Hello, it’s Michael Tracey. I am a journalist based in Jersey City, NJ.

Over the years I have contributed to a wide range of publications across the political spectrum, from The Nation to The American Conservative, the New York Daily News to the New York Post, and many more. A substantial portion of recent columns can be found at the website Unherd. From 2017 to 2018, I was a correspondent for The Young Turks, which was a peculiar adventure; prior to that I was a columnist for VICE. Since 2019, I have been largely funded by online supporters to engage in independent journalism and analysis. Lots of people seem to have very excitable reactions to my Twitter account. Also, look me up on Clubhouse — that app’s a real trip.

I am writing a book about how the collective psyche of American political and media elites was warped by a seismic epistemic rupture during the era of Donald Trump, to be published in 2022 by HarperCollins. 

This Substack will be a fusion of journalism and commentary of a heterodox bent that my loyal readers/viewers/followers have come to expect and demand. Audio/video offerings will also follow. Some may call the political orientation “contrarian,” but if you don’t find yourself feeling “contrary” to the force-fed impositions of the new hegemonic media culture, maybe you’re the one who should re-evaluate. You dope.

For now, everything that’s published here will be freely available to everyone. In the somewhat near future, there will be a transition to a partially-paid model. If you regard anything I’ve done over the years as successful in chipping away at the dreary conformism of the media-industrial complex, you should consider getting a paid subscription. We’re all in this together!

The assistant editor for this Substack is Sam Fakahany.

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Counter-hegemonic musings