“Based on our 20-year experience with the broken promises made on behalf of earlier trade deals, it is clear that we should proceed very cautiously with the TPP – the largest trade deal in U.S. history. We must have a rigorous and open debate about the TPP and reject attempts to “fast track” the TPP in Congress.“We have heard all these promises before in support of previous free trade agreements (FTAs). A review of the actual impacts of these FTAs proves that these promises are worthless. In fact, trade agreements have failed to deliver on promises to create good U.S. jobs, trade surpluses, improved workers’ and human rights, and a cleaner and more sustainable environment.“There is nothing in the TPP —or in the contentions of its proponents —to show that it will be different than the previous record of broken promises. Indeed, the TPP will be worse because it expands and extends the failed policies of past trade agreements to a region that accounts for 38% of total world economic activity.”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.