With just two weeks to go until the first debates of the 2020 election cycle, the race for the White House will soon begin in earnest. That's why I'm happy to formally announce the launch of our dedicated AlterNet 2020 special election reporting team.
We don't need to tell you how important the 2020 cycle will be. It’s not just our future as a liberal democracy on the line in the race against Donald Trump and his white nationalist cabal. With Congressional redistricting on the horizon, the outcomes of a handful of key battles for control of state governments may reverberate for years to come. And with two octogenarian justices on the Supreme Court, the struggle to control the Senate may be even more consequential.
AlterNet 2020 will cover the issues that really matter with the fierce independence that you've come to expect over the years. We won't regurgitate the same stale conventional wisdom and we aren't constrained by loyalty to any faction. You won't get a lot of focus on the horserace—just original reporting, sharp analysis and honest opinion from the left.
AlterNet readers' belief in this project has made it a reality, and we plan to deliver for you. Because of your donations, we’re also able to give you more than we originally promised. Here’s what subscribers will receive:
• A weekly podcast exclusively for subscribers, led by me, including AlterNet Managing Editor Elizabeth Preza. We’ll interview interesting personalities, writers, and other people we think you’ll enjoy hearing from.
• Early access to original reporting and opinion from DCReport@RawStory by David Cay Johnston, who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize. David covers the tax dodges of the rich and the machinations of Trump’s ongoing war on government. Read David Cay’s first big piece for us here: IRS abruptly stopped criminal investigation of Mar-a-Lago member accused of tax fraud months after Trump took office.
• Advance access to original reporting and opinion pieces by David Cay’s team at DCReport@RawStory.
Not yet a subscriber? Don't worry—you can still sign up here. AlterNet 2020 members receive all of AlterNet ad-free and we throw in Raw Story for free.
We’re glad you believe progressive journalism matters. The traditional media bear no small amount of culpability for the Trump era. In 2017, researchers at Harvard found that while mainstream coverage of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was largely negative, there was a key difference: the media consistently covered the issues Trump was running on—immigration, jobs and trade—and just as consistently focused on Hillary Clinton’s largely contrived scandals. Those kinds of shiny objects won't distract us from what's really important.
Thanks again for supporting AlterNet, and for sharing our work with your family, colleagues and friends. We make a difference because of you.
Sincerely,
Joshua Holland,
Editor, AlterNet 2020
