OK, admittedly not a one of us is surprised—over here or on this board—but there's something to be said about the meticulous documentation of the death of wonderful things. "Enjoyable" might not be it, but "necessary anyway" seems to come a bit closer.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Corn, The Nation
Subject: I've Never Done This Before
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:40:36 -0400
Dear Member of the Nation Community,
I've never written a fundraising letter--not counting the few notes I
sent my parents when I was in college. I'm a journalist. I write
articles and books--about politics, national security, and the world
around us. And I'm damn lucky; I get paid to do so by The Nation. But
the magazine has been hit by a fiscal crisis--one caused by the sort of
institutional Washington corruption I often cover--and I've been asked
by our publishing team to ask you for help. Please click below to pitch
in.
http://lyra.thenation.com/t/1307/537474/25/0/
Last week, Teresa Stack, The Nation's president, sent you a letter
explaining this crisis. To recap:
Postal regulators have accepted a scheme designed in part by lobbyists
for the Time Warner media conglomerate. In short, mailing costs for
mega-magazines like Time Warner's own Time, People and Sports Illustrated
will go up only slightly or decrease. But smaller publications like The
Nation will be hit by an enormous rate increase of *half a million
dollars a year*.
For The Nation, $500,000 a year is a lot of money. Believe me, I know.
I've been working at the magazine for over 20 years. The pay ain't
great. But there are few media outlets that allow their writers and
reporters the freedom to go beyond the headlines and take on the powers
that be--to ask inconvenient questions and pursue uncomfortable truths.
But starting July 15, 2007, The Nation will face this whopping postal
rate hike. Not to be melodramatic, this rate increase is a threat to
democratic discourse. Why should magazines that can afford high-powered
lobbyists receive preferential treatment? This rise in mailing costs
will make it harder for the magazine to deliver the investigative
reporting and independent-minded journalism upon which you depend. (Take
my word; I see the editors and publishing people in our New York office
freaking out about this postal rate hike and discussing possible
cutbacks.)
The magazine is fighting this corporate-driven, unfair and
anti-democratic increase as best it can. It has joined forces with
conservative publications in an attempt to beat back the rigged rate
structure. (Imagine Katrina vanden Heuvel and Rich Lowry, the editor of
National Review, working together!) But even if we "win"--which, I'm
told, is a long shot--The Nation will still face hundreds of thousands
of dollars in additional postage.
So I'm turning to you. I've never asked our readers for anything--except
the time it takes to read what I write for the magazine and its website.
But The Nation needs you to help us cover this shortfall, and it needs
that help now. Simply put, I'm asking you to send us money: whatever
contribution you can, as soon as you can. Click below:
http://lyra.thenation.com/t/1307/537474/25/0/
I'm not entirely comfortable writing to you as a fundraiser. Because
people like you have supported the magazine, I've been able to do the
work I enjoy for years. I appreciate that. Now I'm hoping you'll come
through in this time of need. Certainly, I'd rather be chasing kick-ass
stories than worrying about magazine budget cuts and writing pleading
letters. So please help us deal with this unfair rate hike, and I'll go
back to my day job.
http://lyra.thenation.com/t/1307/537474/25/0/
Sincerely,
David Corn, Washington Editor
The Nation
P.S. The magazine will soon invite you to participate in a special phone
conference to discuss this postal rate increase issue in more depth.
Please take the time to join fellow Nation readers, Nation editors and
writers, and special guest experts, and to learn more about the rate
hike and its impact on The Nation.
