Democracy needs fact-based journalism

Readers like you make possible our work of sharing knowledge [The Conversation. Help us inform the public]( Dear Reader, I’m the senior politics and society editor at The Conversation. After a career covering politics, what I have come to believe is that democracy needs more facts and less opinion. Our world is awash in opinion journalism, the kind of writing that tells you what you should think. Here at The Conversation, we work with scholars to give you the facts and trust you to make up your own mind. There’s reason to be worried about the decline of democracy in America, from election deniers to low voter turnout to social media’s amplification of misinformation. Democracy needs help if it’s to be sustained. That’s where we – and you – come in. When we cover politics, it isn’t the horse race that we cover – partisan bickering and empty analysis of what this or that event means for the fortunes of politicians. Rather, we cover democracy: what government is and how it happens, why it was set up that way, and what the effects are for individual people, groups and the nation as a whole. We believe our independent journalism helps provide you and your fellow citizens with the facts you need to understand and evaluate the politics around you – and it helps journalism rebuild its credibility. We can’t do this without you. Your contribution to our work is a direct contribution to the health of our democracy. There’s a reason the founders made a free press the only industry directly protected in the Constitution – they knew that the work of journalists was essential to the functioning of our republic. We depend on civic-minded individuals like you to do this work. Your monthly donation helps us produce more journalism and reach more readers. [Give $10 Monthly]( [Give $20 Monthly]( [Give Other Amount]( Of course, we also welcome your one-time donation of [$50](, [$100]( or [whatever you like](. You can also send a check to 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300, Waltham, MA 02451. We can also accept donations of stock – reply to this email for details. As we approach the midterm elections, many of us are becoming even more anxious about the health of our democracy. I hope you will join me in doing our small part to defend it. With gratitude, Naomi Schalit Senior Politics & Society Editor The Conversation U.S. [Naomi Schalit] [Forward]( You’re receiving this email as a newsletter subscriber or previous donor to The Conversation U.S. Clicking the Unsubscribe link will cancel your newsletter subscription. If you want us to stop asking you for money, [reply to this email](mailto:us.newsletter@theconversation.com) and we’ll do that. The Conversation U.S. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 USA [Unsubscribe](