The Free Press (media company)

The Free Press (formerly known as Common Sense) is an American Internet-based media company based in Los Angeles, California founded by Bari Weiss and Nellie Bowles.[1][2]  The newsletter was first published in 2021[3][4] while its associated media company officially launched in 2022.[1]

The Free Press
FormerlyCommon Sense
TypeNews media
Founded2021
FounderBari Weiss, Nellie Bowles
Headquarters
Los Angeles, CA
Websitewww.thefp.com

History

Weiss and Bowles launched Common Sense on Substack in January 2021 after Weiss’ resignation from The New York Times.[1][5][6][3] The newsletter was named after the political pamphlet of the same name by Thomas Paine.[4] It covered politics, culture, and current events.[7][8][9][10]

In June 2021, as part of Common Sense, Weiss launched the podcast Honestly, which has since featured guests including Kim Kardashian, Bill Barr, and Andrew Yang.[11][12] Other guests have included Chris Christie, Tyler Cowen, Will Hurd, Ro Khanna, Walter Russell Mead, Tim Scott, Larry Summers, Peter Thiel, and Tim Urban.

Weiss rebranded Common Sense as The Free Press in 2022.[7][8] In 2022, she expanded The Free Press into a media company, with staff writers (including senior editor Peter Savodnik[13] and Olivia Reingold[14]) and a subscription-based business model.[7][8] The Free Press has also hired Andy Mills, former producer of The Daily, to develop audio programming for the company.[1]

Journalists and writers who have written for The Free Press include Emily Yoffe,[1] Michael Shellenberger,[1] and Joe Nocera. Regular contributors include Douglas Murray and Vinay Prasad.

In December 2022, The Free Press published information about the Twitter Files after Twitter CEO Elon Musk provided Weiss with access to records of Twitter's internal communications.[11][15] The information Weiss discussed included blacklisting of accounts and suppression of trending topics.[6][16]

In early 2023, Megan Phelps-Roper hosted a podcast series at The Free Press titled The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, featuring interviews with Rowling and others on all sides of the cultural conflicts surrounding the author and her views on transgender people.[17][18]

In October 2023, vandals wrote a vulgar antisemitic message on a wall outside the office of The Free Press.[19] Articles from The Free Press have condemned the attack on Israel by Hamas and criticized legacy media coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict for the spread of misinformation.[20]

References
  1. Fischer, Sara (2022-12-13). "Bari Weiss reveals business plan for buzzy new media startup". Axios. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  2. Elliott, Vittoria. "Trump's Twitter Ban Was Unfair, but Not for the Reason You Think". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  3. Stelter, Brian (2021-10-17). "Bari Weiss' next act: a Substack newsletter that serves as 'the newspaper for the 21st century' | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  4. Svetkey, Benjamin (2022-12-22). "Bari Weiss's L.A. Adventure". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  5. Arends, Brett. "How much? Times walkout Bari Weiss breaks the rules, makes a mint". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  6. Dodgson, Lindsay. "Musk's media renegades: The anti-establishment writers including Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss chosen for the 'Twitter Files'". Insider. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  7. "Can Bari Weiss bite the hand that feeds her? | Semafor". www.semafor.com. 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  8. "McCarthy's Rebellion & The Greene-Gaetz Civil War". Puck. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  9. "Vicious, Demented Animal Cruelty or Social Construct? Who's to Say?". National Review. 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  10. Kafka, Peter (2022-08-03). "The newsletter boom is over. What's next?". Vox. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  11. Grynbaum, Michael M. (2022-12-05). "Elon Musk, Matt Taibbi, and a Very Modern Media Maelstrom". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  12. "The words GOP lawmakers may never be able to say". Roll Call. 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  13. "Peter Savodnik". Staff page. The Free Press.
  14. "Olivia Reingold". Staff page. The Free Press.
  15. Peters, Justin (2022-12-19). "The Great Internet Grievance War the Right Has Wanted Is Here. It Ain't Going Well". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  16. Wulfsohn, Joseph (2022-12-15). "Bari Weiss claps back at critics saying Twitter Files 'cherry-picks' reporting: 'Twitter misled the public'". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  17. Spangler, Todd (February 14, 2023). "J.K. Rowling Addresses Backlash to Her Anti-Trans Comments in New Podcast: 'I Never Set Out to Upset Anyone'". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  18. Paul, Pamela (February 16, 2023). "In Defense of J.K. Rowling". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  19. Bari Weiss [@bariweiss] (October 22, 2023). "This was scrawled outside of our offices this week. If the antisemites who did this think it will intimidate me and the journalists of @TheFP , they don't know me, they don't know us, and they have no idea what we stand for" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-10-23 – via Twitter.
  20. "When the Misinformation Comes From Inside the House". www.thefp.com. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
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