The Western Edge is a new type of journalism in the Pacific Northwest. We follow stories we think are important, and bring context that’s often missing in traditional media. This project was created out of necessity and frustration with the decimated media landscape. Our projects take a wide-angle view of complicated and often overlooked situations to reveal how power, money and influence affect life in our region. Our obligation is to our readers.

What We Do

We make journalism the old way: through public records requests, long interviews, source-building, institutional knowledge, archival research and picking up the damn phone. We try to look for stories other reporters missed. And we’re most interested in making journalism in places where news outlets have been decimated, or don’t exist at all.

Who We Are

Ryan Haas and Leah Sottile are independent investigative journalists based in the Northwest. They are the creators behind the acclaimed narrative podcasts Bundyville, Hush, Dying for a Fight, Burn Wild and Two Minutes Past Nine. Their journalism has won a lot of awards, but their lives did not improve after winning those.

Why subscribe?

Journalism is essential to holding the powerful accountable, and it costs money to make. Your subscription dollars pay for public records, reporting costs and our ability to give stories the time they need to be fully reported.

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Refunds and cancellation policy

Subscription payments are final, with the following exception: Annual subscriptions entitle you to one year of content. If this newsletter shuts down permanently before your year is up, I will refund the prorated portion of your subscription money for the time you didn’t receive, at your request. More info on Substack’s refund policy can be found here.