Urgent Need To Support Independent Journalism
The free press is under attack from multiple forces. Media outlets are closing their doors, victims to a broken business model. In much of the world, journalism is morphing into propaganda, as governments dictate what can and can’t be printed. In the last year alone, hundreds of reporters have been killed or imprisoned for doing their jobs. The UN reports that 85% of the world’s population experienced a decline in press freedom in their country in recent years.
This week marks the 30th annual World Press Freedom Day, a day for everyone to reflect on the importance of free expression as fundamental for all other rights. It is also an opportunity to pledge support for independent media – because without a robust and free press, a healthy democracy is impossible.
As you’re joining us today from Liberia, we hope you will consider marking this day by supporting the Guardian. Despite the financial challenges plaguing the media industry, we’ve decided to keep our journalism paywall-free, because we deeply believe everyone has the right to access high-quality, fact-checked reporting. And we maintain our independence thanks to generosity from readers all over the world, who understand that supporting the free press is an investment in an informed and empowered public.
Unlike many others, we have no billionaire owner – this helps us maintain the freedom to fearlessly chase the truth and report it with integrity. Your support will allow us to continue to work with trademark determination and passion to bring you journalism that’s always free from commercial or political interference.
We also encourage you to support one of the many, smaller independent news organizations around the world. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with teams who are often publishing quality reporting in the face of great adversity. We have shared our expertise with them, helping to start and grow their own reader funding models. If this interests you, find out more about our work with outlets in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary and beyond.
Today we ask you to power Guardian reporting for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just $2. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism.
Thank you.