About Us

Contemptor is dedicated to taking down lies wherever we find them. Neither fear nor politeness stops us from pinpointing what’s wrong. We’re here, first and foremost, to be an antidote to toxic ideas.

We sort the accurate from the misinformed, the responsible reporting from the propaganda, and the thoughtful from the superficial. We’re not here to shill for any powerful people or deliver a daily dose of confirmation bias. Instead, we’re here to call out words and actions that offend truth and decency.

Our writers are armed with logic and the will to use it. No liar or self-deceiver will be spared. Our eyes are bright, and our tongues are sharp. Let the disingenuous be warned.

THE STAFF!

Justin Baragona — Publisher/Editor

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

Darragh Roche — Political Media Editor

Darragh Roche is a journalist based in Ireland and the UK . He studied at the University of Limerick, Ireland and in Budapest, Hungary. His work focuses on politics and international relations. He writes a regular column for the London Economic, a British news site, and contributes to a variety of online and print publications.

William Vaillancourt — Associate Editor

William Vaillancourt is a writer and editor from New Hampshire whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Progressive, Slate and Areo Magazine, among other places. He holds a BA in political science and history from Boston University.

Gary Legum —  Editor-at-Large 

Gary Legum is a writer based in Virginia. He has written for Independent Journal Review, Salon, Wonkette, The Daily Beast and AlterNet.

Becky Sarwate — Associate Editor/Political Columnist

Becky is an award-winning journalist, Op-Ed columnist and blogger. On March 29, 2018 her first book, Cubsessions: Famous Fans of Chicago’s North Side Baseball Team, was published by Eckhartz Press. She is a proud Chicago resident, where Becky lives with her husband Bob. Check out her collected work at BeckySarwate.com, and follow her on Twitter @BeckySarwate.

Travis View — Senior Researcher

Travis View is a husband, father, lifelong San Diegan, and too online guy. He has previously published in Arc Digital Media and his Twitter account, where he provides daily updates of the strangest things coming out of the internet swamps. His tweets on the QAnon conspiracy theory have been featured in NBC News and Right Wing Watch.

Richard Wojcicki — Cable News Researcher

You know those cool cable news clips we tweet out? He’s the man behind them.

Dash MacIntyre — Political Columnist

Dash MacIntyre is a Millennial political columnist from St. Louis. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of The Halfway Post, a satirical gazette of angrily halfway real news.

Evangeline Van Houten — Pop Culture Writer

Daughter of a high school English teacher and an English professor, Evangeline is a survivor of Academia and an aspiring elegant person. She lives in St. Louis with her family and a lot of books.