Ahmed Baba's Newsletter is a publication that makes sense of the noise. It features analysis by journalist Ahmed Baba that breaks down the latest political and cultural developments. This newsletter is unapologetically pro-democracy and anti-disinformation. It seeks to provide context and clarity to the most pressing issues of the moment.
In the face of unrelenting disinformation, clear truth-telling and independent media are a necessity. We have to spread the truth as forcefully as gaslighters spread their lies. If you value in-depth analysis through a pro-democracy lens, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Why Subscribe?
Over the past 9 years, my work has reached hundreds of millions on social media and has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, Rolling Stone, The New York Post, HuffPost, BuzzFeed, Newsweek, Black Enterprise, Blavity, and more.
This newsletter, which is only a little over a year old, is making an impact. My in-depth Project 2025 coverage has led me to be invited on MSNBC multiple times to discuss the threat of a second Trump term. In the first year of this newsletter, I published 100 articles, and we reached 34 million views on social media. You can read more about the first year in an impact report I published. This work is crucial, and I thank all of you who support it!
As a columnist at The Independent and co-founder of Rantt Media, I’ve spent nearly a decade analyzing and combating disinformation, corruption, and extremism. I strive to tell it like it is without playing the “both sides” or false equivalency game. I am unapologetically pro-democracy. I always make sure to provide straightforward analysis, context, and clarity.
Journalists should focus less on the horse race and more on the substance of what is being proposed. We shouldn’t become desensitized to authoritarianism and repeatedly outline the stakes for our readers. And when covering politicians with a well-known track record of lying, we have to make sure to frame the story in a way that doesn’t give credence to their false narratives.
It’s not enough to cover what is happening. Journalists must explain why it’s happening, how we got here, and where it could be headed. That’s what I do in this newsletter.
If you aren’t a subscriber yet, here’s why you should consider it. By subscribing, you'll become part of a community committed to understanding and combating the challenges facing our democracy. I also have expertise in covering foreign affairs, tech, and business, so I’ll often break down how all of these topics intersect.
The articles will come in various formats depending on the subject, including structured analysis pieces, op-eds, deep dives, and my general take on current events. I will always ensure you have the context you need to fully understand the given topic I’m covering and what could happen next.
My content isn’t paywalled, so free subscribers get:
Political analysis in your inbox 2-3 times a week
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Join a community of like-minded individuals
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Who Am I?
My name is Ahmed Baba. I’m a journalist, media/tech entrepreneur, and consultant. You might have found me from my appearances on MSNBC, my Project 2025 coverage, or my posts on Twitter/X and Threads. Maybe you came across my columns at The Independent or know me for co-founding Rantt Media. However you found me, I’m glad you did!
At Rantt Media, we published over 1,600 analysis articles from journalists and PhDs with expertise in combating disinformation and extremism. In my Rantt column “Unpresidented,” I documented every single day of the Trump presidency and somehow maintained my sanity.
If this is your first time encountering my work, welcome! I’ve spent my career publishing pro-democracy journalism. Mobilized by the rise of extremism and disinformation in our politics, I quit my tech job when I was 22 to pursue this work full-time. A year later, Trump won the 2016 election. I felt our country was in uncharted waters, so I began documenting every single development of his authoritarian presidency - a presidency that ended in insurrection.
While at times it felt like I was documenting the fall of Rome, this was something else entirely. The Trump era was about more than a power-hungry con man who, with the help of his sycophants and radicalized supporters, exploited America’s pre-existing flaws and sought to end our democracy as we know it. It was also about how the people responded to that depravity.
With each cruel and corrupt action taken by Trump, there was an equal and opposite reaction taken by his patriotic opposition. Trump's presidency sparked a political reawakening we hadn’t seen since the 1960s. By the end of his term, it became clear to me that this was also the story of the people who fought back and, in the end, won.
The fight isn’t over, and that’s why I’m on Substack. I’m concerned about the threats facing American democracy. These days, I’ve been writing columns in The Independent, making MSNBC appearances, and giving media literacy lectures to college and K-12 students. But in this newsletter, I’m aiming to provide a unique voice in media. We need more people in journalism who are willing to spread the truth as forcefully as authoritarians spread their lies. That’s what I’m aiming to do.
Whether you're new here or have followed my work for years, I invite you to become part of this community. Together, we can stay informed, combat disinformation, and stand up for democracy. Your support makes this work possible.
