October 27, 2009

Fraudulent H1N1 Products

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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The FDA has published a list of fake swine flu remedies. Highlights include:

  • Flu Away, an “inhaler containing eucalyptus and tea tree oils”
  • Nozin, a “nasal sanitizer”
  • Extreme Immunity, a supplement containing “100 percent pure Immunolin”
  • TCM Help Me, a “flu prevention tea”
  • Silver Shampoo, for which no description is given. Let your imagination run wild.

Seems like some of these products have been taken off the market since the FDA posted its warning, but the Internet still abounds with dubious H1N1 remedies of all kinds.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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