September/October 2008 Issue

How to Fix It: Start With the CIA

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“Allowing the private sector to be so heavily involved in the intelligence business is counterproductive for several reasons. It fosters an atmosphere of cronyism and patronage that’s unhealthy in a functioning bureaucracy. Unbalanced reliance on contractors erodes institutional knowledge and quality. And there’s the ideological question of how much of our national security collection functions we believe it prudent to outsource. To whom are the contractors ultimately loyal—their government or their corporation? Our national security depends upon that loyalty.”

Read an extended interview with Valerie Plame Wilson about the Bush legacy here.

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Take the next step: Help us fight for the truth.

Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

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