This is big for us.

Things are slowing down. [Mother Jones]( MoJo Reader, It's been a little while since I've written to you all in the Mother Jones community, and there's been a lot going on since I last did. I hope you've been managing the best you can. I'm also wondering: Have you been paying less attention to the news lately? A lot of people have, and maybe I'm not supposed to say this—not as a journalist and the CEO of Mother Jones—but that might be a good thing. There's no doubt that less traffic is bad for the news business, which is built on maximizing reach, and it does impact MoJo's bottom line. But you know me, and you know Mother Jones, and I bet you are built this way too: We've never really followed the pack when something important is at stake. Which is why I'm writing you today: We're kicking off a big fundraising drive to bring in $350,000 from our online readers by July 17, and I hope you'll [support our team's hard-hitting journalism]( with a donation if you can right now. Don't sweat it if you can't or don't intend to pitch in, but please do keep reading because after these last several years we've all been through, my aim is also to reset with you about where Mother Jones is and where we're going. There's a lot to it, and in "[Slow News Is Good News](," I lay it all out so you can get the big picture. You're a MoJo reader, that's what you expect, and it's our job to give it to you. But here's the gist: And pardon the language, but it starts with batsh*t bonkers. That's the best way I can characterize what it felt like covering Trump, and why this comparatively slow moment feels kind of good. But in the broken economics of media in our system, the bottom line isn't driven by what's good for us or for democracy—it's driven by eyeballs and ratings. It's what led to Trump—he drove ratings, and he knew it. He warned that the numbers would "tank if I'm not there," and the truth is, they kind of did—after January 6 that is, which was a record day for TV ratings and a terrible day for democracy. Enough about him: What matters right now—even if things feel quieter—is that we all stay laser-focused on the forces behind the rise of authoritarianism and the changes that need to happen to prevent the next incarnation. Chronicling crises is important, but journalism must also find a way to shine a light on the systemic forces that brought the crises about and will again unless we make change. Hedge fund executives and corporate overlords will never greenlight enough deep work like that. But it's what Mother Jones has always been here to do! And our hope is that the best way to ask our readers to [pitch in and help us reach our $350,000 goal]( is to slow down a bit right now and talk about why Mother Jones' journalism matters in a way that will outlast the fleeting headlines we've grown used to. In the [full column]( that just went up, I touch on: - Why we were founded as a nonprofit in 1976: Two of our biggest early investigations were about [exploding Ford Pintos]( and tobacco companies trying to [snuff out]( anti-smoking efforts. Do you think these industries, mainstays of magazine advertising back then, would want their ads next to stories like that? - How MoJo voting rights reporter Ari Berman recently obtained explosive video [showing]( executives at Heritage Action bragging about ramming anti-voting legislation through statehouses all over the country. His video was watched more than 1 million times, resulted in an ethics investigation, and made a whopping $91.63 in advertising revenue. - Shane Bauer's gripping account of working undercover as a private prison guard for four months some years back. If you've not read his incredible story, consider stopping this email right now and [starting his deep dive](—there's no better way to explain what makes Mother Jones unique and, I hope, worth [supporting with a donation if you can right now](. - How our newsroom has refocused post-Trump: Reporters and editors are brainstorming across beats and areas of expertise to surface the deeper stories of this moment. The names of these meetings—"Patriarchy Pod," "Culture War Pod," and my favorite, "Digital F*ckery Pod"—speak volumes about what they want their reporting to really get at. - Why this comparatively slow moment is also an incredibly urgent one for Mother Jones. Our current fiscal year ends on June 30, and our next one starts on July 1—we need to finish and start strong. It's the hardest budget I've ever worked on at Mother Jones, so hard that we've been talking as a staff about which employee benefits matter most and need to be protected. I could keep going, but I'll stop here for now—and end with why I'm optimistic despite the challenges. Because ever since I moved from co-editor-in-chief to CEO and had to learn fundraising, I've seen that when we simply address you truthfully, as fellow humans with lives that Mother Jones is lucky to fit into, we earn [enough donations to keep the whole thing running](. I hope it works over these next five weeks and we can [rally enough support]( to hit our big fundraising goal even in the absence of bonkers, even in the absence of the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE and FAKE NEWS attacks that made it all so visceral. Because that way we can show there is a model for journalism that speaks truth no matter who's in power. A model where the mission and the people who join forces to make it real are not cast aside for ratings and profit, but are at the very center of everything we do. And I hope you'll [consider a gift today]( so I can see an encouraging signal, on day one, that we got this. Please know that even if you can't or don't intend to pitch in, I'm grateful you're with us and that you care enough about this all to still be with me. Thanks for reading, and for everything you do to make Mother Jones what it is. [Monika] Monika Bauerlein, CEO Mother Jones [Donate]( P.S. If you recently made a donation, thank you! And please accept our apologies for sending you this reminder—our systems take a little while to catch up. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755