Our typical response rate is within 48 hours.
There are a lot of questions I get repeatedly about how to use Tangle, what our mission is, and what this whole thing is about. I've decided to answer a few of them all in one place.
Account Management & Troubleshooting
Why am I no longer getting your emails?
First, make sure you have your preferred emails selected.
To do that, go to your account and make sure your email preferences look like this:
Second, check your spam and junk folders.
Search "staff@readtangle.com" in your inbox to see if our emails are going to a separate folder. If they are, mark one or two as not spam. You can also reply to an email, which will teach your inbox you like us.
If our emails are not in a different folder, add us to your safe sender list.
This is especially important for Yahoo!, Outlook, and AOL email providers.
Here are step by step instructions to keep us in your inbox based on email providers.
How do I change my email address, manage which emails I'm getting, update my credit card, etc?
You can manage all of your settings by going to your account here: https://www.readtangle.com/account
Can I change or upgrade my membership before it expires?
Yes! You'll find all of our membership options under your account. You'll only be charged the difference between your current plan and the new membership, based on the time remaining on your current plan.
Can I listen to Tangle?
Yes! We launched a podcast specifically for readers who prefer to listen. The podcast is a team effort — Executive Editor Isaac Saul and Executive Producer Jon Lall read through the daily podcast together, with occasional contributions from the rest of our editorial team.
We also have a bonus Friday podcast called “Suspension of the Rules” with Isaac, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, and Editor at Large Kmele Foster.
You can find the podcast by clicking here.
I have a premium podcast subscription, but I still hear ads. How can I listen to the premium version?
You can connect to your podcast feed through your Tangle account page. Once you're signed in, scroll to the bottom until you see "Podcast Settings" and then click the podcast player of your choice.
You'll find other ways to connect, troubleshoot, and listen here.
I don’t have a password. How do I login?
For security purposes, the email sign in is the only option with our website host, but after you log in with it once, you should remain logged in on the device you signed in on, so you won't have to do it frequently.
How do I change my profile picture or avatar on the comments section?
These are Gravatar images. This isn't something that can be set on our website specifically, but email clients like Gmail or others may allow you to set/change this image.
Generally speaking, Gravatar is a separate service though, and the photos tied to a member profile for commenting would retrieve the Gravatar image for that email address, if one such Gravatar image has been configured. Gravatar itself also allows you to set one for your email address, you can do so here.
Tangle Membership Details
What are the different types of memberships?
We have four different memberships. You can explore and/or signup for all of them here.
If you’re mostly a reader, consider the premium, ad-free newsletter membership that includes access to our full archive of special edition essays, deep dives, etc.
If listening is your thing, we have a separate premium podcast that is ad-free, includes exclusive interviews, as well as our deep dives and other audio offerings.
Can’t decide? Great! You can get both for a discounted price by bundling them together.
Do you love what we’re doing and want to help us continue to keep nearly 80% of our content free? Check out our Thank You membership.
For a more detailed breakdown of each membership, keep reading here.
Why should I pay for a Tangle membership?
Tangle is completely independent. Unlike other news outlets who have advertisers, sell your data, or sell their souls to make a buck. We survive solely and completely on reader support. We have no investors, no outside influence. We try to rely on advertisers as little as possible so that you get an uninterrupted listening and reading experience. That means in order to make money, we have to ask readers to pay. In return, we give them premium content that they want — and we are entirely accountable to you.
I'd like a refund. What do I do?
We routinely issue pro-rated refunds if you are not satisfied with the product or your subscription accidentally renewed. Just shoot us an email at staff@readtangle.com with the subject line "Refund".
I want to subscribe to Tangle, but I can't afford it. What can I do?
We do not want cost to be a barrier for anyone who wants to subscribe to Tangle. If you email staff@readtangle.com and let me know, we'll gift you a subscription on the house.
Tangle Editorial Policies & Bias Ratings
Why should I be reading Tangle? Why are you different?
