For the past couple of years I have posted a blog fundraiser every six months -- in April and October. This practice began prior to my moving to Salon when the purpose was to find a viable way to be able to blog full-time. Support from readers was very generous and is what enabled me to devote myself full-time to writing.
Now, the principal purpose of fund-raising is to expand the scope of what I am able to work on and how I am able to work. From the fund-raising post I wrote last April, I was able to hire a part-time research assistant, Vincent Rossemeier, who is a journalism student at NYU. Having someone to help with research, arrange interviews, and generally find material to use has really enhanced my ability to work on many matters at once, and I would like to continue to work with him and increase the amount of time he spends working with me.
I also believe there are still many unexplored ways to increase the impact which blogs generally and this blog specifically can have, such as by producing videos of the type we produced in connection with Gen. Petraeus' testimony that build on the blogging I do here, as well as finding new ways to connect what I write here to activism on the part of blog readers. While it can be overstated, I think the primary impact and benefit of blogs is to force viewpoints and arguments into mainstream political discourse which are otherwise excluded. There are many ways to improve and accelerate that process, and having those activities funded enables them to be far more effective.
And finally, it is still unfortunately the case that given the amount of time, effort and energy required for full-time blogging -- on the level where blogging can be most effective -- even those such as myself who have been able to find a way to do so for a living remain underpaid. Fundraising from readers who want to support the work a blogger does remains an important mechanism for ensuring that full-time and independent blogging remains a viable option.
For anyone inclined to help fund the work that is done here, you can use Paypal to do so, with this button:
Paypal will indicate that the donation is payable to "Unclaimed Territory," the name of the blog. For those who prefer to use regular mail, you can email me (GGreenwald@salon.com) and I will send the address to use.
There are a lot of ways readers contribute here, including making the comment section a vibrant source of discussion and ideas, as well as frequent e-mail suggestions. And while I am not always able to answer each one, I do read and appreciate all e-mails that readers here send. One of the principal advantages that bloggers have over establishment journalists and pundits is the collaborative relationship that bloggers have with their readers. The resources available to bloggers are still a tiny fraction of what establishment journalists have at their disposal and, for that reason, a blogger's readership remains the real source of the ability of a blogger to have an impact.
Shares