The First Hundred
YOU are to thank for the incredible hope in the future that drives Prism forward.
Dear reader,
It has been a short road to our first hundred signups for the newsletter. (We’re actually well above 100 with lots of new folks after the Catalog launch; hi new folks!) I can’t express enough my appreciation for you taking time to be a part of this project at the very beginning. And that’s what it is: just the start.
Thank you. For being a mentor, a sounding board, a fan. My “door” is always open to hear what can make Prism more valuable for your situation—and how we together can help it reach more people.
This feels like a good moment to share a little more about how this all came about. I started a media company, but I don’t come from a media background (unless you count the yearbook team in junior high). I’m coming at this problem as a strategist—one who sees an existential problem for the United States that isn’t going to fix itself. It’s national security, yes, but it’s also democracy, the fabric of society, the cohesion of our communities, and the emotional well-being of millions who are directly impacted in their most cherished relationships. It’s also issues like public health and pandemics and climate change. At the day-to-day level, it is making our leaders less capable of governing well. Misinformation matters, a lot, and I resolved—with the assistance of many great people including you—to do something about it.
Because government can’t be the answer, and nonprofits seem to struggle to scale up and reach the numbers of people needed, we brainstormed ideas for market approaches in a strategic, entrepreneurial way: identify problems and pain points that people have and feel; explore and test solutions; develop profitable, popular products around winning formulas; repeat. Blame it on my business school days!
Since January, this approach has already brought into existence 1) an online support group for the loved ones of misinformation victims with hundreds of members across the U.S. and world, 2) a weekly newsletter for casual and professional misinformation watchers, and, this week, 3) a comprehensive catalog of more than a dozen kinds of anti-misinformation web resources. We have lots more in development as well, including products that are designed to reach people in the rabbit hole—a key piece of the puzzle that no one has so far quite figured out. With the newsletter and catalog on solid footing, Prism moves into its second phase. Details TBA.
I could do a gimmicky “if each of us shared with one person” thing to conclude. But I don’t think anyone reading this far needs to be persuaded that the more people who are with us, the better! You all get it, and I believe all of us are ready to make the best of any opportunity to further the anti-misinformation cause.
My thanks again. I appreciate you. We’re going to do something great, together.
— Kevin
P.S. If you’re seeing this and haven’t signed up, please be part of the SECOND hundred!