Part of the Series
Ladydrawers
Today’s Ladydrawers strip kicks off a yearlong investigation into women’s international labor, primarily through the global garment and sex trades. Of course, it starts with fashion – not only the largest employer of women worldwide but one of most significant ways through which sexuality is expressed, in the US and around the world. Fast fashion, in particular: cheap, cute, disposable threads on which we spend about $1,700 per year.
This strip also marks a change in how we work at Ladydrawers: We’ll be working with artists for longer, connecting stories more closely and continuing to innovate comics journalism with our pals at Truthout. Julia Gfrörer will be drawing the next two strips, and Anne Elizabeth Moore will continue to write, partnering with experts in the field at times to bring you the most accurate, intriguing data from around the globe.
Click to open full-size in new window.
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.