We’re frank — like the word, but also like our namesake, Greg Frank. He was direct, indignant, and made sure to pay attention to what he didn’t know. frank exists in his memory to foster discussion and debate.

We've conducted hundreds of interviews over the last 3 years which you can now read on our Substack, for free. Once a week, our interviews, new and archival, will appear in your inbox when you subscribe. We are issue-driven, not topical, and work to bring context to a 24/7 news cycle through conversation – free of armchair experts, revisionism, and moralizing. We talk to smart people in normal language. We chose our contributors, not because of degree or pedigree, but because they are experts on their own lives.

We aim to move on from the stale debates that lock us into repetition. Solutions, while complicated, do exist.

Even poverty is ancient history. Always have been poor people, still are, always will be. Because governments are run by ambitious men of no imagination. Whose priorities are so twisted that they burn food while people starve. And we let them. So that history doesn’t change much but the names. Nothing protects the innocent.

And no news is new. 

- Jill Freedman

Themes you can expect: labor, immigration, urban planning, democracy, military, and climate.

These interviews are the core of franknews. From this pool, you can expect to see more long-form documentaries, debates, and series. Our first feature documentary about Stuart Stevens is in post-production. 

franknews was founded by Tatti Ribeiro in 2018. Ribeiro is a seasoned producer and director in both narrative and documentary films. She can be reached at tr@franknews.us.