April 14, 2010

The Muzzles

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Via Jon Fasman, here are this year’s Muzzles, given each year by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. I suppose this won’t be a widespread opinion, but I’d say they go to show that the First Amendment is doing pretty well these days. Some of the items are infuriating (Texas basing tax breaks on whether you say nice things about Texas, Southwestern College banning peaceful protests practically everywhere on campus), but really, if the ten things on this list are the worst offenses of the entire year then free speech is in pretty good shape. I was expecting a lot worse.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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