It's time to hear women

MoJo Reader: We didn't plan to send this email, but while watching the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process turn into a revelatory struggle over power, gender, and sexual assault, we realized it's a moment to honor our commitment to break free from "[the view from nowhere](" that we wrote to you about earlier this week. Twenty-seven years ago we were both in our early 20s when we sat riveted to our televisions along with much of the rest of the nation—especially its women—as the white men on the Senate Judiciary Committee made a spectacle of humiliating an African American woman. Anita Hill had been brave enough to step up and share her experience of something virtually every woman has encountered, and her testimony was a transformational moment for many of us. No longer were we alone with our memories of being groped, slapped, or worse. No longer would we be silent. Some ran for office, and won, in the "Year of the Woman" that followed. Some launched organizations, confronted bosses or relatives, or just vowed not to be silent when the next harasser showed up. A quarter century later, the Senate Judiciary Committee is still predominantly white and male, and so are many other top positions in corporate America and the media. But not all. For a decade now, Mother Jones has been among the few news organizations run by women, and that makes a difference. It's still a fight—when we stepped into leadership, commentators snarked about "catfights and hair-pulling." (When was the last time you heard that about Sergey Brin and Larry Page at Google?) But it's all worthwhile because we have a chance to change the old patterns of how stories like the Kavanaugh allegations are reported. For example, right when the allegations first surfaced, our senior reporter Stephanie Mencimer [dug deep into the writings of Kavanaugh's friend and classmate]( Mark Judge, where she found accounts of nonstop near-blackout drinking in high school and very thinly veiled references to the participation of one "Bart O'Kavanaugh." A day later, Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo tweeted that "I started reading one of Mark Judge's books about his life to see what I'd find. Mencimer's already read all of them." A forthcoming book about women leading newsrooms by Arizona State University professors Kristin Gilger and Julia Wallace notes that female leadership shapes the emphasis in news coverage (and makes a big difference for working conditions). The authors used Mother Jones as one of their case studies, and we know you, our readers, zero in on this difference too. The other day, a listener to the new Mother Jones Podcast (if you haven't checked it out, you're really missing out!) noted how refreshing it was to hear young female journalists "doing great reporting instead of being seat fillers on cable news." That's high praise for our host, Jamilah King, and the reporter she interviewed, Pema Levy. Representation in media seems especially relevant today, because as we [wrote]( earlier this week, for too long journalists have been told to hide who they are and what values they hold dear. They're not allowed to display a moral compass, a sense of right and wrong—it's all about he-said-she-said reporting. And that, in the end, cheapens public debate and lets the loudest (but not most truthful) voices win. That's what we're thinking a lot about right now at Mother Jones: This is a moment that's all about people speaking up about what they've had to keep quiet for too long. It's about getting the truth out and standing up to bullies who want to silence it. And it's about making sure those voices are heard widely—no matter how hard the pushback. (When Trump tweeted this morning that Christine Blasey Ford must basically be lying because she didn't report an assault as a 15-year-old, it was a gut punch to all of us—and the viral hashtag [#WhyIDidntReport gave voice to the stories]( each of us has.) That's why we're asking readers like you to consider committing to becoming Mother Jones sustainers during our fall pledge drive. Sustained, ongoing support—no matter the amount—is what has allowed Mother Jones to push harder than more conventional (and often male-led) news organizations. It's what allows reporters like Stephanie, Jamilah, and Pema to keep digging. And it's what (to put in just one last plug for one of the fierce young women on the team) allows even our fellows to work on breakthrough reporting—like [this powerful piece]( from Sabrina Sanchez about what it was like to finally feel seen on TV. You can read more in "[It's Time for Journalism to Stand for Something](," but as you think about the journalism our democracy needs and what it's going to take to keep it going, I hope Mother Jones makes the cut and that you'll support us with a [tax-deductible monthly]( or [one-time donation](. Thanks for reading, Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-Chief Monika Bauerlein, CEO Mother Jones [DONATE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent to {EMAIL}. 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