Mr. Magazine

A Mr. Magazine™ Launch Story…

“As robust as online media is, I’m still an old-school guy in many ways. Nothing compares to having your hands on a physical, glossy copy of an engaging magazine or newspaper. And really spending time delving into it. Part of the biggest problem with online news media is that it lives in your browser or your phone. And you have so many other notifications and distractions that are always going to get in your way.” Yassin Fawaz…

“When you have a physical magazine or newspaper in your hand, two things happen. First is you have a unique connection to the medium; in fact, in some ways the content feel is right there in your hands. You’re forced to really sit down and think about it and just read. And you’re not distracted by so many other things. And I think that’s the primary reason that I believe print is important, because no matter how far technology goes, in my opinion, the only way that is conducive to reading and conducive to thinking and analyzing is by having it physically in your hand.” Yassin Fawaz…

According to The Raddington Report’s publisher, Yassin Fawaz, the online journal and soon-to-be print entity, takes on global issues by opening dialogues that are sometimes considered taboo and removes that censorship, seeking the truth above all else. The Raddington Report is published by the Raddington Group, of which Yassin is also the CEO. The new media brand is designed for leaders around the world who are shaping the future and want to know why a story is important for their security and their bottom-line. Yassin says the Raddington Report was developed to change the way important events are reported in the global marketplace.

And while the online/mobile version is strong, Yassin also added that a print component was something that he felt the brand needed. Something tangible and engaging. With experts ranging from a former president of Latvia to a former CIA deputy director, the Raddington Report seems to have its finger on the pulse of some of the most in-the-know and relevant people in the world of politics, government and many other world affair topics. With such a broad and diverse base of experts, the Raddington Report is poised to become a very powerful voice for all who have been inundated with mainstream media’s present-day trials and tribulations.

I spoke with Yassin recently and we talked about the Raddington Report and what he hopes it accomplishes, both online and with its upcoming print edition. For a man who says the three principals he was reared on: integrity, professionalism and diligence, are what he used to shape the person he is today, you would expect no less than a media brand that is dedicated to the truth. And Yassin says that’s the truth for everyone, from heads of state to the ordinary person who lives around the corner. Every voice should be heard and recognized, and the Raddington Report is here to make sure that happens.

So, I hope that you enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with a man who supports the truth, no matter the topic, believing that one can only change the world through conversation, not censorship, Yassin Fawaz, publisher, Raddington Report, & CEO, The Raddington Group.

But first, the sound-bites:

On the reasons behind the Raddington Report and why it’s important in the scheme of today’s media: The simple answer is that traditional media is broken. We can’t wait any longer for solutions. The Raddington Report isn’t the be all/end all of publications, but what we’re offering is unique and a breath of fresh air. And the reason why I believe that is because we give readers in depth articles, not simply about news, but more about what the news means. So, we go beyond just simply covering key events.

On what motivated him to become interested in this type of global media: To be quite honest with you, we obviously want to be an integral part of the conversation. Not by being loud, but by being thoughtful and offering concise and informative information. And being able to offer it from a global perspective, because I believe today that the biggest issue in a lot of reporting is that many people don’t actually have the ability to deliver on the ground information that’s unfiltered and coming from a strategic perspective that really tells people what they need to know.

On how he plans to reach an audience already saturated with an overabundance of information: We are intending to make the Raddington Report the go-to source for information, but most importantly, the go-to source for the truth.

On the possibility of some to say the truth is in the eye of the beholder: I think the truth is being able to report with objectivity. And unfortunately, this is the biggest problem with a lot of journalism today. If you allow your personal views and perspectives on issues to get in the way of your reporting, then obviously you’re not reporting on the truth.

On where the Raddington Report’s base of operations is: Our base is in Washington D.C., but we have an extensive presence throughout the Middle East, Africa, and beyond Asia. So, we have a presence in a lot of key parts of the world. And when I say we have a presence; we have high-level contacts with heads of state and with decision-makers; so obviously that gives us the ability to deliver what others can’t.

