Policy changes would not be possible if no one spread the word. Dave Bondy, digital and video manager for the Mackinac Center, makes it his business to inform the public. On the Overton Window podcast, Bondy discusses how the Mackinac Center reaches people looking to learn more about impactful policy.

Bondy’s interest in journalism started when he was seven years old. “I would go around the neighborhood with a little fake microphone and interview neighbors,” Bondy says. He got involved with high school and college newspapers, at one point covering college sports for the Detroit Free Press.

"Your job is to hold the powerful accountable," a colleague told Bondy when he began his reporting career. This became a guiding principle in his career, pushing him to challenge authority and expose untold stories.

Bondy brings deep experience with digital media — particularly short-form videos. “The one-minute short videos do great right now. In a year from now, they may not,” he says. The constantly shifting landscape requires an understanding of the algorithms’ nuances.

In the rise of social media, it can be said that every user is a journalist. "I don’t agree with that,” Bondy says, “There are still ethics, there are morals, there are certain rules—you can’t go out and slander or defame someone.”

His commitment to fairness and objectivity is central to his work. "I will be critical of Democrats, Republicans, independents. I try just to give the information and not tell people how to think,” he says.

Bondy’s career reached a turning point when he faced backlash in the workforce for his criticism of an elected official. He realized he couldn’t work in an industry that compromised the pursuit of truth to maintain access to sources.

It was this experience that led Bondy to the Mackinac Center. “I came in wanting to help spread the message not just to people who already know about the Mackinac Center, but to people who don’t,” Bondy says.

Through his work, Dave Body strives to bring authenticity and transparency to the digital realm, encapsulated in his brand, "Keeping it Real." The slogan aims to capture “the realness of just being me and some may not like it at times, but I try to be very fair.”

There is a growing need for voices like his. In an age where algorithms often trap users in echo chambers, Bondy’s focus remains on filling the knowledge gaps left by legacy media.

Listen to the full conversation on the Overton Window podcast.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.