Telos What Happened This Week

Some notes on our first week and a preview of what's coming up.

Hitting send on the first post at Telos News, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Photo by C.M.)

• How do you pronounce Telos?

This was the most frequent question I received this week. It’s tell-us. Get it?

• Any regrets about doing this?

We launched Telos News on Monday morning. I had no idea what to expect, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Any doubts I had about this endeavor were erased within minutes of going live. There were two reasons for this. One, I immediately realized there was a big audience hungry for the mission we laid out in our first article. Two, the Telos News Community, a figment of my imagination when I woke up, suddenly came to life. In no time, Telos hit #1 on Substack’s New Bestseller list. All thanks to you!

• Video seems really popular — does Telos have a YouTube channel?

I’m glad you asked! We do actually, and it would mean a lot if you subscribed so we can start getting that off the ground in a serious way: https://www.youtube.com/@telosnews.

• What’s next?

We have a big piece coming on Tuesday, somewhere in the range of 6000 to 9000 words, depending on the final round of edits. Frankly, I’m not sure what the reaction will be. It’s a bit of an experiment to see if a long magazine article can find a home on Substack. I want to do much more investigative reporting here than is common, and the reaction to this piece will give me the first data about whether it’s financially viable.

• What’s the piece called?

The working title is “The Stolen Laptop of MAGA Secrets.”

• Paid or free?

I’ve been wrestling with this all week. I initially said it would be locked behind the paywall, but I’m leaning against that now.

• Are you hiring?

I received many messages from readers who were interested in working for us. It’s heartbreaking how many extraordinarily talented journalists are out there looking for jobs, but it’s encouraging to know how many responded favorably to our mission. We are not hiring yet, but Telos will be publishing freelance work. My inbox has been a mess, so if you haven’t heard from me, I’ll be in touch.

• The other day, you said you were getting a dog. What kind?

My girlfriend and I are heading to Alabama in a couple of weeks to pick up this little guy, an English Working Cocker Spaniel (a.k.a. a working cocker). Cute, huh?

Our puppy at three weeks (Photo by Phil)

• What’s his name?

That’s been a struggle! We have a list of possibilities. What do you like best? (This poll is not binding lol.) Telly has also been suggested. Throw other ideas in the comments, please!

• Wow, you didn’t mention Politico once! How does that feel?

Liberating.