Dear John,

Congress finally managed to once again avert another shutdown this week, this time passing a stopgap bill that sets the stage for a bitter battle come January. And while many breathed a sigh of relief at this news, we’re keeping our eyes on the fine print—because what is and isn’t included in these kinds of continuing resolution deals has drastic consequences for women and families. 

Notably, the continuing resolution passed this week includes no funding for child care programs. We’ve already gone over the childcare cliff, as of October, when the COVID-era funding package that had been keeping childcare centers across the nation afloat expired—and there’s no relief in sight, thanks to unbudging Republicans. Without that funding, more than 3 million children could lose access to childcare, and 70,000 childcare programs could close, according to a report from the Century Foundation.

In moments like these, the importance of feminist reporting is more clear to me than ever—because women’s issues are more often than not the first to be overlooked or cut when it comes time to both federal budgets, and the newsrooms that report on them. Ms. has been covering these issues for over 50 years—and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. 

This week, we launched a new series of our Women & Democracy platform: Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation. Our shared grounding principle: Journalists can and must boldly, unequivocally center women’s lives and feminist perspectives. 

As we write in the series’ introduction: “Feminist journalism is essential to public discourse. It is essential to political debate. And it is absolutely essential to free and fair democracy.”

My colleague Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, who leads this initiative, writes: “The correlation between misogyny and authoritarianism is neither casual nor a coincidence. Gender is a go-to cudgel for regressive forces that seek to exert political and social control.” 
 
When Ms. launched its Women & Democracy platform two years ago, our goals were to examine the state of our nation’s systems of democracy and the centrality of women’s rights; to explore how feminist leadership makes a difference; and to advance reforms that would ensure more democratic outcomes. With this latest installment, we elevate a fourth and critical prong: to ensure that the media is doing its part, presenting perspectives that center gender and reflect the intersectional strategies and approaches that will serve to strengthen democracy, in the United States and globally.

Please explore the series, which includes written, audio and video content covering a wide range of topics, below. And don’t forget to check out our newest podcast, from Ms. Studios: Torn Apart, featuring Prof. Dorothy Roberts. Join Roberts as she investigates how the U.S. child welfare system dismantles Black families—and how we can build a better alternative. 

Onward,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on

Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

In Episode 1: “Terror," Roberts argues that the family policing system is designed to terrorize Black families. Child protective services equate poverty with neglect, using it as a justification to invade homes and threaten to take children away from majority low-income, Black families. 
 

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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