I Make Them Uncomfortable

Hey guys, it’s Joe Perticone.

I report on Congress for The Bulwark.

I spend the majority of my day on my feet, standing in hallways or striding across the U.S. Capitol to catch elected officials and ply them with questions. But my job is more than just that.

In my newsletter, Press Pass, I don’t write the same horserace coverage that you can find at any other publication. Twice a week, I try to give you a view of unique and undercovered stories while also sharing what I see and hear in the halls of Congress. There are 435 representatives and 100 senators working on Capitol Hill. Too often, our lawmakers get away with lying or unethical behavior. And some of them are very good at avoiding reporters who ask them questions they don’t want to answer.

One of the first stories I wrote for The Bulwark was about shady and unethical stock trading being done by members of Congress. Now, almost three years later, I’m reporting stories like my recent one about members of Congress who are cashing in on Trump’s mass deportation policy by buying up shares in ICE’s biggest contractors. [Today’s member-only edition of Press Pass focuses on another side of Hill business: the lobbyists. Click for my story on Matt Schlapp, accused predator, cashing in on access to the Trump administration.]

If you also read our other newsletters, you’ll know that we care first and foremost about the truth, even when it's politically inconvenient. The Bulwark stands apart from our peers in the D.C. press corps because although we have a vision and point of view, we aren’t beholden to a party or ideology. We are uniquely aware of—and good at avoiding—the partisan traps and the snares of groupthink that sometimes catch people and organizations that work in the political media space.

[Upgrade to Bulwark+ today and get next 30 days FREE. Offer ends Monday.]

We also like to listen to feedback from our Bulwark+ members about what stories matter to them. When we get a sense for the importance of a story to our community, we search out all the different ways to get to the bottom of it. That’s why we’ve done things like establish a secure tipline, ask our readers to send in hypocritical communications they’ve received from their elected representatives, and more.

And our community gives back, too. Most recently, our readers raised over $8,000 to support Maribel, a street vendor in L.A. whose livelihood was being threatened by ICE activity. (My colleague Adrian Carrasquillo wrote about her in a recent edition of Huddled Masses, his must-read newsletter on immigration.) It’s the kind of thing that reminds you what a privilege it is to write for our readership.

I’d love for you to be a part of this online community—a place where dedicated journalists want to hear what you think is important to cover, where you can make real connections with others who love democracy, and where once in a while, you can see a place where it’s possible to intervene in the news cycle to help someone get out from under it.

Support The Bulwark

Thanks,
Joe Perticone