About us

Mission

To report the truth and build an accessible media platform that empowers readers through simple, selective, and fact-based reporting.

The story of Upward News

The 1990s

Three decades ago, the world witnessed the fall of Soviet Russia. Millions of refugees, deprived of freedom and yearning for it, escaped in any way they could. Anywhere would do, but there was no country like America. It was the last stand for liberty.

My parents were part of that group. They left their lives in the old country and made America home in 1991. While juggling multiple jobs, my mother learned English by watching “Seinfeld” and my father donned a patriotic fervor hard to find even among native-born Americans. I was born six years later, part of the first year of Gen Z.

Not long ago, the American dream was not a myth — it was alive and well, obtainable for anyone who wanted it and was willing to work for it. My family made it out of low-income housing and into the suburbs during the last remnants of America’s golden age in the early 2000s. The country would become unrecognizable just two decades later.

The 2000s

Change came. From the War on Terror to the financial meltdown, the long downward spiral is the only trajectory my generation remembers. Our childhood memories were speckled across a backdrop of lost jobs that never returned, prices that only rose, wars that had only started, and social changes that consistently uprooted the little about life we just barely managed to figure out.

America was slowly and radically being transformed, with its cultural, economic, and governmental traditions under assault. A new era of politics had arrived that, in retrospect, seemed to prioritize everything except the welfare of the people, regardless of the party in charge.

For many like myself, the country’s direction and politics seemed immovable. I was apolitical because all I knew were the politics of the Obama era. Twelve years of public schooling had trained me to blindly accept it, which was easy to do when opposing politicians failed to offer substantive alternatives.

Then came the 2016 election. The forces rattling America had gone from subtle to obvious, and it became impossible to stay apolitical.

2016 and onward

I was in college studying computer science. Like most, I was naive, understanding little of the world but wanting to do good and make an impact. But universities subvert those instincts. Through politics and activism, students lacking purpose and meaning are given a path to fill the void.

I was on that path, proselytized to worship social justice and believe that our societal problems stemmed from the very economic and social foundations that led millions of desperate immigrants — including my family — to the land of the free.

And then it hit me. Universities were indoctrinating my generation leftward with the same ideologies my parents fled. These elements were already making their way through all institutions of the country. I had just never noticed it until I watched friends and colleagues ecstatically embrace them.

At the same time, the media was diagnosing America with a life-threatening condition — the Trump administration. But it didn’t add up. Prices were going down, threats abroad were ending, and for the first time in my adult life, I had heard the term a “strong” economy. It didn’t matter, though; the media’s grasp on society was ironclad, and by the time of George Floyd’s death, my generation was all in.

They flooded the streets and the algorithmic abyss of social media — emphatically spreading propaganda that would have earned praise from the worst communist leaders in history. The lethal malpractice of academia, the media, and our chosen politicians in both parties then ushered in unprecedented riots, lockdowns, censorship, and radicalism.

It became increasingly impossible to speak with those around us, share our perspectives without being demonized or censored, and most importantly, get accurate information. The press was pushing agendas rather than reporting the truth. They forgot the true purpose of journalism and, in turn, polarized America into confusion and conflict.

Creating Upward News

I had to do something about it. So, at 25, I left my tech job to build Upward News full-time, with one goal: to tell the real story. I never stood a chance of getting employed in the corporate media – I have no journalism degree. But I've got something else: a commitment to the truth, which the corporate media no longer values.

The solution was an independent but uncompromising news outlet covering important trends simply, quickly, and thoroughly, without influence from big corporations or any political parties. Our mission is to tell the truth, no matter where it leads us or which side of the aisle it implicates. That’s the only way to bring America out of the darkness and confusion of false narratives.

We’re now reaching over 400,000 followers across social media. Our journalism has been shared by former President Donald Trump and other high-profile figures and has caught the attention of outlets such as the Associated Press.

