The Floutist succeeds The Scrum as an independent publication dedicated to independent commentary, analysis and reporting. Our shared circumstances are such that independent journalists bear greater responsibilities now than they ever have. The corporate-owned press and broadcasters have abandoned theirs—and all of us, bringing our public discourse to a state of chaos and crisis. An illiberal censorship offensive now threatens our rights to speak and to know. The Floutist is our reply to these dire circumstances. Our intent is to help restore integrity to journalism—and reason and decency to all of our lives. Join us.
We publish The Floutist, as we did The Scrum, in memory of Stephen F. Cohen and Sherle Schwenninger.
What we’re doing.
The Floutist features analysis and commentary on world affairs, media, and culture by its editors and guest contributors—journalists, historians, economists, others. We publish a diversity of voices and styles to bring readers perspectives never found in the mainstream press.
To be clear, we take no interest in traditional political designations. Liberal and conservative, left and right—we find these outmoded and take no interest in them. Everything we publish is adamantly in opposition to made-to-order “narratives” concocted to keep us mis- or uninformed. The Floutist’s “agenda” is merely to enlighten and, we hope, to prompt new thought, conversation, debate, and dialogue.
What they’ve said.
The following endorsements arrived in our offices as we began to publish The Scrum in November 2020. We are pleased to publish them again as The Floutist succeeds The Scrum.
“The intellectual collapse of American journalism is the new reality, and I am delighted to applaud the decision of the much-admired Patrick Lawrence, with two accomplished colleagues, to start a new publication on Substack in these days of rearranging the face of American journalism. It's a face that desperately needs a lift.” — Seymour M. Hersh.
“Patrick Lawrence, whose outstanding, incisive journalism makes him an endangered species, is launching a new publication The Scrum on the Substack platform. Please join me in supporting him.” — John Pilger.
"The Scrum takes its name from a cabal that included the late great Stephen Cohen and Sherle Schwenninger, along with Patrick Lawrence, James Carden and Marshall Auerback. Important voices, informed analysis and excellent writing are to be expected. Subscribe and read.” — James K. Galbraith.
“Lawrence, Carden, and Auerback bring great and varied talents to their new venture, not least sharp-eyed commentaries on America’s role in the world. Those disaffected with the Blob and the Swamp will find in The Scrum an indispensable resource.” — David Hendrickson.
“Best wishes to The Scrum for getting true facts and reasonable analysis around, above, below, or through the mounting wall of censorship. You couldn’t be more needed than you are now!” — Diana Johnstone.
PATRICK LAWRENCE is a commentator, author, essayist, and lecturer. He served as a correspondent and subsequently a columnist overseas for more than twenty years, chiefly for the International Herald Tribune and The New Yorker. He has won two Overseas Press Club Awards as well as other honors and prizes. His reportage, commentary, essays, criticism, and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Nation, The New York Times, Business Week, TIME, The Washington Quarterly, World Policy Journal, The Globalist, Salon, and CounterPunch. Lawrence currently writes columns for Consortium News and ScheerPost; his essays have appeared in Raritan, the quarterly journal. His most recent book is Journalists and Their Shadows (Clarity Press, 2023).
