A cheetah coat, a failed startup and lessons learned

I do not know about other states but there's a strange thing about Michigan journalism. When I grew up and decided to become a newspaperman they did investigations and held people, regardless of party affiliation, to a higher standard. That has totally changed.

Most of our press whether its newspapers or radio/TV are owned by large conglomerates. They are interested primarily in selling ads. We believed there was a wall between editorial and advertising but it has been torn down. Politicians have discovered that if a journalist challenges the narrative all you have to do is ban them, call their editor and threaten to pull your advertising.

So as a result the only useful journalism being done is by independent media. I have never met this lady but I respected the online publication she started highly. Looking forward to whatever she starts next.

Hey Mason,

It's Ashley, aka Cheetah Coat Lady. I can't tell you how much it means to me to find this comment. I really appreciate that you took the time to share it and that Detour meant something to you, it never would have happened without the support of people like you who wanted better journalism in Michigan. I am now supporting a badass environmental journalism startup called Planet Detroit -- if you ever see me around, please say hi. Best, Ash