The Madison Report was born from a need for truth and transparency. We are now expanding our reach beyond our YouTube channel and Facebook page to include a website. There is a void in Madison County and across Iowa that we would like to fill—we do not have an accurate news source for local political news. We often find errors, omissions, and falsehoods in local news outlets. The Madison Report understands the work it takes to provide accurate and timely news, and we believe we can provide a better alternative. We have a willing and determined group of writers and editors who want to bring you this kind of accurate and honest content.
The Madison Report will focus primarily on Madison County, Iowa, since that is where we are based and what we know best. We also want to be a platform for folks in other Iowa counties who have stories that need to be told and would like to submit their reports.
As a team, we have debated everything from the type and quantity of stories per week to how we can protect our writers from harassment for publishing a story that shares facts or opinions someone doesn’t want to get out. We do, however, agree that we just need to start writing and publishing—always doing our best to accurately portray the facts and express any opinions respectfully, even if they might be met with disagreement or outright hostility.
For us to grow, we need your help! Please share our website and individual stories with friends and family to let them know there is an alternative and that we are providing information they may not be able to get elsewhere.
In this vitriolic climate in which we find ourselves, we ask that if an author has chosen to put his or her name on an article, you be respectful of that individual and not use it as an opportunity to harass. From recent experience, many of our writers are concerned that they will become the next target on social media for simply writing the truth or their honest opinion. Madison County needs to heal. We need to get back to a point where no one has to fear putting their name to a story due to harassment. However, for that to happen, many on social media will need to restore some trust in that area by debating the issue rather than attacking the messenger.
The Madison Report will do its best to report the truth. If we make a mistake, we want to correct it. If you disagree with our assessment of a situation, that is your right. However, you do not have the right to censor our right to report on an event or issue or to prevent us from expressing our opinion. We live in a country blessed to have been founded on the ideal that to be a free country, we must have the ability to speak freely, even if that speech is disagreeable to our government or to others. In fact, the speech that is disagreeable is what most needs protection. King George didn’t have a problem with those who praised him—only his critics.
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
—John Adams, 1770