On when the print edition will come out: The print edition is obviously something that we are planning to put out in the very near future. And to further answer your question regarding our objective, there is no reporting source, and please quote me on this; there is no reporting source like the Raddington Report on world affairs. Today any good reporter knows you have to go to the source to get the truth. We live in the source.

On why he felt the need for a print component: I’ll say something to you to answer your question on the issue of print, which I think is obviously a very good question. I still believe that print is very important and there are a lot of reasons why that’s true. A lot of people would ask why go print when today you have so many media outlets that are obviously online. Why do you think they’re online? As robust as online media is, I’m still an old-school guy in many ways. Nothing compares to having your hands on a physical, glossy copy of an engaging magazine or newspaper.

On the plan to convert the Raddington Report’s online audience to a print audience: I think our plan is mainly through detailing the content as far as how we’re going to be transferring things out.

On how the Raddington Report managed to put together such an illustrious mix of experts for its board: To simply put it, the Raddington Group has a very extensive network and that very extensive network has given us the ability to obviously make the best use of that network for the benefit of readers all around the world.

On the genesis of the Raddington Report’s tagline, Change the World Through Conversation. Not Censorship: The genesis of that is there are so many people in so many different parts of the world that are voiceless and they have no one to speak for them. In many of these countries, in faraway places that is away from the United States, there is the law of the jungle. And many publications many times overlook reporting on topics, because they are so political and they feel the topics are just too dangerous to cover. But considering our resources and our capabilities, and who we are and who we represent, we believe that we are now ready to be a voice for anybody out there who needs to be heard.

On who Yassin Fawaz is: My family formed my character and shaped the values that guide me. The three things that guide me as a person are integrity, professionalism and diligence. I have a very good understanding of the world. I’ve become very successful in my business, and that’s mainly due to the support that I’ve gotten from the upbringing that my family provided me. And ultimately I’d say, to describe me in simple terms, my main focus is prosperity and peace. That’s the cycle I want to see, because I believe that it’s a cycle that basically opposes corruption breeding terrorism.

On his background: My background has really been focused on security, and I’ve done extensive research on a full range of issues. I’ve mainly used all of my expertise focusing on that to really make the Raddington Group a success.

On anything he’d like to add: I think the world has been waiting for an on-the-ground source of diverse expertise to provide reporting on highly valuable information. The Raddington Report fills that space and meets that need. And there is no publication out there that gives insight from a head of state or national security experts, that gives the reader insight from established authors, and at the same time gives the ordinary person the ability to be heard. And I think that’s one of the main pillars; we’re a voice for everybody up and down the ladder.

On what someone would find him doing if they showed up unexpectedly one evening at his home: To be quite honest, I do a lot of reading. And a book that I continue to read over and over is “The Prince” by Machiavelli.

On what keeps him up at night: There’s not much that keeps me up at night, because considering the sensitivity of what I do and just the overall scope of work that we’re involved with, I think we keep a lot of people up at night waiting to see the next move from us and waiting to see what we’re going to put out. (Laughs)

And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Yassin Fawaz, publisher, Raddington Report, & CEO, The Raddington Group.

Samir Husni: I read the press release for the Raddington Report and I was definitely intrigued. Tell me, why are you doing this and why now?

Yassin Fawaz: The simple answer is that traditional media is broken. We can’t wait any longer for solutions. The Raddington Report isn’t the be all/end all of publications, but what we’re offering is unique and a breath of fresh air. And the reason why I believe that is because we give readers in depth articles, not simply about news, but more about what the news means. So, we go beyond just simply covering key events.

We often go a step further and try to give the reader tangible information to take away, whether that’s useful tidbits such as something that will help them make a better investment decision, or perhaps some kind of breakdown of a new development that will impact their marketing, or whether to explore operating in certain parts of the world; this is the sort of thing that they get. And I really don’t see that being offered in a lot of other places.

