coverup, then we should know what his involvement was.
Baric was, from what I can tell (and Kopp would be the person to corroborate or refute), directly involved with the Wuhan Institute for Mircobiological Shenanigans.
I am confident there's a bunch of stories there. Serious, nasty, deep-state stories.
And, of course, there are the clear, ultra-nasty policy decisions:
https://www.rationalground.com/p/six-years-ago-today-they-chose-the
There is an entire chapter on Ralph Baric's involvement in RFK Jr.'s book, The Wuhan Cover-Up.
02/09/26: PD. RB & Co. should have been indicted by now for accepting bribes from Fauci's government funds ("Lie about the origin of Covid and get your projects funded. Do not = no dough"). Fauci's been "pardoned" but the takers of bribes haven't been.
They didn't commit any legally recognizable crimes because their culpability is likely too indirect. A mock trial might be educational, but they would never participate. What should happen is that those who facilitated the COVID disaster should be named and shamed, the evidence for culpability laid out in as much detail as possible, so that their names will live on in infamy.
Fauci would be the top name. People don't realize how influential he was in the creation and sustainment of the gain-of-function (GoF) research after the experiments of Fouchier and Kawaoka created such a concern and a subsequent schism in the scientific community. Fauci was a pro-GoF guy, and he controlled the biggest pot of money, so his point of view won the day. After a moratorium (which Fauci appears to have ignored by playing with the definition of GoF), GoF research resumed, and the worst fears of the scientists who opposed it came true.
02/09/26: From now on, each time we add something here, it's an Emily post.
I'm in. I really appreciate this site.
Count me in! I care, in this order, The Truth, and whose money is behind the sources. Also, never let Walter escape, even to the point of hand cuffing him to his chair and only feeding him in exchange for his commentary. ;-)
I need, right now, a tee shirt with that fantastic image of Matt (you'd know him anywhere, wouldn't you?) and the slogan "We Care If It's True. We Don't Care Why." Fire up that Racket merch! Let's do this! ;-)
I'm looking forward to learning what you are going to do with ATW, because it seems to be mostly Walter's "take" on the world, one that often is not particularly well informed (no offense to Walter--he often admits this but gives his take anyway). Now I understand a bit more why you so infrequently give your opinion. So yeah, I don't always like what you cover, but I like that I can always trust what you report. Happy to continue to support you.
Maybe this is why I always get so frustrated listening to ATW. Matt is a hard-charging force of nature in print and then he's a little scared chihuahua on camera, rolling over for Walter's impromptu tirades about how cops are shooting us for our own good and our regime change wars are justified and good actually, or whatever it is. I'm like, what is this garbage? Give me that guy who wrote Matt Taibbi's books and his articles!
Nice way to show us you’ve never actually listened to Walter.
Dear Matt Taibbi,
I renewed my subscription with you at a time when I was eliminating and cutting back on all my bills. I am so happy I did, and I did it BECAUSE I TRUST YOU!
I'm with you all the way, and if I waiver I'll let you know why. You're a top tier go-to news reporter, and we welcome your new associates with open arms! Congratulations!
Susan in Moscow PA
Yes - I have pared back subscriptions and streaming services, but unsubscribing to Racket didn't even occur to me. Not an option - Matt's writing reminds me that either I am really not crazy, or if I am in the best of company.
We trust you, Matt, which is all too rare a pleasure nowadays. Go get ‘em!
Especially in the news arena these years.