Former CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge — who was controversially fired by the network in February as she probed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — launched a newsletter Thursday.
The award-winning investigative journalist, who began reporting for Elon Musk-owned X in June, is expanding her journalistic footprint with “Catherine Herridge reports,” named after her investigative series on the social media platform.
The newsletter includes analysis of her latest investigations and current events, as well as updates on her reports and a forum that allows her subscribers to interact directly with the journalist.
“This is going to be the first time in 37 years that I have such direct exchanges with people who have watched me for years on television,” Herridge told the Post.
The veteran journalist said the weekly newsletter will be free at first and then eventually there will be a subscription fee, which has yet to be determined.
Her first two major investigations for X, which she said CBS News didn’t want to run when she worked there, have received “tremendous” feedback.
“This is the same quality of work — with the same standards — I was doing at CBS News. I’m just telling stories I wasn’t able to tell before,” Herridge said.
The first report was about a 24-year-old soldier who suffered a “debilitating heart condition” linked to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that left her with over $70,000 in medical debt.
In the report, Herridge dug up military records that confirmed the soldier’s heart injury was linked to complications from the vaccine.
Herridge said after her report was posted, the military paid for some of the soldier’s medical bills and that she will recoup some of her back pay.
Her second investigation tackled the border crisis and the alleged violations of a federal law by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency — as well as its subsequent retaliation against the whistleblowers who exposed the violation.
According to X, Herridge’s first report amassed 3.4 million views, and her border investigation garnered over 24 million views.
“The stories had the same impact on X they would have had on CBS News,” Herridge said, adding that the difference is that they are “reaching a much larger, more diverse audience on X.”
“If you have to choose between 4.5 million on the ‘Evening News’ and 24 million views, you have to go with 24M engagements because that’s where the growth audience is today.”
The strong viewership numbers may feel like a sort of vindication for Herridge, who encountered roadblocks from her bosses at CBS News over her Hunter Biden reporting.
Things took a strange twist in February when Herridge was let go as part of broader layoffs initiated by CBS parent company Paramount.
Her personal files from her office were seized by the network, leading to a probe by House Judiciary Committee.
After pushback from Herridge’s union, the files were returned.
Herridge’s fans hope the journalist spills the beans on the inside story of what happened with the laptop reporting and if it got blocked in the fall of 2020 by CBS News brass.
She declined to comment on that thorny subject, but did weigh in on her second act as an independent journalist.
“There’s an earthquake in the marketplace right now. You can’t argue with the data,” she said, referring to TV’s plunging ratings and social media’s growing viewership. “You have to make these transitions.”