Why Consortiumnews Is Unique

From Editor Robert Parry: When we launched Consortiumnews in 1995, our goal was to be a site for investigative-style journalism, which has remained our core product to this day. But – to my surprise – a number of ex-intelligence analysts and former diplomats also were willing to contribute their knowledge and expertise to this endeavor.

So, we developed a relationship with these former government officials, many of whom also are part of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. While I realize this connection to the intelligence world worries some readers, it is my judgment that our readership benefits greatly from these thoughtful former insiders who know how things really work in government, much as I have insights into the mainstream media because I worked in it for many years.

This combination of insider knowledge and a lack of fear about being cast outside the mainstream for telling the truth is, I think, what makes Consortiumnews unique and why it is important that we raise enough money to keep this almost 21-year-old project alive.

So, please contribute what you can with a donation by credit card online (we accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover), by PayPal (our PayPal account is named after our original email address, “consortnew @ aol.com”), or by mailing a check to Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ); 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201.

We also are registered with PayPal’s Giving Fund under the name Consortium for Independent Journalism. And, since we are a 501-c-3 non-profit, donations by American taxpayers may be tax-deductible.

And, we are offering a special thank-you gift for those who can give $125 or more – or if you set up a recurring monthly donation by credit card or PayPal.

You can receive a signed copy of the new edition of my second book, Trick or Treason, which was originally published in 1993 and has been long out of print. It tells the inside story of my PBS-Frontline investigation of the 1980 October Surprise mystery (whether Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush sabotaged President Carter’s Iran-hostage negotiations to ensure their electoral victory). There is also a new “Afterword” that brings the story up to the present day.

As part of the gift package, we are including a DVD of the Frontline documentary, “Election Held Hostage,” the 1991 program that resulted from the investigation.

If you wish to get this book-and-DVD thank-you gift, just follow up your donation with an e-mail to us at [email protected] with instructions on where to mail it. We’ll pay the shipping charges.

Another way to help is to buy a five-book set of my other books – Fooling America, Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege, Neck Deep and America’s Stolen Narrative – through the Web site at a deep discount price, with part of each purchase going to the fund drive.

Thanks for your support and for making our two decades-plus of honest journalism possible. Our work could not happen without your help.

Robert Parry is a longtime investigative reporter who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for the Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 to create an outlet for well-reported journalism that was being squeezed out of an increasingly trivialized U.S. news media.