Mother Jones is joining forces with The Center for Investigative Reporting [Mother Jones]( MoJo Reader, Most of the news about the journalism business right now is grim. Just this year, the United States has [lost]( more than 2,600 journalism jobs, and more than 20,000 media jobs altogether; since the Great Recession in 2008, newsrooms have shrunk by at least half. Itâs no coincidence that during this same time, disinformation and propaganda have come to dominate our politics, to the point where next yearâs presidential electionâ¦well, honestly, we donât need to tell you whatâs at stake. So itâs pretty urgent that we get some good news about holding the powerful and corrupt accountable. Today, we have some, and we wanted to be sure our community of readers hears it first: Mother Jones is growing! We are joining forces with another storied nonprofit, The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), to become a stronger and more impactful newsroom that can deliver great, in-depth reporting on more platforms to millions more people. You may well have encountered CIR through their terrific investigative radio show and podcast, Reveal, which is heard on 520 public radio stations nationwide. If you havenât, youâre in for a treatâand for a sample, may we recommend the [recent investigation]( our two newsrooms released together, where Mother Jones reporter Julia Lurie exposed how for-profit hospitals turn foster kids into cash cows. Being able to not only read what she found, but directly hear the former foster kids who bravely spoke up about these abuses, is incredibly compelling. The work that MoJo and CIR produce is somewhat different but highly complementaryâthey do radio and podcasting; we are great at digital and print publishing and social media. They do documentary films that appear on Netflix; we tell video stories on TikTok and Instagram. But we share the most important thing: our mission to do deep, investigative, and revelatory journalism that reaches audiences everywhere in the country, in every age and demographic group, so that those who abuse their power canât get away with it. And letâs be clear: Neither Mother Jones nor Reveal is going away. Weâre getting stronger. Weâll continue to publish Mother Jones magazine and its website and social channels that together reach up to 8 million each month. Weâll keep producing Reveal, which is heard by more than 1 million people each week over the air, and via nearly 1 million podcast downloads each month. These two great brands complement each other; by putting them together, we can do more reporting, with less overhead. And thatâs critical right now. The digital revolution has forever changed how news is created, delivered, and paid for, and investigative journalism is at greatest risk. The few commercial news organizations that can still afford to produce this kind of in-depth, investigative reporting are increasingly turning to paywalls to make ends meetâan important business model, but one that makes the news harder to access for many people. Meanwhile, disinformation is plentiful and free. Combined, Mother Jones and Reveal directly reach a monthly audience of 10 million, and millions more through partnerships around the country. Our goal is to keep growing that number, and especially to reach audiences who have not always been served by the nationâs traditional media. Young people, communities of color, and lower-income people have often not been well served by the news business. Because weâre a nonprofit, accountable to our readers and supporters and not to corporate owners or advertisers, we can put public service front and center. So what does this mean in practice? We will merge our two newsrooms into one, which can then put out great journalism through multiple platforms. Mother Jones magazine stays Mother Jones magazine, and the Reveal podcast and radio show remain Reveal. We also hope to build on Mother Jonesâ video capability and CIRâs track record of making powerful television and documentaries (their most recent one, [Victim/Suspect](, about how police often bully rape victims into retracting their charges, was the most watched documentary on Netflix when it launched last spring). Our expansive web and social media presence will bring it all to people no matter where they get their news. Bottom line: We will continue doing journalism that you canât find anywhere elseâdeep dives and investigations that are all too rare in todayâs media landscape; coverage of underreported beats and overlooked stories; sharing unique perspectives and compelling voices that add something to the dayâs news. But weâre not just strengthening our own work. Journalism everywhere is in crisis, especially as local news is collapsing, and a key part of our mission is to help other newsrooms build capacity for investigative reporting that can make a big impact. We will partner with local news organizations to help important stories get told, and share their work with a bigger audience. It wonât be easyânothing is in journalism! Over the last several months we have been poring over the numbers and working hard to raise the additional funds needed to make this transformation a reality. A lot of people and foundations stepped up, which gives us immense hope. And just like our journalistic strengths complement each other so well, so do our revenue models: With Mother Jonesâ 50,000 donors and CIRâs long-standing support from foundations, it leads to more resilient and diverse funding. Itâs still going to be hard as hell to make it all work. But we are so excited, so grateful, so encouraged, and so ready to join forces with CIR, and with you, to strengthen journalism and democracy at this immensely consequential moment. There will be much to keep you updated on as we go, but we wanted to be sure you heard the big news from us first. You can read more in our [full post](, where you can also [drop us a line]( with your thoughts, questions, or whateverâs on your mindâbecause none of this works without an engaged and awesome community of readers and listeners. Thanks for reading, and for everything you do to make Mother Jones what it isâand what itâs becoming! Onward,
Monika Bauerlein, CEO
Clara Jeffery, Editor in Chief P.S. Help us celebrate the awesome news and kick-start a new chapter in journalism that isnât dependent on shareholders or quarterly profits, but instead a community of supporters like you. Support Mother Jones and our new combined organization on the horizon with a [much-needed year-end donation today](. [Donate]( [Mother Jones]( [Donate](
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