From Editor Robert Parry: If our 18-year-old experiment in independent journalism is to continue, we need the generous support of our readers now. We are running very short of funds. So, please contribute what you can.
When I founded this Web site in 1995, the goal was to create a home for serious investigative reporting, the kind of well-documented work that was getting orphaned in the new age of celebrity media. The mid-1990s also saw the rise of a powerful right-wing media machine, which had little regard for facts.
Our goal was to counter those trends of triviality and ideology with old-fashioned reporting and to publish through the new technology of the Internet.
Looking back at those 18 years, I believe we have been remarkably successful in creating that home for serious journalism. As an unexpected bonus, we also have attracted the work of honest U.S. intelligence analysts who encountered a parallel hostility toward their commitment to objective truth-telling inside the government.
So, today, you see at Consortiumnews a mix of in-depth investigative reporting on important topics and thoughtful analyses from some of the intelligence community’s best thinkers, the likes of Melvin A. Goodman, Elizabeth Murray, Paul R. Pillar and Ray McGovern. This combination makes this Web site unique and irreplaceable.
We also do something that few other news outlets do: we supply vital historical context, so what’s happening today doesn’t just blip onto the news radar screen as some curious anomaly and then disappear into a black hole. Instead, the news is placed within an enduring political or geopolitical narrative.
Yet, while I’m proud of what we have accomplished, my biggest regret has been my failure to convince foundations and wealthy individuals that they should support this kind of endeavor with serious money. Thus, over the years, we have relied mostly on the generosity of small donors and some small foundations chipping in what they can.
And, our worst financial crises often come during and after U.S. presidential elections because contributors shift their available money into political campaigns. That’s what happened last year, leaving our coffers nearly bare today.
So, please donate what you can — or if you know someone of financial means who might have an interest in backing what we do, recommend us for a grant. Since we are a 501-c-3 tax-exempt organization, your contribution may be tax-deductible, and foundations can make grants to us. Also, if you would like a signed gift copy of my new book, America’s Stolen Narrative, as a token of our appreciation, just ask.
Donations can be made by credit card at the Consortiumnews.com Web site or by check to: Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ); 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201. To use PayPal, our account is named after our e-mail address: “consortnew @ aol.com”
As always, thanks for your support.
Robert Parry
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet’s first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality and timidity of the mainstream U.S. news media.