This is a first for me.

But it's a critical story that didn't receive enough attention. MoJo Reader: I don't usually write about sports, but given that it feels like third and long…oh who am I kidding, I had to google that just now when my co-worker suggested it. But seriously, there's an important story that recently played out at the sports site Deadspin, and it struck right at the worry I have about independent reporting. Deadspin was a lot of what journalism should be—a thorn in the side of the smug, self-righteous, and overly comfortable, embodying the idea that journalists shouldn't kowtow to power. But in 2016, their parent company, Gawker, was bankrupted by a lawsuit financed by PayPal and Facebook billionaire, and Trump fan, Peter Theil. The company went through a series of owners before landing, like so many media companies being squeezed for the last drops of profit, in the hands of a hedge fund. Then, a few months ago, Deadspin's new owners fired their editor-in-chief for resisting their directive to "stick to sports." Within days, the entire team—and their incredibly devoted audience—was gone. It hits so close to home that I've been thinking about it a lot as we plan for next year, and kick off our December fundraising drive [asking our readers to support Mother Jones' journalism with a tax-deductible, year-end gift](. Because it could, in some ways, have been Mother Jones' story. We fought a massive lawsuit from a conservative billionaire. We're regularly attacked for calling a spade a spade. We've lost advertising revenue at the whim of digital platforms. But there's a huge difference between our owners and those of sites like Deadspin. Ours are people who care about journalistic independence and fearless reporting. Who believe the free press, and the democracy on which it depends, is too important to be left to billionaires. They are you. And you want us to charge hard after the truth and refuse to back down, for which I feel incredibly fortunate. You can read more in "[Billionaires Are Not the Answer](," my column about the state of media and Mother Jones’ plans for the year ahead. Here's the upshot, and the best case I can make for [considering a year-end donation to Mother Jones today](. It's become a pretty standard joke in journalism circles that "the only business model that's left is billionaires." In fact, the joke's on us—our democracy and our media may, in fact, end up being controlled by an oligarchy, and I don't want to watch that happen. Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Fox's Rupert Murdoch are some of the biggest-name billionaires in media, but there are many more—those who buy news organizations, those who dedicate chunks of their philanthropy to them, those who reshape the media landscape by other means like litigation (recall Peter Thiel, who helped sue Gawker out of existence, or Frank VanderSloot, who went after Mother Jones), and those who control the tech platforms that determine a lot of the news you see. Some of these folks appear genuinely motivated by a belief that a free press is important. Some believe that they can make news organizations financially viable where everyone else has failed. But ultimately, this is not a question of whether billionaires are philanthropically minded. It's whether we can afford to let quality journalism depend on the goodwill of the superrich—at least some of whom use that power to advance their own agenda. There has to be an alternative where the rest of us have a say. Which is what Mother Jones has been focused on for almost 44 years now, and why, especially now, it's so important we continue building a fearless media operation [funded by and answerable to its community](. Reader support allows Mother Jones to go after the most important stories—without fear, favor, or false equivalency—that others might shy away from or soft-pedal. In 2020, our team needs to tackle corruption in all its forms, combat disinformation, chronicle the fight over voting rights, and keep our eyes on other big issues even as the theatrics of impeachment and the presidential campaign tug at our attention. We need to make sure we get solid, fact-checked information in front of a wider audience, even when the tech platforms make that harder (and continue to let propaganda and lies flourish). We need to do so much more than I can list here (like continuing to cover climate change as the existential threat that it is!). And we need to raise $600,000—more than we ever have—by the end of the month to keep going at the level you expect and the moment demands. If we were owned by a billionaire, that might not be a problem: $600,000 is 0.001 percent of Bloomberg's fortune. But Mother Jones being Mother Jones, it has to come from you: because that means we can say no to anyone who might try to throttle our coverage. If you're still reading this far down, I know you care a lot about journalism and everything that's on the line heading into 2020. So [please join your fellow readers with a tax-deductible, year-end donation to support Mother Jones today](. Because it's either people-powered journalism, or the billionaire model. Thanks for reading, and for everything you do to make Mother Jones what it is. Whether or not you can pitch in during our December drive, I'm glad you're with us. Monika Bauerlein, CEO Mother Jones [DONATE]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. 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