The Righting deciphers conservative media for outsiders

NEW YORK — Nearly six years into monitoring the content of conservative media outlets for his website and newsletter The Righting, Howard Polskin hasn’t lost the capacity for surprise. Newsom told Politico that it gave him “a different appreciation and a different understanding of the ruthlessness of the right.” People who are not fans don’t appreciate the breadth of the conservative media ecosystem, and how it has spread beyond radio and websites into podcasting, publishing and YouTube channels, Polskin said. Scroll through some of the headlines Polskin has collected and you’ll find conventional conservative wisdom mixed with some that border on the bizarre: “Wokeness is the Acid Dissolving Christianity,” “Unvaccinated Women Shun Vaccinated Single Men,” “Climate Extremism is Making Americans Mentally Ill” and “DeSantis Flashes his Alpha-Dog Energy in Meeting with Diminished Biden.” Pre-election newsletters contain an assortment of cold takes: “Bet the House on a GOP Landslide,” “Even Dems Now Realize Midterm Elections Will be a Bloodbath,” “All Signs Point to a Landslide for Liberty” and “Fetterman is Toast.” “I might ridicule something, but I’m careful with that,” Polskin said. “I enjoy Howard quite a bit,” said Cardello, whose “Conservative View from New Hampshire” blog is often quoted in The Righting. “I know what side he comes from, but you can still have a civil conversation with him.” That hasn’t always been the case with friends and even relatives since Cardello started putting his views online.