We believe in exposing our readers to a wide range of views. Every day, we break down one big debate happening in politics. We do this by explaining the basics of the story in the most neutral language possible, and then sharing six opinions from across the political spectrum on that story. At the end, Executive Editor Isaac Saul (or another member of our editorial staff) shares his own personal view on the story and the arguments.
In sum, that means you get seven different opinions from across the political spectrum any time you read our news, offering the kind of balance missing in other news outlets. By offering this wide range of perspectives, we expose you to ideas and arguments you would otherwise miss, making you more informed.
You say you are nonpartisan, but you use certain language or words that reveal your bias. Why?
We try to make the most thoughtful, neutral decisions we can with our language choices. You can read about some of them here.
It's obvious to me that people behind Tangle are conservative/liberal or Democrat or Republican or something else, why do you say you are nonpartisan?
Tangle gets accused of being liberal, conservative, and everything in between every single day. Usually, it's from readers who just started reading, and for whatever reason they felt the first or second post they saw had an ideological tilt.
The reason Tangle is "non-partisan" is because of our format. We give equal airtime to views on the left, right, and in between. We also try to share opinions from news outlets that tend to be anti- and pro-establishment, as that is another kind of bias in the media.
Our founder, Isaac Saul, then shares his clearly identified personal opinion. We are not trying to tell you what to think, only to make sure you see a wide variety of perspectives.
Fortunately, you don't have to take our word for it. You can check our media bias rating on websites like Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides and AdFontesMedia.
Which politician do you support in this race?
Unlike many other news outlets and newspapers, Tangle does not make endorsements.We share personal editorial opinions in our "my take" section every day. But as an editorial policy, we draw the line at candidate endorsements, which we think undermines trust with readers and steps outside what our mission is. Our goal is not to tell you what to think or who to vote for, it is to make sure you understand an issue and are exposed to a variety of perspectives in an honest way. You can make up your mind on the issue or candidate yourself.
Who owns Tangle?
You do. Tangle is investor-free, and 100% independent. We have no financiers. We run ads with partners we like in our free newsletter, but really only make money when readers become subscribers (you can subscribe here). More than 90% of our revenue comes from subscribers. Our podcast also gets occasional sponsorships, but it still costs money to produce. Our only other revenue streams are merchandise sales and donations.
Other Common Tangle Questions
How can I comment on a post?
Comments are available for subscribers. In order to comment, you have to subscribe. Once you subscribe, you can scroll down to the bottom of any post on our website and sign in, then comment. If you are already signed in, you should see a way to comment easily.
Do you have Tangle merchandise?
Yes! We have an entire merchandise store with shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs and swag. You can find it by clicking here.
Can I make a donation to support Tangle's mission?
Yes, you can leave a tip in our tip jar by clicking here. Thank you!
How do I give a gift subscription to Tangle?
Yes! Gifting subscriptions is very popular. You can do that by clicking here.
Do you take reader submissions?
Yup. Send an email to ari@readtangle.com and we can discuss it!
How do you pick your advertisers?
Advertisers make up just a tiny fraction of our revenue. We have a transparent advertising policy that we follow.
How do you calculate your read time?
We use this tool, and I typically round down a minute or two with the knowledge that some readers skip certain sections of the newsletter.
I use an intermediary service to manage my subscriptions. How do I confirm my email when you send me a login link?
Intermediaries often give you a unique address that act as forwarding filters for your personal email, so it's likely that our signup link is getting blocked after you try to subscribe. We recommend that you signup to Tangle using your personal email address, then click the registration link we send you to go to readtangle.com, click the blue user icon in the lower-right corner, and change the email address that the newsletter should go to. If possible, you should also whitelist the readtangle.com domain through your intermediary to allow any messages from us to reach you (we will never ever ever send you spam or share your email with other senders).
I want more Tangle! Where else can I find you?
So glad you asked! We're on most major social media channels like: YouTube, reddit, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
I'm having a different issue with my subscription, emails, credit card, or something else not covered here. What can I do?
Email us at staff@readtangle.com with the subject line "Subscription issue" — and please be patient. On top of running the newsletter, podcast and YouTube channel, our editorial staff also does customer service, so it may take me a couple days to reply.