AfterThe Weekly Standard ceased publication in December 2018, Hayes, Goldberg, and Stock were inspired to start a media company with the goal of "producing serious, factually grounded journalism for a conservative audience".[5] Goldberg and Hayes expressed concern over the alliance between conservative media outlets and theRepublican Party, and startedThe Dispatch with a desire to instead focus on conservative principles, regardless of party lines.[6] The company is based in downtownWashington, D.C.[5] By June 2020,The Dispatch had grown to twelve staffers.[7]
The Dispatch began with a beta launch in October 2019 and fully launched on January 7, 2020.[1] Hayes, Goldberg, and Stock own a majority of the company, but there are additional individual investors.[8] The founders intentionally avoided using venture capitalists.[7] At its launch in October 2019,The Dispatch had pooled $6 million in investment capital and had in its employ a full-time staff of eight individuals,[6] including founding editor-in-chiefJonah Goldberg, managing editor Rachael Larimore, and (soon after its launch) senior editorDavid A. French.[2][9] In January 2020, shortly after launching,The Dispatch Podcast appeared briefly on Apple's Top 100 news podcasts.[5] By March 2020, the company claimed to have nearly 10,000 paying subscribers.[10]
ThePoynter Institute'sInternational Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) certifiedThe Dispatch'sfact-checking division in May 2020.[11][12] As of October 2024,The Dispatch had more than 500,000 subscribers, with more than 40,000 of them paying for the full service.[13] The company pulled in nearly $2 million in revenue during its first year, most of which was fromSubstack subscriptions.[6][14]The Dispatch was Substack's first media company.[8] In October 2022, the publication moved from Substack to its own website.[15]
The Dispatch has been sharply critical ofDonald Trump from a center-right perspective.[2] On 6 January 2021, after the2021 storming of the United States Capitol,Rudy Giuliani left a voicemail message intended for SenatorTommy Tuberville on a different Senator's voicemail account. This message urged Tuberville to delay certification of the electoral vote: "Just try to slow it down." The unnamed Senator gave the message toThe Dispatch, which immediately broke the story.[16] The next day,The Dispatch published an editorial calling for the impeachment and removal of President Trump.[17]
In April 2025, Dispatch Media, Inc. acquired the legal publicationSCOTUSblog.[4][18]
The Morning Dispatch – a morning deep dive into the big political and cultural stories of the day. It is written by Ross Anderson, Peter Gattuso, and James P. Sutton.
The G-File – Jonah Goldberg's weekly Friday newsletter. There is also a paid Wednesday newsletter, nicknamed the "Hump Day Epistle".[19]
The Dispatch Podcast – hosted by Sarah Isgur, and co-starring Jonah Goldberg, Stephen Hayes, and Michael Warren. Jamie Weinstein also hosts a weekend interview edition.[23]
The Remnant – a podcast featuring conversations between Jonah Goldberg and a weekly guest that mixes "history, pop culture, rank-punditry, political philosophy, and, at times, shameless book-plugging".[6][24] There is also a weekly solo podcast where Goldberg discusses his thoughts on the news of the week, along with explaining his weekly G-file, nicknamed the "Ruminant".[25]
Advisory Opinions – podcast on law and culture with Sarah Isgur and David French.
^Coppins, McKay (January 31, 2020)."The Conservatives Trying to Ditch Fake News". The Atlantic.Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. RetrievedApril 12, 2021.The Dispatch produces "serious, factually grounded journalism for a conservative audience".
