People don’t trust the news media, and it’s easy to see why: on virtually every critical issue, from political corruption to energy and the environment to drugs, crime, and homelessness, mainstream journalists are getting the story wrong.

There is, to be sure, good reporting still occurring at many news organizations. But it is increasingly stifled by senior editors, cub reporters, and readers alike.

And so the two of us, Michael Shellenberger and Leighton Woodhouse, decided to start Public.

Our mission is to produce investigative and explanatory journalism in the public interest.

We will focus on areas where we are experts and gradually cover issues that we believe are both important and not being properly covered.

We welcome pitches from freelancers and tips from anyone else. We are entirely subscriber-funded and will always be transparent about how we earn our revenue.