September 23, 2008

The Press Fights Back….A Little

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THE PRESS FIGHTS BACK….A LITTLE….Via Sullivan, the latest from the Sarah Palin wonderland is her visit to the UN. The purpose of the visit is to, um, expand her already substantial experience in foreign affairs, and the McCain campaign wanted all the networks to cover it, of course. But they didn’t want anyone asking Palin any questions. And then they decided they didn’t even want reporters present, even if they kept silent. Just a camera, so that Palin’s smiling face would show up on the network news deep in discussion with important foreign leaders.

But what do you know? Apparently the networks actually balked at being used quite so baldly. So the McCain campaign backed down and is now allowing one (1) CNN producer in the room along with the camera operator. But still no questions, I gather. Wouldn’t want to put Palin under too much pressure, after all.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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