Dear Truthout community,
It feels very natural for me to use the word “community” as I write to you now in hopes that you’ll support Truthout, but I think it’s worth pausing and asking, what is a community, anyway? I certainly don’t have the authoritative answer to that question; if I did, I would probably have written a bestselling book about it and made enough money for Truthout to never have to fundraise again. But what I do know is that every day, we hear from readers who thank us for providing a place they can call home amid the sprawling, soulless expanse of the Internet.
Truthout is a home for people with soul, people who care about the world and where it is heading. It’s a place where people of conscience can gather together, ask the questions, search for the solutions and spread the word. Empowered by such a community, we need not descend into hopelessness and resign ourselves to slouching over the dinner table, muttering listlessly about the conservative crazies holding our doomed society hostage. We can arm ourselves with insight and begin to envision a future, together.
I’m not the only one who thinks Truthout is a crucial lifeline to the hope of democracy. (Admittedly, I’m a little biased toward the organization, since I put about 102 hours per week into producing it and dream about it every night.) Check out what a couple of our friends have to say:
Truthout is the stage on which real journalism can perform unshackled and uncensored. And since joining with Buzzflash, it just becomes the have-you-read-that? site. Its truth goes marching on!
-Greg Palast, world-renowned investigative journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller, “Armed Madhouse”
Truthout is one of our country’s most important independent news outlets – offering top-notch analysis and reporting on a daily basis, the kind not available in corporate news outlets. I couldn’t do without Truthout.
-Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
Take a look at a few of the other progressive leaders, including activists, authors, labor leaders and scholars, who’ve also found a home at Truthout, here.
I’m honored to join these folks in helping to make Truthout what it is – a virtual gathering of wonderful, soulful people with shared concerns, shared desires, shared frustrations and shared dreams.
During these difficult times, we’re fighting with everything we’ve got to keep our community alive. Please join us today by donating what you can afford here:
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A big thanks to all of you for reading Truthout!
All the best,
Maya Schenwar, Executive Director
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy