The Consortium News web site was the first internet site I ever accessed, back in January 1996. I had been closely following its creator Robert Parry's journalistic work since the late 1980's when he broke the Contra-drug story in Associated Press. In the early 1990's I enjoyed reading his book "Fooling America" and then in early 1996 I had him as a guest in my radio show "Don't Get Me Started", on WGDR FM, a community radio station in Vermont.

CARMELO


http://www.consortiumnews.com

Why We Deserve Your Support!

By Robert Parry
October 15, 2008

We deserve your support because we have consistently stood up to those who engage in wrongdoing whether our work is popular or not. We challenged George W. Bush when his approval was around 90 percent; we didn’t wait for it to fall into the 20s.

Similarly, in early September when much of the national news media was entranced by the celebrity of Sarah Palin, we zeroed in on her abuse of power in Alaska and on her lies about her record. (For details, see our new archive, “The Sarah Palin Chronicles.”)

Indeed, since Consortiumnews.com was founded 13 years ago, we have never operated with our finger to the wind. We always have followed the reporting where it leads, and we do our best to present what we discover in concise, easy-to-read stories.

And we need your support because the next several years will be crucial for the survival of the American Republic.

If John McCain wins on Nov. 4, he can be expected to name more right-wing Supreme Court justices who will set about redefining the Constitution to fulfill the Bush-Cheney vision of an all-powerful President who can override individual liberties.

If Barack Obama wins, he will surely confront a fierce counterattack from the powerful right-wing media/political apparatus, the same one that earned its spurs by harassing Bill Clinton throughout his eight years in office.

Either way, I believe our voice will be important in demanding that the truth be told and that fairness be part of the process.

So, please help as much as you can. Our fall fundraising goal is a modest $15,000, essentially a barebones target because we understand that everyone’s going through difficult times right now.

You can make a secure, tax-deductible contribution by credit card at the Consortiumnews.com Web site or by sending a check to:

Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
Suite 102-231
2200 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201

(For readers wanting to use PayPal, you can address contributions to our account, which is named "consortnew@aol.com.")

With donations of $100, you can get an autographed gift copy of our latest book, Neck Deep, which describes the manipulations of Election 2000 and Election 2004. Or you can ask us to substitute an earlier book, Secrecy & Privilege, which tells the little-known history of "October Surprise" tactics used by Republicans in 1968, 1980 and 1992.

Thank you for your support.

Robert Parry, Editor

Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet's first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality of the mainstream U.S. news media.