2022: A year that was ... so much

Your year-end gift will be tripled and help us prepare for an eventful 2023 No images? [Click here]( [The Conversation U.S.]( Dear Reader, I can’t help but reflect on 2022 through the title of a quirky live album by satirist and mathematician Tom Lehrer called That Was The Year That Was from 1965. I wasn’t alive yet when it came out – and neither was The Conversation – but Lehrer’s sharp wit and commentary cut through the propaganda and spin of the day, taking on topics ranging from nuclear Armageddon to pollution to racism. I listened to the album through most of my youth and can still sing most songs from heart – and even bang out a few on the piano. Although we don’t have catchy tunes and rhymes, The Conversation also unpacks the full range of news, using research and accessible language to cut through the latest iterations of propaganda and spin – now so much more insidious and dark. We had a year that was overwhelmed with news. Our unique collaboration between scholars and journalists produced 2,204 stories that were read more than 200 million times. We were able to guide our readers through the historic context of the war in Ukraine, including producing an e-book on our best global work. We covered democracy, systemic racism, cryptocurrency, the climate crisis, COVID, RSV, inflation, supply chains, biodiversity, social media, genetics and much more. 2023 looks to be an important year for truth as well: - We will be releasing our first three books with Johns Hopkins University Press in May. - Our new investigative editor starts in January, as we launch a new unit to pair academics with journalists to pursue longer-form investigations. - We aim to start a new books and ideas section. - We’ll also be adding to our staff to allow us to get even more relevant and timely research out to the public, with tentative plans to expand our science, health and business desks in the first quarter of 2023. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on readers who can afford to support us to do so. Your donation allows so many others to read our articles for free, with no paywall or subscription fee. Right now, thanks to the generosity of Guy Kawasaki, tech entrepreneur and host of the “Remarkable People” podcast, your gift will be tripled. He will give a 2x match to the first $5,000 in contributions we receive this week. In other words, if we raise $5,000, we will bring in a total of $15,000. But first, we have to raise that $5,000. [Triple my gift]( I like to think Tom Lehrer would appreciate what we do. If you are a songwriter, we’d welcome your help putting our articles to music – but really, your financial support is the gift we need. Thank you for helping us close out This Year That Was. Beth Daley, General Manager and Executive Editor The Conversation U.S. How to donate: By credit card: [( By check: Mail to The Conversation U.S., 303 Wyman St., Suite 300, Waltham, MA 02451. With stock: Please write to priyanka@theconversation.com if you are considering a gift of stock or a gift from your IRA. The Conversation U.S. Inc. is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. All donations made are fully tax deductible, if you itemize. Our tax ID number is 46-0906774. The 2-for-1 match applies to the next $5,000 in donations committed by the end of the year – and that includes recurring donations for an entire year – or donations by check. [Donate to The Conversation]( [Share]( [Share]( [Forward]( You’re receiving this email as a previous donor or newsletter subscriber to The Conversation U.S. Clicking the Unsubscribe link will cancel your newsletter subscription. If you would like to not receive these emails, please [respond to this email](mailto:us-donations@theconversation.com) and ask us to take you off the list. You would, however, also miss our invites to donor events, impact reports and other exciting updates. The Conversation U.S. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 USA [Unsubscribe](