Our newsletter is read by key political players in Congress, campaigns, and commentators who weave public narratives. But most importantly, we’re keeping our readers informed and ahead of the curve.

If you believe in this mission and value our work, we need your help to build it. Upward News can only continue to operate and expand our capabilities through reader support.

Frequently asked questions

What's our political leaning?

Not that these ratings are objective, but here is what the three main bias rating sites say:

Should you trust us?

You shouldn’t trust anyone. Everyone has an agenda, from the behemoth corporate media to small alternative outlets to online citizen journalists. So, we try to earn your trust with a simple set of rules.

We have a strict no-opinion policy. Every story is told through a series of heavily cited, often underreported facts. We also include analysis, but we do it right: in a non-emotional, matter-of-fact style based on strong evidence. Our insights are there to help you understand reality, not convince you to support one set of values over another.

Regardless, mistakes are inevitable. The corporate media has mastered the art of silent corrections — secretly and quietly updating errors in articles. So when they get something wrong, the damage is done, and their readers rarely find out.

We do the opposite. When we’re wrong, we’ll highlight corrections at the top of the next day’s newsletter and in web articles. They’ll be impossible to miss.

How do we operate?

We function like a really, really, small business. Some of our writers are in college, and others are just starting their careers. We’re all based in the U.S.

Most outlets operate on a high-output model, publishing as many articles as possible to increase web traffic for ad revenue, so there is a lot of noise to parse through. I pick out only the stories that matter and look for trends that I assign our writers to cover.

Our writers aim to meet our high editorial standards based on a set of guidelines we created (we’ve made this public so you can see them here). Each article usually takes hours of research and writing.

We make them concise and fast, which takes much more time than writing longer, less focused, fluff-filled articles. Then, the articles are scrutinized for errors and unintended opinions or biases.

Throughout the editorial process, we’re focused on you, the reader. We try to anticipate what questions you’ll have and do our best to answer them. We put ourselves in your shoes and imagine what details you’ll find riveting and which ones won’t meaningfully impact you. Our journalism isn’t crafted to go viral in the algorithms, it’s written to be read — by you.

Who funds us?

Short answer: you.

The media industry is a web of agenda-driven donors and investors. When I was first looking at how to turn Upward News into a sustainable organization that could grow and compete in the big leagues, I found two options.

First: become a non-profit and find donors who believe in our cause. But most donors give because they want to influence. Outlets that rely on donors give them leverage.

This is the case with some of the world's largest outlets such as the Guardian, funded partly by Bill Gates, or the Associated Press, funded by liberal groups. It also happens with smaller, independent outlets too.

The second: go the for-profit route and find investors. This model can work, but it has the same limitations of putting wealthy and politically motivated operators in the drivers' seats, especially if fundraising happens at the onset.

I said no to both ideas and decided Upward News would take a shot at bootstrapping and being fully funded by our readers and occasional sponsors that we trust.

What our readers are saying

“Thank you for reporting the truth, as difficult and tedious as I’m sure it can be - it is refreshing to read correct information - and not just things that confirm my own biases, since I learn something new from your newsletters often or don’t always agree with the way the information is presented. I at least can trust that it is factual!” Esther from Maryland

“I subscribed a few weeks ago and have enjoyed it immensely. Your news is the perfect alternative to the opinionated and misleading excuse for journalism available today.” Wes from New York

“I absolutely love this company. The reporting keeps me way more informed than any other news site. The coverage is fair, in-depth, and highlights the important things.” Kyle from Kansas

“I'm a busy dad of seven kids and was subscribed to the Wall Street Journal for a while... it's so nice to get a condensed daily look at the news that isn't chastising me.” Dan from Virginia

“On a weekly basis, I consume a wide variety of media commentary, ranging from traditional press that tends to be fairly liberal to more conservative journalists. For over a year, I have carefully read and reflected on the reporting from Upward News, and I'm utterly gratified to see consistently excellent coverage of major events across the globe.” James from Michigan