The Lost Debate Newsletter
The Branch is a non-profit media company that tells the stories of people who are misunderstood, overlooked, or simply threatening to those with privilege and power.
We’re a home for political eclectics who hold views that don’t fit neatly into any single political party. This includes independents, the undefined, and the just plain confused. We even welcome those with solid party loyalties who want to escape their echo chambers.
But this isn’t a “both sides” project in which we pretend the answer to every question comes down to an imaginary average of two partisan positions. The world is much more complicated than that, and we are far more interested in truth than balance.
Our Show
Our flagship show is The Lost Debate, a twice-weekly YouTube and podcast program that brings you news, ideas, and trends of the day. It’s hosted by Ravi Gupta—former Obama administration and campaign staffer turned school principal and superintendent, and Rikki Schlott—a Gen Z New York Post columnist and libertarian fighting to protect free speech. We bring people together for conversations the media isn't having while empathizing with and challenging each other in good faith. We also incorporate satire, because if we didn’t have a few laughs about the bizarre state of our country, we’d be crying.
Why Non-Profit?
Clicks and eyeballs. Those are what most media companies care about. What’s the easiest and quickest way to attract both? Provide divisive and even incendiary content that distorts the truth and preys on the raw emotions of your “side.” That’s why so many media empires are dedicated to ensuring that we hate each other more and more every day.
We believe that by removing the profit motive, we can bring more nuance, objectivity, and empathy to the conversation. Ultimately, this means we depend on your generosity to ensure we can keep creating meaningful content.
Share & Subscribe
