Revolution Reporters Fund

At a moment when much of humanity finds itself in a living hell, when the horror of the U.S. occupation of Iraq threatens to escalate into a war against Iran, and when the future of the planet itself is threatened, Revolution newspaper must be out there much more boldly and much more broadly —exposing what is going on, revealing why, and pointing to a revolutionary solution in the interests of the vast majority of humanity.

Revolution has taken our readers to Atenco and Oaxaca in Mexico. We took you there through the eyes and ears of young reporters who lived with, learned from, and wrote about the people and the seismic struggles in Mexico in articles like The Changing Landscape of the Mixteca, and Reporter’s Notebook from Atenco, Mexico: Real Women Have Machetes. Our readers have traveled with us to New Orleans and, through correspondence from young reporters who joined in efforts to fix up homes and schools in the wake of the devastation of Katrina, experienced the anger, determination, and creativity of the people left to cope by willful and cruel neglect of the government.

Correspondent Sunsara Taylor plunged into the disturbing and surreal rallies of the Christian Fascist youth movement Battle Cry and galvanized readers with her firsthand reports in the pages of Revolution. L.A. radio host and Revolution correspondent Michael Slate took our readers to the townships of South Africa during the 1980s; to South Central, Los Angeles following the 1992 L.A. Rebellion; to the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico; and, in 2005, to the tsunami-struck coast of Sri Lanka.

In 2007, correspondent Alice Woodward traveled to Jena, Louisiana, writing about the battle to Free the Jena 6 – six Black high school students facing decades in jail in the aftermath of lynching nooses being hung from a tree in the yard of Jena High School. This whole case has been a glaring example of white supremacy, violently imposed on Black youth, and Black people generally, from the nooses, to the beatings and gunplay, down to the government itself putting these youth on trial, and then trying to sentence these youth to prison for decades. This whole thing is one more reminder of why we need a revolution. And now that people have dared to resist this, it must be supported and spread, as part of building a revolutionary movement.^*

With an enhanced budget for travel expenses and correspondent stipends, as well as more reporters on staff, we can extend our ability to do this kind of reporting. We need money to dispatch reporters and correspondents to the hot zones and battle lines of the world without having to put every project on hold while we raise money in advance: to New Orleans after Katrina, to the packing houses being raided by immigration agents, to scientific conferences, concerts and art galleries, and to meet and interview major figures in every field.

Your contribution will make possible:

In addition to the 2 reporters currently on staff,

$67,300 for 2 additional reporters. Two more of our dedicated correspondents can be full time reporters (freed up from the need to work “day jobs” they can devote all their energies to strengthening the content of the paper our readers expect and appreciate – keeping up with quickly developing events, traveling to hot spots, and improving in-depth analysis).

$14,000+ for a Travel Fund. This minimum “no frills” fund will enable our staff reporters and correspondents to cover the stories that need to be told wherever they happen.

Total expansion costs: $81,300

*****

“It would mean something for the rest of the country and the world to know how racism still exists and how people that’s in politics and certain divisions still use their power to do the less fortunate wrong. It’s a real contribution for ya’ll to get the story out and let people who live in other parts of America know what still exists.”

—Marcus Jones, father of Mychal Bell—a Black high school student in Jena, Louisiana who is facing decades in jail for a schoolyard fight that took place in the aftermath of the hanging of lynching nooses from a tree in front of the school

“Revolution is a important independent media news source for us at Project Censored. I find the stories generally truthful, well-documented, fully sourced. Revolution makes a significant contribution to covering news stories the corporate media in the U.S. fails to report.”

—Peter Phillips, Professor of Sociology, Sonoma State University and Director, Project Censored

“Though it may be difficult—even for the most left-leaning liberal—to agree with the paper’s staunch positions, it is a rousing read. Highlights of the March 18 [2007] issue include an article explaining the U.S. imperialist strategy for mounting a war against Iran.”

—Utne Reader

* In addition to an ongoing reporters fund, there will continue to be a need for special fundraising initiatives to cover specific stories. Contributions to fund Alice Woodward’s coverage of the struggle to Free the Jena Six can be made to a tax deductible fund. For more information, contact RCP Publications. [back]

Please make check or money order payable to "RCP Publications” and mail to: RCP Publications, Box 3486 Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 60654, or donate online at revcom.us

Revolution newspaper is published by RCP Publications. RCP Publications is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. All monies from sales of Revolution, and funds raised for Revolution go to the operating and expansion costs of Revolution newspaper.

RCP Publications does not have IRS 501(c)(3) tax status and donations to RCP Publications are not tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes.

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