An open letter to readers: back to what Unreported Truths does best

Whew.

A few weeks ago, someone I know said to me, you don’t have to weigh in on everything.

I know, I said. But it’s tempting. Tariffs, the Middle East, politics, dinosaur movies, all so fun to write about. And I don’t have an editor, so I can do what I like. And readers seem happy to go with me.

Lately, though, some of you aren’t so happy. Some of you have gotten frustrated with me. Particularly about the Israel/Gaza stuff. I get it. I’m not there, I don’t have real reporting, just opinions. And opinions are not in short supply when it comes to the Middle East. The conflict arouses huge passions. Some of you are very pro-Israel, some of you are very anti-, and whatever I write upsets one side or the other or both.

—

(I can’t even find the energy to say anything funny.)

Subscribe now

—

Tonight’s debate with Dave Smith was the ultimate example of this. It sucked up a week and changed no minds. Those of you who thought my post on X was a cheap shot at the beginning hadn’t changed your minds at the end. Others found his name-calling and cursing repulsive and agreed with my take. Either way, a lot of you thought it was a waste of time, at best – a childish fight best avoided.

It’s tough for me to argue the point.

—

This isn’t going to be a long post. I just wanted to say, I hear you. The most read and commented-on post of the last month was this one:

—

—

It’s not quite service journalism (though a surprising number of you have had this surgery lately). But it’s why so many of you signed up – an inside look at an important medical issue that you may not get anywhere else.

So the next time I feel the need to touch on a hot-button issue, I’m going to remind myself what my friend said – and ask myself if doing so really the best use of my time. And yours. Anyone can write about Gaza… but not everyone can figure out if a new vaccine, or cancer drug, really works, or get inside the economics and risks and benefits of a medical procedure.

I’m going to be a little more choosy and selective. I’ve wanted to write a lot for you recently. That frequency has benefits, but it has drawbacks too.

I’ve been doing this a long time, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get better at it.

And I’ll keep trying.