Your Privacy Choices
Dear Readers,
I ordered James and Pete to write their intro letters first so I could properly plagiarize their statements as well as have the last word. Kidding, of course. Except about the last word. If you have not yet had the chance to read their introductions, I implore you to do so:
I was truly humbled and honored to have both Steve and Phil (two people that I count as not only mentors but true friends) recommend me for this role at TFB. And also the support of a number of others. This plan had been in the works for quite some time, and, as you might imagine, required a fair degree of coordination. My main focus will be related to the boring, mundane side of things—managing strategy and logistics to support both James (TFBTV) and Pete (TFB), and the writing and video staff under them. I probably won’t be making videos in short-shorts (unless there is interest; anyone? anyone?), or getting to run the hottest new suppressors. I will still be contributing content as schedule allows and doing my best to keep this beast fed and running.
TFB will remain “politics free”; meaning we will not impose our politics in our writing so much as is humanly possible. That does not mean we will ignore current events in the industry that may be related to political events. Yes, it is a fine line, but one we have done a pretty good job managing, considering we have published just short of 19,000 posts written by humans from every continent (but Antarctica).
We will not suppress negative content. Period. Organizationally we have not had, and do not currently have, a policy of that. Nor will we while I remain in my role. In my years with TFB, never once was I ordered to bury content, and I will not order anyone to do that. That said, when we do have negative content, we will release that negative news (or review, etc) in a manner that is both responsible and professional (which does not mean the hot flaming second it is discovered). The Honor Guard “thing” was seriously news to all of us here, and we found out the same time the rest of the internet did. At this point, due to the toxicity of the subject, and because it has already been well covered in other venues, we will not replicate the results just to get some “clicks”. Just remember that there are always multiple facets to everything; using critical thinking skills can help read between the lines of any message. This paragraph should stand as a testament to our commitment to integrity.
Onward
Steve created TFB from an idea, and over the course of a decade, he (and Phil), grew it into an amazing vehicle and conduit linking both the industry and the public. His vision has had a real and measurable impact on both industry and society. I believe TFB’s ongoing responsibility, as a leader in this space, is to both; without one we cannot have a meaningful impact on the other. As such we need to keep both in mind as we conduct our business.
- We want vendors and manufacturers to be comfortable entrusting us with their products to conduct fair and ethical reviews and to help them expose their new offerings to the world.
- We want to disseminate news and information in a timely manner when it has relevance to the readership.
- We want to post information, instructions, and tutorials to become a source of truth for researching topics and products in the industry.
- And we want TFB to be that place that Phil mentioned: “a place a parent could feel safe allowing their youngsters to visit and learn about our hobby without being subjected to racism, hatred and foul language.”
What those above means is pretty much what James said in his post—“you aren’t going to see drastic changes”. We don’t need to make huge changes. This site has good bones, a loyal (if not vocal and sometimes hilarious) readership, a dedicated staff (did I mention the 19,000 published posts), and overwhelming support in the industry.
Pete summed it up well, and I honestly cannot wordsmith something better: “what we don’t lack is integrity, honesty and independent thought. No matter what our critics say, we are beholden to no one, industry or otherwise. We strive for fair and accurate reporting of news and reviews while preserving the respect of our readership.” While we may make some minor corrections here and there, this ship is sailing on course and is very seaworthy. I look forward to this next chapter and am happy to take the journey with all of you.
This is an amazing resource, fed by amazing industry, and consumed by an amazing readership.
You can contact me directly at editor@thefirearmblog.com.
