Editorial Charter

We publish independent commentary on film, television, music, sports and celebrity. We treat popular culture as the place where a society's attention goes, and we report on what that attention is being drawn away from. We are not owned by, funded by, or answerable to any media corporation.

What we believe

• Attention is finite. What a society watches determines what it neglects.
• Entertainment is not the enemy. The problem is entertainment used as a substitute for citizenship. We never sneer at people for enjoying the game.
• Concentrated control serves those who hold it. That applies to media, institutions and messaging alike. People prosper when information and decisions are dispersed.
• Readers are adults. We give evidence and argument, and they reach their own conclusions.
• Conscience is collective only when individuals exercise it. Our job is to witness, not to comfort.

What we cover

We cover the spectacle and what stands behind it: film, television, streaming, music, sports, celebrity, and the companies that own and distribute them. We publish in three sections.

• The Distraction takes one spectacle and shows what it displaced.
• Follow the Money shows who owns, funds or profits from a cultural product.
• The Ledger sets the week's most-covered stories beside the least-covered ones.

We are not a partisan site. We criticize power whoever holds it, and we do not endorse parties or candidates.

Who writes

Articles are written by humans. Each article carries its author's name, a short biography and a link to the author's website. Each is reviewed with AI assistance for authenticity, house standards and factual accuracy, then approved by the publisher before it runs.

Standards

• Fact and opinion are kept distinct. The reader can always tell which is which.
• Named people are criticized for conduct on the record. We do not speculate about health or private lives.
• Corrections are visible. An error is fixed in the text and noted, with the date, at the foot of the article. See Corrections.
• Money is disclosed. Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate links are labelled as such, and advertisers have no say over coverage.

Contributors

Outside writers are welcome. We pay $100 for each accepted article of 600 to 900 words. Writers send the idea first, sign a statement that the article is their own work and not written by AI, and assign the rights in the article to the publication before payment. See Write for Us.