In Hollywood, there's what's known as the "elevator pitch." You know,
your 50-word summation of why you (or your movie) is a must have/see.
Ours is 155 words, but still, good stuff:
Mother Jones is a nonprofit news organization that
specializes in investigative, political, and social justice reporting.
We currently have two main "platforms": an award-winning bimonthly
national magazine (circulation 240,000), and a website featuring new,
original reporting 24-7. (In the past we've had a radio show and TV
specials; theme parks are in the conceptual stage.) Why should you read
or support us? Because "smart, fearless journalism" keeps people
informed—"informed" being pretty much indispensable to a democracy that
actually works. Because we've been ahead of the curve time and again.
Because this is journalism not funded by or beholden to corporations.
Because we bust bullshit and get results. Because we're expanding our
investigative coverage while the rest of the media are contracting.
Because you can count on us to take no prisoners, cleave to no dogma,
and tell it like it is. Plus we're pretty damn fun.
Read our FAQ for the deets.
What's with the name?
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones
was a very cool woman who fought for the underdog and made herself up
to look way older than she was so that when she got beat down by
Pinkerton agents, she'd gain public sympathy. Brilliant! That said, it's
an odd name for a magazine. Our founders had originally wanted to call
it
New Dimensions (no comment), but when that name was taken,
they pegged their ID to the radical reformer who'd been dubbed "the most
dangerous woman in America." Too bad not many people actually know who
she was. Self-congratulatory consultants always offer that we should
rebrand, but that takes a lot of money, which we've decided to spend on
the actual journalism instead. Besides, you'll find that it grows on
you.
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Who owns Mother Jones?
You do. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the lion's share of our
revenue comes from subscriptions and donors, big and small. We couldn't
do it without you. We also take ads for both the magazine and the
website, which accounts for about a third of our income.
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Why are you a nonprofit?
Being a magazine that investigates everything, including
corporations, and takes a pass on celebrity fluff doesn't exactly scream
"ad friendly" or "giant profits." So the founders decided to diversify
the income stream. This way, we're not beholden to any conglomerate. And
since our donor pool is broad, we're not beholden to any person or
foundation, either.
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What's this Foundation for National Progress thing?
That is the name of the aforementioned umbrella organization that exists to publish and support
Mother Jones.
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Why should I give you money?
Reporting takes money. It's that simple. It doesn't matter if you
prefer your journalism on paper or via the Internet, it takes skilled
reporters to investigate corrupt politicians and corporations. If you
want us to help protect the public interest, it's in your interest to
support us.
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How can I give you money?
It's so easy!
Follow this link.
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Why should I subscribe when I can read you online?
Excellent question. We believe in the Internets, so we put all of our magazine content online. Still,
you should subscribe.
For one thing, the online experience still doesn't do justice to a long
read. Or great photography or illustration. But beyond that, the reason
is that if you like us, subscribing is the easiest, cheapest,
best-value way to support us. Not only do we get your $12 (that's the
introductory price, a 66 percent savings over newsstand), but the more
subscribers we have, the more companies pay to advertise with us, the
more foundations give us for special projects, and the more we can throw
our weight around…in the nicest, most democratic way. (If you want the
art and design, but want to skip the dead trees,
subscribe to the digital edition.)
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Who can I talk to about my subscription?
If you want to subscribe,
click here. If you're having trouble with an existing subscription,
click here or call here. (back to top)
You have coeditors?
Yes. Since 2006,
Mother Jones has been edited by
Clara Jeffery and
Monika Bauerlein. Think of them as the Sergey and Larry of nonprofit investigative journalism.
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How's that working?
Pretty damn well, if two
National Magazine Awards for General Excellence,
the praise of many media columnists, increases in print subscriptions,
the doubling of our Web traffic, and the launch of an eight-reporter DC
bureau is any indication. We're just saying.
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Wasn't Michael Moore an editor?
Yes, he was, for about three issues back in 1986. Michael and
MoJo famously parted ways–he sued, we settled, he took the money and used it to make
Roger and Me–long
before current management came on the scene. We wish Michael continued
luck and health and would love to buy him a beer, or a latte, the next
time he's in San Francisco.
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Why do you accept advertising?
Investigative reporting is expensive, and it helps pay the bills.
See our ad policy here.
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My brother says you're a lefty pinko rag. True?
Here's where we're coming from: We believe all people should have
equal opportunity in life, that all children should be able to go to
good schools, and that everyone should have health care. Call that what
you will–we're not insulted by being called left, liberal, progressive,
whatever. (We've noticed, though, that the people who resort to
name-calling are often just trying to distract the public from their own
misdeeds.) Political inclinations notwithstanding, we will cheerfully
investigate any people or entities of any political persuasion, right,
left, or center, if their behavior warrants it.
