While some passionate conservatives complain about the state of American culture, one freshman took action and created a platform for young conservatives to voice their opinions and ambitions. 

Bradley Haley founded  New Guard Press, an online publication, last June after seeing a lack of young conservative voices who challenge progressive ideology on an academic level.

“New Guard Press is an outlet for young conservatives who want to promote a positive vision for the future of conservatism and American culture,” Haley said.

New Guard Press publishes commentary from college-aged thinkers on cultural issues. Recent articles include, “My child, my choice: the rise of alternative schooling” and “Artificial intelligence and creation.” 

“New Guard occupies this nice space of conservatism and provides an outlet for young conservatives to discuss the various elements of it, whether it be about understanding and appreciating classical music or what a full education looks like,” Hillsdale alumnus Austin Gergens ’20  said.

Haley said the name New Guard Press reflects his optimism in the power of his generation. The outlet’s slogan is “Rebelling against the rebels.” 

“Whether our generation wants to accept it or not, we’re the new guard of the Western tradition and of the American founding, and we have to go into the future with that in some manner,” Haley said. “My proposal is that we go forward into the future by building on the tradition of the past. We are inheritors of that and we have to do something with it.”

Haley said he wants his readers to understand more deeply why they believe their principles.

“There are not a lot of people who are giving an actual vision of what our culture can be and what made our culture great, and this publication really does that from a place of appreciation for the western tradition,” Haley said. 

New Guard Press’ writers are young conservatives who want a place to articulate their ideas.

“We are looking for people who are very thoughtful and think about deep ideas, not just watch Fox News and complain,” Haley said. 

Gergens uses his experience as a journalist at the Michigan News Source on the New Guard Press editorial team.

“New Guard seemed like a novel concept that I liked,” Gergens said. “There are a lot of times when we rely on an older generation to talk about conservative values, so I think it is neat that the New Guard is able to talk about it — how we perceive conservatism and what its roots are.”

Gergens said New Guard Press stands out from other conservative publications because of its young writers and audience.

Haley said he is especially passionate about the intersection of religion, philosophy, and politics.

“I enjoy writing about the religious aspect of our current culture and how we kind of went through a phase of being not religious, and now there is very much religious pushback in our culture,” Haley said.

New Guard Press is growing its audience.

“I’ve been encouraged by how positive the reception has been among my generation,” Haley said.“I’ve heard a lot of people say to me that this is an idea they have had but never been able to do themselves.” 

Freshman Luke Waters became a writer for New Guard Press after meeting Haley at Hillsdale last semester and connecting over their shared hope for America’s future. 

“The understanding in our generation right now is that all institutions are corrupt and that’s right wing and left wing,” Waters said. “They have been poisoned with a kind of nihilism that is not acceptable to us. And so we want to cast a vision for those who are now coming along and having to live and use these institutions. How do we reclaim them? How do we rebuild from the ashes what has been lost and destroyed? That is what we write about.”

Waters said the main message he communicates in his articles is that political beliefs and values matter.

“How you live your life must come downstream of your spiritual relationship with God,” Waters said. “Because if it’s not rooted in something higher and something more objective, true, real, and deep, you will be just five years behind the leftist agenda. I am trying to encourage my readers to stop lamenting the fall of the West and actually begin to rebuild it.”

Waters said he loves working with Haley.

“I always like to say, ‘Delusions of grandeur are only delusions if you don’t make them come true,’” Waters said. “Bradley is a guy who some might say has had some delusions of grandeur, but he’s making them happen and he’s going after it — and that’s the best kind of guy to work for.”