July 3, 2020

How Persuasive and Persuadable Are You? A New Website Aims to Find Out.

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What better occasion than the Fourth of July, nominally about freedom and independence, to welcome the good news of a truly ambitious publication’s launch in the name of open debate, rigorous critical thinking, and human rights? The arrival of Persuasion is an inspiring addition to public dialogue at a time of heightened false equivalencies, hidden biases, unhidden biases, and the bullying and bigotry particularly pungent on the far right (but not limited to it). The new site aims to persuade. Whatever you think of its full list of core contributors, there are brilliant treasures, namely Sarah Haider, John McWhorter, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Jonathan Haidt, and Garry Kasparov. And the outstanding Maajid Nawaz gives a ringing early endorsement.

Haider is especially thoughtful at challenging ideas, institutions, fallacies, and pathologies that harm human rights. Read her. McWhorter is profoundly insightful as a linguist and cultural critic, with no aversion to hard debate. Persuasion hopes to avoid the trappings of mere point-scoring, and the decoys of the day, by engaging with bedrock questions about what can produce the most justice and equality.

Speaking of justice, David Frum, another Persuasion contributor, is long overdue for history’s judgment. Or did I miss his mea culpa for the harm he helped cause as George W. Bush’s speechwriter? Frum is long on criticism of Trump but short on accountability for Bush. Doesn’t it matter? I’d like to persuade at recharge@motherjones.com, if Frum is open to discussing it, but on balance, Persuasion deserves support for trying to change minds, including those of some of its contributors. The project’s pledge is inspiring. All manifestations of illiberalism, injustice, illogic, and inequality need contesting.

Here’s a challenge: Persuasion should offer to waive subscription fees for anyone who asks. Why not? If money shouldn’t be the sole obstacle for those who can’t afford it, how persuasive can the project be? Here’s rooting, but offer it? It’s worked before. Above all, let Kasparov know that his 1996 blunder against Vishy Anand is forgiven and forgotten. (How could you miss Qxg4? We all slip up, Garry. You are still king, capable of crushing even the great Hikaru and Fabiano.)

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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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