October 29, 2020

A Quick Note About GDP

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I’ve been out all day with a mystery illness, but now I’m back. I think. I won’t know for sure until morning.

Just in case I’m not, a quick note: We’ll be getting the 3rd quarter GDP estimate on Thursday morning. Since GDP dropped something like 30 points last quarter, it’s inevitable that it will rebound by 20 points or more this quarter. Donald Trump is sure to call this the “biggest GDP gain in history” or some such, but obviously it’s no more meaningful than last quarter’s decline. Both are artificial results of government shutdowns and tell us nothing about the underlying economy. At this point, GDP growth isn’t much more than a measure of how much of the economy has been allowed to reopen.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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