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My sister says you're an apologist for the DNC. True?
Nothing makes us crankier than lefties who are as close-minded and
unwilling to think things through as those whom they attack. Identity
politics is up there, too. 'Nuff said.
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Do you have an internship program?
Perhaps the best journalism internship in the country. Seriously.
Check it out here.
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Did I see one of your writers on the Colbert Report?
Yes! And
Hardball, and
Situation Room, and
Good Morning America, and
The Daily Show, and so on. A link to clip highlights is coming soon, along with goodies from radio and print.
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You've been online since when?
In 1993 we became the first general interest magazine to go online,
beating many of our competitors by close to a decade. That said, we
kinda let the site languish for many years. No more. When Clara and
Monika took the helm, they added an eight-person DC bureau that pumps
out stories 24-7, added established bloggers like
Kevin Drum, and redesigned the site to use Web 2.0 technology to its fullest potential.
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What's so special about your redesign?
For one thing, we decided to use
Drupal,
an open source framework, to power the site. That means that we're part
of a community of coders that believes in transparency and flexibility.
For another, we've introduced a custom commenting system that allows
readers to organize around the issues we report on. Read more about the
new site's bells and whistles here.
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Why won't you print the truth about 9/11?
We feel
we have. If you
can't accept it, please don't bother us.
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How come you started a Washington, DC, bureau?
We wanted to publish more journalism than a bimonthly magazine could
possibly hold. We like the ability to combine the substance of good
reporting with the speed and networks of the Internet. And we felt that
the cuts that have been decimating newsrooms across the country are
dangerous to the public interest. So with the support of people like
you, we decided to buck the trend and hire reporters–eight of them,
including DC bureau chief
David Corn.
Together they have launched investigations that have populated the
magazine and the site, including many that have made headlines across
the country and even across the world.
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Do you publish poetry?
No. We like it, but we don't publish it.
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Is Kevin Drum based in DC?
No. Though Kevin blogs about politics (and cats), he is actually
based in Orange County. Which of course has its own wacky brand of
politics, which he also blogs about.
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Why are there so many people on your staff named Kevin?
Odd, isn't it?
According to Kevin Drum, the average American knows only two Kevins. And likes only 25 percent of the Kevins they do know. Hmm.
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What's with the MoJo baby boom?
Another statistical anomaly. Of late, no fewer than eight staffers
(out of about fifty) have become parents, including both of our
coeditors. Okay, maybe it's just the demographics of the place, but for a
while there, we were worried about the water.
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Got any jobs?
Sometimes.
Check here. (back to top)
Will you publish me?
We've got to be honest. If you aren't a professional journalist with a
track record of national-caliber publications, your chances are slim.
Read our writers' guidelines here.
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Will you investigate _______?
We seriously welcome tips on stories of national importance (so, not
that your neighbor is a jerk). If you feel you have some information
that bears further investigation, please
contact us here.
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Why are you in San Francisco?
That's where the folks who founded the magazine happened to be at the time. Though
Rolling Stone
left for New York (leaving us a very nice conference table, btw,
complete with knife marks purportedly inflicted by Hunter S. Thompson), a
lot of good publications are here fighting that Manhattan hegemony.
Wired,
Salon, and
Dwell are all Bay Area pubs. We do, however, have a bureau in Washington, DC.
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Are you a union shop?
Because
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones
was a labor leader, sometimes people mistakenly think that we are
devoted to labor issues. We cover them, and a lot more. As for our own
shop, about half of our employees are represented by the UAW Local 2103.
Why are editors and so forth represented by the UAW? Employees decided
to throw their lot in with the union they considered to be the most
powerful at the time. Those were the days.
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Did you win a National Magazine Award?
We've won six, and been nominated for many more, but our most recent coup was winning the 2010
National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
That's sort of like winning Best Picture. We won that award in 2008
too. We've also won Webbies and John Bartlow Martins and whole bunches
of other awards.
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Why don't you make endorsements?
As a
501(c)(3) nonprofit
we're forbidden by law to do so. But, also, we're not a magazine that
chiefly publishes opinion. We're about reporting. If we endorsed
candidates we might be loath to then investigate them. We want to keep
our options open.
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So what's your value system then?
Principally we're about good journalism, following a story no matter
where it takes us. We are interested in protecting the little guy and
uncovering injustice. We also believe in good storytelling and coverage
that surprises. We have no interest in preaching to a choir.
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