May 27, 2020

Good News About Fake News: Twitter Is Labeling Trump’s Lies

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Twitter added fact-check warnings yesterday to two Trump tweets for the first time in history, a major move to curb his spread of lies and conspiracy babble, which could be the most encouraging news all…week? The world’s largest ego and lyingest president is being brought to size or at least facing efforts to do so. But should we rejoice? Or keep pressing Jack Dorsey on why he hasn’t banned or suspended Trump for repeated violations of terms applied to everyone else who abuses, harasses, and threatens users? Listen to Dorsey weigh that question and tell me if you think he’s right at recharge@motherjones.com: Should Trump get a hall pass because he’s a powerful world figure whose lies we need to record regardless of violations? Take cheer where you can: Fact-check tags begin.

More Recharge boosts:

Birthday strength. Yesterday’s news was rounded out by the shared birthdays of Lauryn Hill and Miles Davis. Hill did what she’s cherished for: educated the world, this time by encouraging a graduating class with words of wisdom before her birthday. Boost yourself with her live recording of “Killing Me Softly” from ’96, “Redemption Song” from ’99, “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” from 2001, or “Ready or Not” from 2012.

Miles Davis’ birthday was celebrated just two days after the loss this week of Kind of Blue drummer Jimmy Cobb. Salute both with this timeless, replenishing recording of you know what.

Brushing up. Murals are popping up on boarded-up restaurants in Oakland and San Francisco in an organized effort to create canvases for artists. Check out Paint the Void’s Helice Wen.

Calling all kindness-doers: Remember the good landlord who canceled rent for three months and told tenants to keep the cash or spend it at local businesses? Here’s a pledge: Send your stories in this vein to recharge@motherjones.com and you’ll get a Mother Jones shout-out.

Start the presses. Newspapers are on financial life support, but a community turned up to keep one going: A librarian launched a weekly paper in Weare, New Hampshire, and when the librarian died and the library where it was printed closed, six residents stepped up to keep the paper humming. H/T to Recharge reader Dave Beard for the inspiring bite.

Spin the daily blog at motherjones.com/recharge, and make it shine at recharge@motherjones.com.

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

The upshot? Mother Jones does journalism you don’t find elsewhere: in-depth, time-intensive, ahead-of-the-curve reporting on underreported beats. We operate on razor-thin margins in an unfathomably hard news business, and can’t afford to come up short on these online goals. And given everything, reporting like ours is vital right now.

If you can afford to part with a few bucks, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones with a much-needed year-end donation. And please do it now, while you’re thinking about it—with fewer people paying attention to the news like you are, we need everyone with us to get there.

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