Samir Husni: You already have the Raddington Group and now you’ve launched the Raddington Report online and you also plan on launching a print edition; what motivated you to get interested in all of this? When was that defining moment when you said to yourself, ‘Somebody has to do it and I’m going to be the one?’

Yassin Fawaz: To be quite honest with you, we obviously want to be an integral part of the conversation. Not by being loud, but by being thoughtful and offering concise and informative information. And being able to offer it from a global perspective, because I believe today that the biggest issue in a lot of reporting is that many people don’t actually have the ability to deliver on-the-ground information that’s unfiltered and coming from a strategic perspective that really tells people what they need to know. Today, too much of what you’re seeing out there is being reported by people who don’t really have the detailed insight and knowledge of some of these places they’re reporting on.

Samir Husni: Are you going to take the media world by storm when the first issue of the print edition comes out? What’s your plan? How are you going to reach an audience that’s been so saturated with all kinds of media, left and right?

Yassin Fawaz: We are intending to make the Raddington Report the go-to source for information, but most importantly, the go-to source for the truth.

Samir Husni: What if someone tells you that the truth is in the eye of the beholder?

Yassin Fawaz: I think the truth is being able to report with objectivity. And unfortunately, this is the biggest problem with a lot of journalism today. If you allow your personal views and perspectives on issues to get in the way of your reporting, then obviously you’re not reporting on the truth.

Samir Husni: Where is your base of operations?

Yassin Fawaz: Our base is in Washington D.C., but we have an extensive presence throughout the Middle East, Africa, and beyond Asia. So, we have a presence in a lot of key parts of the world. And when I say we have a presence; we have high-level contacts with heads of state and with decision-makers; so obviously that gives us the ability to deliver what others can’t.

To answer your question on why we’re doing this now; we carefully looked at what’s going on today in the world. We have many of our experts and members of our team who are constantly being approached by media outlets all around the world that tell them that they’re writing this report on one thing or the other, and they need some expert insight in order to beef up their piece.

You look at what’s out there and you always see somewhere within the article expert X or foreign official A, current official B; it always comes down to being able to use someone who has access to information in order to make a piece complete. What we’re doing is using our own resources and by doing so, we have what it takes to put out a solid product.

Samir Husni: When do you plan to introduce the print edition of the Raddington Report?

Yassin Fawaz: The print edition is obviously something that we are planning to put out in the very near future. And to further answer your question regarding our objective, there is no reporting source, and please quote me on this; there is no reporting source like the Raddington Report on world affairs. Today any good reporter knows you have to go to the source to get the truth. We live in the source. My team, the people that make up what we are as an organization, those are the folks who know the generators of intel. Who know how to gain important information.

And most importantly, many of the folks associated with us are trained to tell the difference between false and the truth, because we live here and we know what is real. That is what we believe is part of our strategic advantage, because we have a very solid team of folks that have a background in information, and they’re able to verify and look at reports and automatically be able to say that’s the truth or not. Just by simply looking at it.

Samir Husni: Recently, I interviewed the founding editor of a new journal called American Affairs. And one of the things that he told me was that because of the status of the media today, they felt the need to add a printed magazine to what originally started as a blog. And the status of media today being called everything from fabricated news to alternative facts to fake news. So, there is a need and a necessity.

Yassin Fawaz: I’ll say something to you to answer your question on the issue of print, which I think is obviously a very good question. I still believe that print is very important and there are a lot of reasons why that’s true. A lot of people would ask why go print when today you have so many media outlets that are obviously online. Why do you think they’re online?

As robust as online media is, I’m still an old-school guy in many ways. Nothing compares to having your hands on a physical, glossy copy of an engaging magazine or newspaper. And really spending time delving into it. Part of the biggest problem with online news media is that it lives in your browser or your phone. And you have so many other notifications and distractions that are always going to get in your way.

