Monika Bauerlein

We'll keep this short. It takes a lot of things to do investigative journalism, but none of them are worth a damn without you, our readers. Your support is our biggest source of revenue—we're like public radio that way, only we can't hold your programming hostage until you pitch in. And yet many of you do pitch in, giving $5, $10, whatever you can. You understand that at a time when our political system seems dominated by behind-the-scenes dealmaking, we need independent reporting to keep democracy alive. And you understand that such muckraking never has paid for itself, and certainly doesn't now at a time of media and economic crisis. You, and a lot of frugal budgeting, kept us going through a year when other publications fired reporters left and right, or just shut down altogether. But the year is not over yet, and we haven't been able to quite close the shortfall left by the implosion of advertising and other commercial revenue. Your help will allow us to keep going in 2010—and we promise we'll put it to good use, especially in keeping tabs on those who got all of us into this mess to start with. It's easy—you can give any amount that works for you, in seconds, via credit card or PayPal. Thank you. 

And if you're not yet convinced that you, our readers, are amazing, consider this letter we got a few days ago. 

I'm sorry that I am only managing to donate $5, at this time. My Husband and I work for Ford, we build the Mustang.  We just returned from a 3 week layoff, it was to readjust inventory.  In 2 weeks we will be laid off again, in fact 14 weeks are scheduled for 2010. I wish Americans would buy American.  We're damn good workers, Our Car is quality built...our sweat and lives go into every vehicle.

I LOVE Your articles. I love that I can hear a truth. I owe You something, even if it's only $5....still, please forgive me that I'm not allowed to send more. I will when I can.  

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A few hours ago, the United Nations agency that is organizing the Copenhagen climate conference sent out a beleaguered-sounding email saying that the conference venue fits 15,000, but 34,000 people—delegates from around the world, journalists, NGO representatives—are trying to attend, so they're implementing a "quota system." Does that mean Al and Leo will have to wait in line?

For updates on that and many other pressing questions, bookmark the Blue Marble, MoJo's environmental blog, which will be covering the climate talks 24/7. Our Washington bureau chief, David Corn, is headed there as we write, as is blogger Kate Sheppard, and essayist Bill McKibben. And because climate change is the biggest story of our lifetimes, we've also joined forces with a group of other journalism shops, including the Nation, Grist, Treehugger, the Center for Investigative Reporting/Frontline World, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, and The Uptake—together, we have several dozen reporters on the ground, and we'll be using a nifty by-journalists-for-journalists technology called Publish2 to pull together all of their posts and stories. (Check the right-hand column of the Blue Marble for the feed, and also this page.)

Hey, if any group of people is harder to get to collaborate than politicians, it's probably journalists. If the latter can get over our myriad hangups and work together, maybe there's hope for the former. (P.S.—while you're thinking about it, why not put a picture of your kid--or your pet, favorite celebrity, or self—on our climate cover? It's a fun way to let your friends, or your representatives, know where you stand.)

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