October 21, 2011

Headlines Done Right

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Nice work from the copy desks at the New York Times and the Washington Post tonight: these are nice, simple headlines that explain exactly what happened to the Democratic jobs proposal in the Senate a few hours ago. In the Times piece, the second paragraph explained that “Democrats needed 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster.” In the Post piece, the sixth paragraph provided the background: “Under the rules of the Senate, 60 votes were needed to continue toward action on the bill.”

This is clean and accurate. The headlines make it clear that Republicans blocked the bill, and the text makes it clear that you need 60 votes to move forward with legislation in the Senate. Good job.

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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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