Coming Soon: Debunking the Left
A new series launching Friday on September 26th.
When growing up, I was never one to engage in political debates. The reason is simple: I wasn’t skilled at it. For years, I struggled not only to speak publicly about my beliefs but also to retain the information supporting them. Whether you lean Left or Right, conveying information effectively is crucial for a career in communications, especially in promoting political issues.
Fortunately, my research skills have significantly improved over time. By exploring books and the web, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of issues like censorship, constitutional law, the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6th Capitol riot, and topics related to President Trump. Because open-source information updates frequently—sometimes within days, weeks, months, or years—new discoveries continually emerge. By fortunate coincidence, these discoveries often align with my perspective in debates.
Since developing the habit of tracking new information, my political education has grown immensely. If there’s one thing I reject in discourse, it’s anchoring bias. As The Decision Lab defines it,
“The anchoring bias is a cognitive bias that causes us to rely heavily on the first piece of information we are given about a topic.”
When observing discussions, I’ve noticed many people assume the initial information they encounter is true.
Case in point, the web series Surrounded.
Last year, the YouTube channel Jubilee Media, launched a new series on their channel titled Surrounded. In this series, a prominent debater, an expert in fields like politics or religion, is surrounded by 20 to 25 individuals with opposing views. After the guest presents four or five claims, they debate the group for about 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute final round on a topic chosen by one of the participants.
As the series has grown increasingly viral, it has garnered nearly 170 million views and counting. Having watched many episodes, I’ve learned from various debaters. However, when examining Left-leaning guest debaters, I’ve noticed a trend. Despite their knowledge and coherent presentation, many of their claims are often wildly incorrect. Because their opponents often lack debating experience or precise facts, they may appear “incorrect.” As a result, many viewers assume the guest debater’s claims are accurate.
To address this, I’m launching a new Substack series next Friday to debunk claims made by Left-leaning debaters on Surrounded. Unlike my previous weekly Lawfare Files series, which has concluded, this series will publish less frequently for two reasons. First, since each debater’s topics require extensive research, compiling a single article takes time. Second, by publishing each article at least one year after the video’s release, I can evaluate how well the debaters’ claims have aged.
I actually was going to publish this announcement last Friday and release the first article today, but after all the horrible tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, it only felt appropriate to push everything forward by a week.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to share this new series. Whether readers learn something new or gain a different perspective, I hope it sparks constructive debate. If you disagree, let’s discuss it further—that’s how it should be.
Until next Friday’s first article, stay tuned.
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Thank you so much!
Read the Series
More of this series will be released next year in 2026. In the meantime, feel free to read the others in my new “Debunking the Left” Series. This list will be continuously updated as more articles will be published in the future:
Prologue: Coming Soon: Debunking the Left
Debunking Dean Withers
Debunking Steven Bonnell / Destiny
Debunking Sam Seder