ConsortiumNews.com Update

From Robert Parry

Sometimes I say there are two kinds of people in the world, those who read Consortiumnews.com and those who don't, with one group somewhat bigger than the other.

Though meant as a joke, there is some truth to the point that people who read this Web site get a unique journalistic view of recent history and what's happening in the world today.

Many people also read our original work at "aggregating" sites that pull together stories from around the Internet. However, without the support of our readers, the stories from Ray McGovern and other of our writers would not exist for these other sites to "aggregate." [Five ways that you can help Consortiumnews.com.]

Just in the first two weeks of July, look at a sampling of the original stories produced by Consortiumnews.com.

There was the three-part series by former CIA analyst Melvin A. Goodman examining the clout of the U.S. military-industrial complex: "What Eisenhower Could Teach Obama"; "The Military-Industrial Complex's Win"; and "Obama's Bungled Military Strategies."

There was historian Lisa Pease's insightful article about how a pioneer of commercial electricity recognized the danger of fossil fuels, "Nikola Tesla's Renewable Energy Vision."

Journalist Dennis Bernstein has reported on a range of issues, from fatal shootings along the U.S.-Mexico border to the real-life damage that BP's oil spill has inflicted on people along the Gulf coast.

And I have contributed stories, too, including "Rethinking Iran-Contra"; "America's First Spymaster"; and "Neocons, Likud Conquer DC, Again."

This work can only continue with your help, but we understand how hard the recession has hit many people. So we are suggesting five different ways for readers to show their support while spending what they can afford.

First option: You can make a donation. You can do so either by credit card at the Web site or by check - to Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ); Suite 102-231; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Arlington VA 22201. Or you can use PayPal (our account is named after our e-mail address "consortnew@aol.com").

(Our parent organization, Consortium for Independent Journalism, is a 501-c-3 non-profit, so your contributions can be tax-deductible.)

Second, if you'd rather spread out your support in smaller amounts, you can sign up for a monthly donation. With contributions of $10 or more a month, you can qualify for war correspondent Don North's new DVD, "Yesterday's Enemies" about the lives of former Salvadoran guerrillas. For details, click here.

Third, you can take advantage of our deep discount for the three-book set of Robert Parry's Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege, and Neck Deep (co-authored with Sam and Nat Parry). The price for the set is only $29. Our goal is to sell at least 500 more sets to make way for a new book. For details, click here.

Fourth, you can order an entire box of Neck Deep for use in your own fundraiser. For only $110 (postage included), you can get either a box of 22 hard-cover copies or 28 paperback copies. That's $5 or less per book, so it can be resold for profit or used as a thank-you gift.

What makes Neck Deep especially timely is that it examines how the United States blundered into the Bush-43 presidency, just as the nation appears ready to hand the Congress back to his followers.

To take this option, just make a donation for $110, followed up by an e-mail to consortnew@aol.com giving your choice (hard-cover or paperback) and your mailing address. Or send a check to The Media Consortium; Suite 102-231; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Arlington VA 22201. (For non-U.S. orders, add $50 for extra postage.)

Fifth, you can schedule a joint speech by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and journalist Robert Parry. The suggested fees - $2,000 for community groups, $5,000 for colleges and larger non-profits, and $10,000 for those who can afford it - go entirely to keeping Consortiumnews.com alive.

Whether Consortiumnews.com can continue as a voice for reason and reality - at a time that desperately needs both - depends entirely on you.

Thanks for your support.
Robert Parry, Editor

Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet's first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality of the mainstream U.S. news media.