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Meides touch network
Executive Summary
MeidasTouch Network is a real, independently founded progressive media organization and PAC launched in March 2020 by brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas; it positions itself as a pro‑democracy news and content network that has rapidly expanded across podcasts, YouTube and paid membership platforms. Reported metrics show rapid audience growth in 2024–2025 alongside recurring questions about organizational transparency and political activity that different sources frame either as energetic independent journalism or problematic PAC-style behavior [1] [2] [3].
1. What people are claiming — a compact inventory of major assertions that circulate about MeidasTouch Network
The core public claims are straightforward: MeidasTouch Network (MTN) was founded in March 2020 by the Meiselas brothers and brands itself as a pro‑democracy media and political organization that produces podcasts, videos, and subscription content. Multiple analyses assert MTN operates a Patreon-style membership with tiers roughly from $5 to $100 per month and reported a membership base in the tens of thousands, signaling a mixed revenue model of advertising, membership, and political fundraising [4] [1]. Related claims emphasize MTN’s rapid audience growth — its podcast and YouTube channels have drawn millions of subscribers and large quarterly subscriber gains in 2025 — and that the network hosts named editors and contributors drawn from law, journalism, and political backgrounds [2] [5] [1]. These are the positive growth and institutional claims supporters highlight.
The second cluster of claims centers on organizational character and accountability. Critics and some reporting argue MTN functions as an anti‑Trump PAC or partisan political actor rather than just a news outlet, and accuse the organization of opaque finances, donor confusion, or aggressive online tactics that have raised questions about transparency and effectiveness. Reporting from 2021 catalogued donor complaints and allegations of misleading fundraising language; later summaries continue to present the network as both a media brand and a political actor, with some outlets labeling it a political action group that pursued anti‑Trump messaging and targeted ads during election cycles [3] [6]. Those critiques remain part of the public record and shape how different audiences interpret MTN’s output.
2. What recent, verifiable data shows — audience, people, and organizational footprint
Independent snapshots from 2025 document measurable audience growth. One analysis cites MTN’s podcast reaching 5 million subscribers and being a top podcast since the start of President Trump’s second term, while YouTube and platform metrics show substantial quarterly subscriber gains — for example, a reported 1,080,000 new YouTube subscribers in Q1 2025 — which supports the claim that MTN has become one of the fastest‑growing political channels [2] [5]. Organizational profiles and an About page list founders Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas and named editorial figures such as Ron Filipkowski, and enumerate contributor backgrounds in law and journalism; these details corroborate the network’s self‑description as a staffed media effort with editorial content and exclusive membership offerings [1] [7].
Business and structural descriptors vary by source: a company overview dated February 2025 reports MTN as having fewer than 25 employees, under $5 million in revenue, and headquarters in Duluth, Georgia, while the About page frames the organization as one of the most viewed independent pro‑democracy networks globally, with multiple shows and a subscription ecosystem. Those differing framings reflect the dual nature of MTN as both a relatively small private media company and a high‑reach digital political operation; the concrete metrics (membership counts, subscriber growth, staffing and revenue bands) come from distinct reporting snapshots across 2021–2025 [6] [1] [8].
3. The contested parts and what’s often left out — transparency, political labeling, and context
The largest factual dispute concerns whether to classify MeidasTouch primarily as a media outlet or as a partisan PAC. Early reporting in 2021 documented donor complaints and alleged lack of clarity about financial structures, framing MTN as an anti‑Trump PAC that had attracted scrutiny over transparency. Subsequent coverage through 2024–2025 emphasizes editorial growth, audience metrics, and a paid membership model, while critics continue to cite past transparency concerns; both narratives coexist, and neither is fully negated by the other. Important context often omitted in summary claims is that MTN’s functions overlap: it runs editorial shows, produces political ads, and solicits paid memberships — activities that can legally and operationally reside in the same organization but mean different regulatory and journalistic expectations [3] [4] [8].
Missing from many accounts is granular, up‑to‑date financial disclosure tying membership revenue, ad income, and any PAC spending into a single public ledger; sources provide revenue bands and membership counts without a complete, current audited financial statement. This gap fuels continuing debate about whether MTN’s transparency practices meet typical standards for news organizations or political committees. Readers should weigh both the verified audience growth and the persistent transparency questions: the network demonstrably expanded reach and content offerings through 2024–2025, but longstanding critiques about donor clarity and political activity remain part of the record and important for assessing claims about MTN’s role in the media and political ecosystems [6] [3] [2].