I’m about to be so honest and candid with the National Zero audience, Mrs. Jack will be shocked I can express things with such openness.  Please bear with me.

A year or so after Spartan started the site with me jumping on days later, Spartan posted a list of disqus-using news-centric websites with the headline saying something like, “Go at ‘em,” implying that our National Zero audience should troll other sites.  The post was one of those times when I would periodically (zealously) chide Spartan behind the scenes, in this case for what in my former-journalist view was unethically directing readers to troll sites through an “astroturf” effort.  We had a responsibility to our readers to not abuse the trust you put in us with what we post “above the fold.”

I violated my own values today, and I’m sorry.  I apologize to each and every reader of this site.  I knowingly used my access to publish an item designed to spur action behind the scenes.  It was an unfair exploitation of the venue and an abuse of my editorial privilege.  I have never done this before with any publication or outlet where I had my name on the masthead, but I did it here and I acknowledge that. I apologize wholeheartedly and I hope you will forgive me.

This site is unique, and it’s also unusual.  The community that has grown around National Zero is not just one centered on politics:  it is a spirit that respects irreverence and insight both “above the fold” and below it, and from various aspects and styles.  (I tip my cap to the non-troll conservatives who have survived the comments section; game respects game.)  If the NatZero community was put together in a poster, I’m sure the demographics would reflect the diversity the Democrats would want appearing behind a candidate during a speech. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me.

National Zero is unusual in the fact that the editorial team openly and genuinely interacts with readers in our comments section.  Neither of us use an unknown pseudonym in the comments; our byline names are in our disqus handles and we openly acknowledge our roles.  Some of our regulars communicate with us via a multitude of others platforms as well.  That lends not just a familiarity but an intimacy that is not available elsewhere, including allowing me to publish this.

Behind the scenes, things were both oddly settled and unsettled from the first week of this site’s operation.  While Spartan has not reviewed this piece pre-publication, I think I can confidently say that I speak for both of us in saying the ownership split of the brand is a settled matter from early on.  As we progressed, Spartan and I both understood what roles we would play in our partnership, but getting through the formal steps was moving, as a former mother-in-law would say, “slower than molasses on a winter day.”  This led me to have an increasing reticence to develop projects I thought would not just be beneficial to the site and to the community, but also to the shared goal of Management to defeat Donald Trump.

Months ago, I asked a partner of mine from another venture who teaches marketing at the university level to do a brand summary for us.  Some of the insights–that the site had “bro news” vibe with intelligent but accessible snark and commentary creating a strong, insightful commenter community–got my mind whirling with ways we could access that audience more:  twice-weekly short podcasts; editorial series on the C- and D-level players in Trumpworld we cover so snarkily well; a consolidated YouTube channel with proper branding graphics. 

I didn’t want to do this as a Jack Production (which incidentally wouldn’t be the name of my production house); these things had to be National Zero products.  The magic of NatZero from an editorial side is the old liberal tight-ass curmudgeon contrasting the politically frustrated creative.  (You can figure out who is who.)  We know we’re smart and we know our audience is smart.  We know we’re creative.  We’re unapologetically liberal.  And we invite the argument.  We have a reputation; we have a brand; we have an audience.  

This episode was not about money.  Okay, maybe 10% about the money.  Or 15%.  The money was a long-standing sticking point needling me, yes, but for me, this is mainly about what National Zero is and what it can be.  Our potential for National Zero is just scratched, largely because of the community constructed around our meager editorial.  We both are exceptionally happy and proud of the community here and both Spartan and I want National Zero to be a force in the progressive movement.  

To that end, I became frustrated that we couldn’t develop our talents into wider-reaching audiences at a crucial time in our democracy.  I felt that we didn’t and we are not doing enough. I fear we have left a lot on the table, and that continued frustration with lost opportunities here–not for commercialization but for outreach–boiled over this week as media outlet after media outlet failed to stand fast in the storm.  (I’m looking at you Washington Post.)

All that being said, I want you to know that Spartan and I have communicated and I believe we will have the management issues straightened out soon, and the website will be running normally within 48 hours.  I expect our business issues will be settled next week.  I do appreciate your kind words and your support, but I stand with Spartan and our National Zero community in this fight.  We must do what we can to make things Blue in November.