Sunday, April 05, 2015

The Evolution of Consortium News


From Editor Robert Parry: Frankly, the evolution of Consortiumnews.com has surprised me. Twenty years ago, the idea was to provide a home for independent investigative journalism that was getting squeezed out of the mainstream U.S. news media. We have done that, but we have done much more.

We are now a home for a diverse group of writers with deep experience on a wide range of topics: people such as retired U.S. diplomat William R. Polk who served as a front-line foreign policy adviser to President John F. Kennedy; retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern who went from briefing senior U.S. officials to battling the war fevers that frequently grip Official Washington; and retired Army JAG Major Todd E. Pierce who served as a defense counsel in the U.S. Military Commissions and explains how the actions of recent U.S. governments have deviated from constitutional principles.

We have other writers, too, with extraordinary specialties: Paul R. Grenier addresses political-philosophical issues; James DiEugenio delves into what some call the American “deep state”; and Daniel Lazare explores the intricacies of Middle East terrorism. And there are many more very talented writers who publish their work at our Web site.

Thus, Consortiumnews.com provides a unique insight into the complex challenges that endanger the future of the American Republic and the world. We do all this on a shoestring budget, with no billionaire sugar daddy who sets the boundaries on what we can write. We rely on the generosity of our readers to protect our independence. And we conduct only a few special fundraisers a year.

We are now in our spring fund drive, trying to raise $35,000. And for those of you who can donate $150 or more we are offering a special thank-you gift: the DVD of the recent movie, “Kill the Messenger,” recalling the mainstream media’s betrayal of the late investigative reporter Gary Webb who was punished for his work exposing the Contra-cocaine scandal – plus a CD of Webb and me discussing the topic before a crowd in Santa Monica, California, in 1996. (If you can’t afford the $150, we’ll send you the CD for whatever you can give.)

To donate to our tax-exempt non-profit, you can use a credit card online (we accept Visa, Mastercard or Discover) or you can mail a check to Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ); 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201. For readers wanting to use PayPal, you can address contributions to our account, which is named after our e-mail address: “consortnew @ aol.com”. (Since we are a 501-c-3 non-profit, donations by American taxpayers may be tax-deductible.)

If you wish to get one of the thank-you gifts, just follow up your donation with an email to us at consortnew@aol.com with instructions on where to mail it. We’ll pay the shipping charges.

–Another way to help Consortiumnews survive is to buy my three-book trilogy on the Bush dynasty – Secrecy & Privilege, Neck Deep and America’s Stolen Narrative – for the discount price of only $34, less than half the cover price. Just go to Consortiumnews.com’s “Donate” button and make a $34 “donation” using Visa, Mastercard or Discover. We will read a “donation” of that amount as an order for the trilogy. If your mailing address is the same as your credit card billing address, we will ship the books to that address. If your mailing address is different, just send us an e-mail at consortnew@aol.com and we will make the adjustment.

You can also take advantage of this trilogy offer by mailing a check for $34 to The Media Consortium; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201. Or you can use our PayPal account, “consortnew @ aol.com.” Just make sure you include your mailing address in the message. (A portion of each sale will go to support our investigative journalism.)

For U.S. orders of the trilogy, we will pay for the shipping. (Regrettably, this three-book offer can only be made for the United States because of increased international postal rates.)

–Another contribution option is to donate stock or other equities, which can offer a tax advantage to you if the stock has appreciated in value. If this stock-donation option appeals to you, I suggest you discuss it with your broker and then contact me at consortnew@aol.com for specific instructions on how to transfer the stock.

Again, thanks for your support and for making our nearly two decades of honest journalism possible.

Robert Parry is a longtime investigative reporter who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for the Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 to create an outlet for well-reported journalism that was being squeezed out of an increasingly trivialized U.S. news media.

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