Yesterday, I soft-launched a new website focused on Iowa political news. I just put it out there without much explanation for why I started it and what that means for Caffeinated Thoughts.

The new news site, The Iowa Torch, was an idea I first articulated over a year ago on my personal blog. Over the last year, my belief that Caffeinated Thoughts was not a great fit for Iowa political news strengthened. You may not be aware, but I never planned for Caffeinated Thoughts to be a news site. It was always meant to be a place for commentary and opinion, hence the name – Caffeinated Thoughts, not Caffeinated News.

Caffeinated Thoughts’ focus, starting in 2021, is conservative Christian commentary on culture, current events, faith, and politics. My goal is to get back to CT’s roots and to write more deeply about how the topics we write about intersect with a Christian worldview. 

I’ll also welcome more contributors. If you can write and this is something that interests you drop me a line at shane@caffeinatedthoughts.com

Iowa political news, analysis, and commentary will exclusively be at The Iowa Torch. News and opinion pieces will be clearly distinguished from one another on the site. Commentary and editorials will be from a center-right perspective. The Iowa Torch will not shy away from controversial subjects, but, just like Caffeinated Thoughts, we are not gunning for click bait, unlike some other websites you see.

Like Caffeinated ThoughtsThe Iowa Torch will also be independent, not beholden to any political party, elected official, or candidate. 

Here is some basic information:

Tagline: Shining a light on Iowa politics. 

Mission: The mission of ​The Iowa Torch​ is to inform Iowans about important policy and political news from the local, state, and federal levels and engage Iowans with thoughtful commentary and analysis from a center-right perspective.

What The Iowa Torch will cover:

  • State Government: Executive Branch, Legislature, Courts
  • Federal Government: Iowa’s Members of Congress, Federal policy that impacts Iowa
  • Campaigns: Iowa Caucus, Iowa’s Congressional and U.S. Senate Races, statewide races, Iowa legislative races
  • Iowa’s Political Parties
  • Local Government
  • Education and other issues of interest to our readers

Values:

  1. Tell the truth:​ As far as the truth can be ascertained, reporters and columnists for ​The Iowa Torch​ will tell the whole truth and seek to provide all the facts related to a story.
  2. News is news, commentary is commentary​: Readers of ​The Iowa Torch​ will know what articles are news providing information and which articles are opinion meant to persuade. Our writers will not interject their personal opinion into news articles.
  3. Transparency:​ While every effort will be made to avoid conflicts of interest, if one is present, ​The Iowa Torch​ will disclose it. If a mistake is made in an article, we will note that an article was edited and changed.
  4. Fairness and Accuracy:​ ​The Iowa Torch​ will not mislead our readers or misquote sources. We will strive to make sure the facts in a story are accurate and provide the context of any quote, video clip, or audio clip referenced. If we make a mistake, we will quickly and publicly correct it.
  5. Family-friendly:​ ​The Iowa Torch​ will not publish crude, graphic, or profane language or images. If the subject matter is not suitable for young readers, we will provide a warning at the top of the article.

I hope that you continue to read Caffeinated Thoughts AND become a regular reader of The Iowa Torch. There will eventually be a paywall there, but most of the content there will be free for all. Subscribers to “The Iowa Torch Plus” will have access to premium articles and have the ability to comment on the site for a reasonable monthly subscription price (less than a cup of coffee). I’m not sure exactly when I will roll that feature out. I’ll also welcome advertisers

So please bookmark The Iowa Torch. Like it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter, subscribe to the YouTube Channel, and sign-up for daily emails. I also plan to have an Instagram account, MeWe page, and Parler account (I have a few hoops to figure out with Parler first).

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