An Open Letter to Brian Tyler Cohen and the MidasTouch Network: On Clickbait, Hyperbole, and the Price of Truth
- john raymond
- Jul 26
- 2 min read
Dear Brian, Ben, Brett, and Jordy,
I write to you not as a critic from the other side, but as someone aligned with the causes you fight for: truth, accountability, democracy, and resistance to authoritarianism. That’s exactly why I’m asking this—as an ally, not an adversary—even if I have been a dick in the past:
How do you justify the use of hyperbole and clickbait in your headlines and presentation style?
I ask because it seems to me that every time you use a title like “BLOWS UP in Their Face!” or “Trump FUMES!”, you dilute your own credibility and reinforce the very dynamics of propaganda and infotainment that have poisoned our political culture.
You may argue—and perhaps rightly—that the algorithm demands it. That we have to speak the language of virality to reach anyone at all. That people won’t engage with nuance unless we package it in drama.
But I wonder if, in trying to out-game the system, you’re helping it win.
What we’re fighting isn’t just disinformation—it’s the collapse of epistemic trust. If audiences can’t distinguish truth from performance, how are we any differentiating ourselves from the grifters and fascists we oppose?
And maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this is just the modern cost of doing business. Maybe I’m clutching my pearls over tone while ignoring the fact that you’re breaking through to audiences that no one else is reaching. If that’s the case, I’d genuinely like to hear your reasoning.
But if I’m not wrong—if this creeping theatricality is doing real harm—then I ask you: Is the short-term boost in clicks really worth the long-term erosion of trust?
Because to me, the cause is too important to dress up in the same carnival tactics the other side uses. We need fewer reality-show editors, and more truth-tellers. We need more calm, sober clarity—not more emotional manipulation in slightly different clothes.
I want us to win. But I just want us to win in a way that leaves something worth defending.
Respectfully,
JRR
Comments