Program areas at Mother Jones
Program service accomplishment #1 Investigative ReportingThreats to Democracy:Mother Jones was the first national outlet to report on voter suppression regularly and deeply, exploring how the push for minority rule may be the greatest threat to our democracy. We are seeing critical stories playing out at the state and local level, where our team has built expertise. In Arizona, we reported on the slate of election deniers who nearly captured the states top offices, and on the regular citizens who worked tirelessly to stop them. In Georgia and Pennsylvania, we explored how voter intimidation and disinformation, and election denial shaped the midterms. And in Galveston County, Texas, we reported on how political operatives were working to ensure there would be no representation by people of (Continued on Schedule O)
Corruption:During this fiscal year, we devoted significant journalistic resources to exploring how shadowy wealth distorts public policy, most potently in our recent package How Private Equity Looted America. In it, we explored how private equity has become one of the most powerful hidden forces in our economy, touching nearly every sector of our lives, but is barely covered outside the business pages. We set out to change that, rallying the newsroom to produce a formidable online and print package of 15 stories, including in-depth features, first-person accounts, and a video investigating the fleecing of the American economy. The package galvanized activists, led to media appearances, and received an honorable mention from the Association of Business Journalists. (Continued on Schedule O)
Program service accomplishment #2 Fellowship ProgramSince 1980, Mother Jones has placed an emphasis on creating opportunities for aspiring journalists through the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program. While there are a number of general journalism and reporting internships available for students or recent college graduates, only Mother Jones puts such an emphasis on investigative reporting. Among the largest training programs in the independent media community, the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program gives aspiring journalists intensive training in what it takes to publish outstanding, independent journalism, to meet deadlines, and to work as part of a professional team. It is a rare opportunity for new journalists to work alongside some of the top reporters and journalists in the business, and to learn the inner workings of multimedia (Continued on Schedule O)