Podcast Summary: “Real Journalism”: How Courage Fueled The Federalist’s Award-Winning Russia Collusion Hoax Reporting

Federalist Radio Hour | December 16, 2025
Host: Matt Kittle
Guests: Sean Davis (Federalist Co-Founder & CEO), Margo Cleveland (Senior Legal Correspondent)

Episode Overview

This episode of the Federalist Radio Hour celebrates The Federalist’s receipt of the 2025 Dow Grand Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism, awarded for its dogged reporting on the “Russia collusion hoax.” Host Matt Kittle converses with key Federalist figures Sean Davis and Margo Cleveland, examining the arduous, years-long effort to expose the truth, the attacks they endured, and the state of journalism in America today. The conversation is candid, combative, and unapologetic about the podcast’s perspective.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Courage at the Heart of Investigative Journalism

• Courage in Journalism: Sean Davis defines “real journalism” as requiring courage and a willingness to pursue and publish truth, irrespective of risks or whom it offends.

  • “Real journalism requires real courage. It requires the courage to follow the facts wherever they lead. It requires courage to say the true thing, no matter who it offends.” (Sean Davis, 04:13)

• Pressures and Dangers: Davis notes the personal and professional risks journalists face, from attacks by powerful people to threats or blacklisting.

2. The Origin and Unfolding of the Russia Collusion Hoax Coverage

• Early Reporting: The Federalist began investigating Russia-collusion claims in early 2017, noticing significant gaps between allegations and factual evidence.

  • The publication of the Steele dossier by BuzzFeed became a turning point, revealing “it was all a total hoax” and driving the team to dig deeper (Sean Davis, 06:03).

• Media and Government Hysteria: Davis recounts the fevered climate in Washington post-2016 election and the small number of outlets questioning the prevailing narrative.

3. Challenges and Key Breakthroughs in Documentary Research

• Obtaining Classified Materials: Margo Cleveland details the struggle to access documents, many of which were classified or released only years later. The FISA warrant applications, even in redacted form, were crucial in tracking flaws and omissions in government actions.

  • “You could tell what new information was added and what wasn’t… even though the FBI now knew that some of this information was false, they never updated the FISA court.” (Margo Cleveland, 10:10)

• Role of Public Documents: Both guests emphasize the importance of analyzing government records over reliance on anonymous sources.

4. Key Players and Government Deception

• James Comey’s Role: Davis provides an extended critique of James Comey, describing him as a serial manipulator and linking his conduct in past DOJ controversies to his handling of Trump and the dossier.

  • “To me, it’s just such a perfect story about Jim Comey… he does it to leak to CNN… after Trump fired him… he cooks up these memos… all done to get revenge on Trump.” (Sean Davis, 15:10)

• Deep State and Media Collusion: Cleveland expresses shock at the extent of government and media coordination to promote the hoax, noting that belief in the nonpartisan integrity of institutions was shattered.

  • “It really pulled the curtain back that the government is not acting in the best interest of the public. In fact, it thinks it’s its duty to protect the public from Trump, who the public elected.” (Margo Cleveland, 17:41)

5. Institutional Resistance and Attacks on The Federalist

• Pushback from Powerful Interests: Davis describes attempts by officials and senators to “moral blackmail” the Federalist into dropping the story (21:09), as well as coordinated online attacks and efforts to censor or blacklist the publication.

  • “The entire power structure in government, in Western government, was deployed to try and destroy us, to bankrupt us and try to discredit us. And it wasn’t because what we were saying was false. They were trying to destroy us because they knew what we were reporting was true.” (Sean Davis, 23:18)

• Media Complicity: Cleveland and Davis highlight how legacy outlets not only promoted the Russia narrative but won major awards for now-discredited reportage, refusing to relinquish their honors even after the truth emerged.

  • “They now are ignoring Arctic Frost and all of the news that is coming out there. Anything that they think they can create a scandal, they’re doing.” (Margo Cleveland, 25:46)

6. On Accountability and Justice

• Will There Be Consequences? Davis is pessimistic about legal accountability (“Will all these people end up in prison? Probably not”, 34:17), pointing to political bias in the judiciary and the protection of establishment figures.

  • “James Comey wants to be seen as the savior of democracy, but his legacy is cooked…” (Sean Davis, 34:42)

• Broader Forms of Accountability: They argue reputational damage and public exposure provide some justice, which can deter future abuses and empower whistleblowers.

7. The Future of Journalism

• Decline of Legacy Media, Rise of Citizen Investigators: Davis argues the internet has democratized journalism, allowing independent and citizen journalists to make critical contributions even as traditional media falters in its responsibilities.

  • “You don’t have to have press credentials, you don’t have to be a W-2 employee. You don’t have to be on a masthead. All you need is a desire to tell the truth, to find the facts, and then the courage to do it.” (Sean Davis, 42:08)

• A Market for Truth: Cleveland echoes optimism, noting that audiences quickly recognize and value truthful investigative work.

  • “Journalism is moving forward in a great spot not because of the legacy media, but instead in spite of them.” (Margo Cleveland, 44:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sean Davis on courage in journalism:

  “It requires doing all this with the knowledge that one day you might even get gunned down for it.” [04:21]

• Margo Cleveland on government and media collusion:

  “This could not have happened if it was not from high level to low level. …It really pulled the curtain back that the government is not acting in the best interest of the public.” [17:31]

• Sean Davis on official and social media pressure:

  “I’m just really concerned you might be getting out over your skis a little bit… just such a patronizing, know-it-all tone.” [21:14]

• On legacy media’s performance:

  “It’s not shocking, but it is very disturbing, destructive. Because if you do not have a functioning media, the government is able to get away with a lot of things that it shouldn’t.” (Margo Cleveland, 26:30)

• On accountability:

  “As journalists and investigators, we don’t get to decide what happens to people after the facts are out. That’s not our job and not our role. All we can do is get the facts out there and the truth out there and let the chips fall where they may.” (Sean Davis, 35:35)

• On the future of journalism:

  “I’m super optimistic… There’s so much great independent journalism. …All you need is a desire to tell the truth, to find the facts, and then the courage to do it.” (Sean Davis, 42:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:13] – Sean Davis on “real journalism” and courage
• [06:03] – The Federalist’s early doubts about Russia collusion allegations
• [09:51] – Margo Cleveland on challenges getting unredacted source documents
• [12:48] – James Comey’s role as a red flag
• [17:29] – Margo Cleveland on the shock of discovering institutional corruption
• [21:09] – Sean Davis describing efforts to silence and discredit The Federalist
• [25:19] – Margo Cleveland on legacy media’s refusal to admit error
• [34:13] – Discussion: will there be any real accountability?
• [41:53] – The state and future of journalism
• [44:31] – Closing thoughts from the panel

Conclusion

This episode serves as both a retrospective on the Federalist’s multi-year, award-winning reporting on the Russia collusion narrative and a broader meditation on the state of American journalism. Guests are blunt about what they see as implicit corruption and media collusion, and they’re unapologetic in their insistence that courage is the defining trait of real reporting—traits they claim are found outside today’s legacy mainstream press.

Listeners gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of the risks, persistence, and sense of mission underpinning this sort of investigative journalism, as well as the optimism the Federalist’s team feels about the emergent, democratized future of the field.