Zaid Jilani
Anti-tribal, evidence-first commentary across the divide.
Freelance journalist who previously reported for ThinkProgress, AlterNet, The Intercept, and NewsNation. He writes the Substack newsletter 'The American Saga' from an anti-partisan, heterodox center-left perspective and contributes to outlets including Tablet, New Lines, and The Dispatch. He is known for cross-ideological media criticism.
The strongest case
Partisan media distort facts to fit tribal narratives; independent, evidence-first reporting that refuses to pick a side best serves the public and helps de-escalate polarization.
And against
His contrarian stance against 'both camps' can read as heterodox for its own sake, and freelancing outside an institutional newsroom reduces the external editorial and fact-check friction on his work.
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