But when you have a physical magazine or newspaper in your hand, two things happen. First is you have a unique connection to the medium; in fact, in some ways the content feel is right there in your hands. You’re forced to really sit down and think about it and just read. And you’re not distracted by so many other things. And I think that’s the primary reason that I believe print is important, because no matter how far technology goes, in my opinion, the only way that is conducive to reading and conducive to thinking and analyzing is by having it physically in your hand. And those are the two main activities that we want to encourage.

Samir Husni: With your online presence and the variety of content available; what’s the plan to convert that online audience to a print audience?

Yassin Fawaz: I think our plan is mainly through detailing the content as far as how we’re going to be transferring things out.

Samir Husni: As I look at the list for your board of experts, you have a variety of people who come from all over the world. From the former president of Latvia to the former vice president of Iraq, to the former private secretary and chief of staff to Princess Diana. How did you manage to put this mix together?

Yassin Fawaz: To simply put it, the Raddington Group has a very extensive network and that very extensive network has given us the ability to obviously make the best use of that network for the benefit of readers all around the world. And that has been key and has allowed the Raddington Report to be successful so far.

Samir Husni: Your tagline is “Change the World Through Conversation. Not Censorship.” What is the genesis of that?

Yassin Fawaz: The genesis of that is there are so many people in so many different parts of the world that are voiceless and they have no one to speak for them. In many of these countries, in faraway places that is away from the United States, there is the law of the jungle. And many publications many times overlook reporting on topics, because they are so political and they feel the topics are just too dangerous to cover. But considering our resources and our capabilities, and who we are and who we represent, we believe that we are now ready to be a voice for anybody out there who needs to be heard. We will stand up for them. We will support them and stand by their side.

Samir Husni: And if someone asks who is Yassin Fawaz, how would you answer?

Yassin Fawaz: My family formed my character and shaped the values that guide me. The three things that guide me as a person are integrity, professionalism and diligence. I have a very good understanding of the world. I’ve become very successful in my business, and that’s mainly due to the support that I’ve gotten from the upbringing that my family provided me. And ultimately I’d say, to describe me in simple terms, my main focus is prosperity and peace. That’s the cycle I want to see, because I believe that it’s a cycle that basically opposes corruption breeding terrorism.

Corruption breeding terrorism breeding corruption cycle, this is the biggest problem with the world today, and where too many regimes find themselves. And I’m a big global supporter and visionary that they must stand up and support the truth. That’s the whole motive and what I stand for as a person.

Samir Husni: What’s your background?

Yassin Fawaz: My background has really been focused on security, and I’ve done extensive research on a full range of issues. I’ve mainly used all of my expertise focusing on that to really make the Raddington Group a success. And that’s really been my background in simple terms.

Samir Husni: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Yassin Fawaz: I think the world has been waiting for an on-the-ground source of diverse expertise to provide reporting on highly valuable information. The Raddington Report fills that space and meets that need. And there is no publication out there that gives insight from a head of state or national security experts, that gives the reader insight from established authors, and at the same time gives the ordinary person the ability to be heard. And I think that’s one of the main pillars; we’re a voice for everybody up and down the ladder.

Today, too much of the world is built on connections and for the ordinary person out there, if they’re not connected, believe me, their voice goes unheard.

Samir Husni: If I showed up unexpectedly at your home one evening after work, what would I find you doing? Having a glass of wine; reading a magazine; cooking; on your iPad; watching TV; or something else?

Yassin Fawaz: To be quite honest, I do a lot of reading. And a book that I continue to read over and over is “The Prince” by Machiavelli.

Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Yassin Fawaz: There’s not much that keeps me up at night, because considering the sensitivity of what I do and just the overall scope of work that we’re involved with, I think we keep a lot of people up at night waiting to see the next move from us and waiting to see what we’re going to put out. (Laughs) I’m confident that within a few months we will have made a solid dent in addressing the problems of ridiculously high levels of partisan division.

Samir Husni: Thank you.