Making Content Carefully (and Imperfectly)

Where truth meets self-doubt, and the work still gets done

Someone once asked me in a meeting if I’d ever consider doing a DITL video, a “Day in the Life” of a political content creator.

And for months, that idea has been sitting on my to-do list.

I didn’t really get why someone would want to see that. My days feel so predictable. I wake up, take my kid to school, drive to my favorite coffee shop for my oat milk latte, solve the daily Wordle in my car with my husband, go home, do a short workout, shower, put on makeup, and sit at my desk.

Most days, I have a few meetings, and then I spend hours reading articles and newsletters, like Heather Cox Richardson’s. I try to understand the news well enough to step into my role as a kind of translator or curator. Someone who takes all of that overwhelming information and breaks it down so that it actually feels useful. That might look like a video or a Substack post like this one.

So yes, filming a DITL would technically be easy. I could just record a few seconds of each thing and then add a voiceover.

But let me lift the curtain so you can see the ugly side of this.

The ugly side of being a content creator who overthinks everything she does. Everything. It is exhausting. And it makes me so angry to even think about all the things I could do with all the extra time I would have if I weren’t overthinking.

Taking notes in a briefing on best practices when talking about the economy

And I don’t just mean when I post a video or write something about politics. I mean every text message. Every email. Every group chat interaction. Every form I fill out. Every time I raise my hand in a meeting to share my thoughts. And if I make a mistake, I spend hours beating myself up over it.

So why am I telling you this?

Because I want you to know what goes into the content I share.

I do my best to fact-check what I put out. If you don’t see a link to a source, you can always ask me.

I often use tools like the Ad Fontes Media bias chart, and sometimes check things on Snopes or Politifact to make sure I’m not spreading misinformation. And when I’ve made mistakes in the past, I’ve owned up to them and published retractions, because getting it right matters to me.

I also spend a lot of time learning how to communicate better. Especially from people like Anat Shenker-Osorio and Antonia Scatton from Reframing America. Not because they give me scripts, but because they give us real, practical advice on how to talk about what’s happening in a way that doesn’t backfire.

For example, Anat just released a new guide called Fascism and the English Language. In it, she reminds us that we’re not just dealing with an administration. We’re up against a regime. The “MAGA regime”. The “Trump regime”. The “regime by the bullies, for the billionaires”. Calling it what it is isn’t just emotionally satisfying. It is a strategic choice.

Fascism and the English Language

And I’m not just learning these things in theory. I’ve made mistakes. Just this week, I posted a video in Spanish about Kilmar Abrego García and used the word deportation. But deportation is what happens after due process, and that’s definitely not what happened in his case or in many of the other anti-immigration actions taken by this regime. That’s not the right word, and I won’t be using it that way again.

And then there’s Antonia, who keeps reminding us not to repeat the lies, even when you are trying to call them out.

That’s why I didn’t share the viral image from the White House. The one where they crossed out The New York Times headline with a red marker (or was it crayon?!) after the meeting between Kilmar Abrego García and Senator Van Hollen. I understand the urge. It feels powerful to say, “Look, they’re lying.” And I know so many people are sharing it with the best of intentions.

But when we reshare something like that, we are still spreading the original lie. We’re helping the bad framing travel. Antonia explained this perfectly in her post here: OMG, did you see what Trump said?

It’s something I keep learning over and over again. Choosing the right words matters. Choosing not to amplify certain ones matters too.

So maybe I will make that DITL video one day. But if I do, I want you to know what’s going on in the background. The inner chaos, the obsessive fact-checking, the hours spent making sure that when I speak, I’m not just reacting. I’m being intentional.

Because this work isn’t just about what we say. It’s about how we say it. And that could be the difference between informing someone or accidentally helping the other side.

Everything I make is for people like you. People who care, who want to understand what's going on, and who are trying to stay hopeful and take action in a world that feels like a lot right now.

I don't have a big team or a media company backing me. It's just me doing the research, writing, filming, editing, and sharing.

If this work has helped you feel less alone, more informed, or more ready to speak up, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Your support makes all of this possible.

Thank you for being here.