This is news built by two friends from opposite sides of the aisle.

Here’s our story:

We met in middle school on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Yes, grew up together in the beautiful paradise of Hawaii.

We bonded over our shared love with mac and cheese and Nickelodeon. We knew it was best-friend love when we discovered how much the flavor of mac and cheese could be enhanced by the addition of finely chopped hot dogs.

When we graduated high school, we went on separate paths. Shannon pursued a degree in Economics and a Masters in Business, while Geneva entered into the world of research and pursued a PhD in Animal Science. But despite not living in the same state for nearly a decade (and counting), we’ve remained family.

And like most families, we don’t always agree. And these disagreements include politics.

So what do you do when you disagree with someone you respect immensely but don’t see eye to eye with? For us, the solution involved research and beer. If ever we came across an issue we disagree on, we separated, did our independent research, and came back to discuss together with a drink in our hand.

In some ways, The Thread is intended to model our friendship. We skip all the emotional stuff and just share multiple perspectives from the experts (drink in hand optional). It’s helped us find common ground or at least mutual understanding on the sticky topics. And we hope that it will do the same for you and your family.

Our saddest thought is considering if we had met today and had let ourselves be defined by our political parties, would we have missed on this incredible relationship with someone that we now consider family?

That’s why we’re passionate about this crazy effort to bridge the divide with data. Because if it works for us, maybe it will work for others. (And maybe those others are slightly less nerdy and don’t have the time to do all the research themselves!)

Shannon’s story. In her words.

Growing up, everyone asks you what you want to be. My answer was never "I want co-found a start-up that aims to address the polarization in our information system and re engage our communities in civil discourse and the democratic process." Yet, here we are.

I've always loved politics and news -- but never had any desire to be a politician or journalist as I don't consider myself a storyteller. In fact, growing up I barely spoke at all. I was the shy girl in the back of class that never wanted to raise her hand or be the center of attention. And to be a politician or a journalist -- that's what you do. You tell stories and hook someone with a moving narrative that inspires them to read on or join your cause.

So, I moved forward instead with the skills that I love: process, data, and breaking down complex problems into bite-sized pieces. After an undergraduate degree in Economics, I moved on to international economic research, then to an MBA with a focus in Finance, then to working for fortune 500 companies on their strategy and operations. And I loved it.

But my stomach turned when I looked around at the polarization in my community. I was sad to realize that it had become easier to spread a hateful messages to millions online than it was to talk about the most critical events going on in politics with your next door neighbor.

I began to realize that all this storytelling from the media and politicians was becoming toxic. It seems that storytellers on either side of the isle were already picking a hero and a villain before the narrative could even unfold. Painting vastly different pictures of reality and driving further divides in our communities.

That's when my co-founder and I decided it was time for a shift. Maybe it’s time for less stories and more facts. Maybe it's less about appealing to people’s emotions and more about feeding people's minds. Maybe it's not the job of the storyteller to tell you who's the hero or the villain --- maybe that should be the job of the reader.

So, we built The Thread. Co-founded by two research and data nerds with no interest in a future in politics or media. We aren't trying to be storytellers, we are relying on what we do best: research, analysis, building criteria, and creating transparent processes. This is absolutely a passion for us and we hope you enjoy."

Geneva’s story. In her words.

I’m first and foremost a scientist, a researcher. I have a passion for public health, feeding people, supporting producers, and scratching cows ears. My work has frequently steered me directly into some seemingly unlikely political discussions with my friends and colleagues. The conversations are always varied, always distinctive, often frustrating, but never contentious. So why is that not so everywhere? When I see my community, I see people that all suffer from the same issues, often for the same reasons: lack of information, poor quality information, or flat out incorrect information. I became worried that if all I did was research and generate information, it would never become accessible to the people that need it most.

But, I ponder, ultimately, what do we do with better access to accurate, quality information? We take action. We discuss, we debate, we listen, and we engage democracy to elect strong officials, to push legislation, to create movements that improve our community (however you define yours). So I wondered, if I were to follow my own thought process, how do I discuss, debate and listen with friends and colleagues? How can I improve? How can we all improve? Reflecting on my interactions and political discussions with colleagues in the bush of Zambia, or at a 15,000 head dairy in rural Washington, or the living room of a friend in Seattle, students I worked alongside in Phnom Penh, and professional students in Virginia, I don’t recall much variation in the cadence or topics of these talks. We all want our healthcare to be of quality and accessible, we all want our food healthy and affordable, we all seek opportunity for financial security to care for our loved ones, we all assign a priority to education, and we all want freedom from fear of a dictatorial leadership. Mostly, we all need liberation from the political ‘spin.'

At a time when a political leaning can shape your social circles and define you as a human being in an era where insults can be read in real time as they’re written and are shared more quickly than the information they’re clouding, it isn’t just a passion of mine to clear the air, it’s my social responsibility. I challenge you to make it yours too.