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From: Bill Lueders, The Progressive
Subject: Covering the Crisis
April 16, 2020
Dear Fellow Progressives,
Since mid-March, The Progressive has published more than 80 articles that in one way or another relate to the coronavirus pandemic—an extraordinary output for a small operation like ours.
We have run original reporting on the shortages of critical equipment and supplies, the threat to persons who are incarcerated or in immigrant detention, the impact on schools, the political implications, and even a piece that looked at whether Trump might be held civilly or criminally liable for the deaths and suffering made worse by his incompetence.
Many of the stories in our most recent issue were updated in the final days before publication to reflect rapidly changing realities. Now we are busily preparing for our next issue, which will come out in early June.
It’s been a crazy time for us, one in which we have all worked long hours from home, driven by a sense that what we do is important, and can make a positive difference to our readers, our writers, and the people whose stories we tell.
Working at The Progressive has always involved a sense of mission. It’s hard to stand on the shoulders of the many hundreds of people who have kept this magazine alive and kicking through its first 111 years, and not feel tied to that history, even a bit obligated.
This is a time of unparalleled challenges for us. We have incurred new costs even as we still bear the burden of old debts. As we run more stories, we are paying out more to writers, which our 2020 budget did not anticipate. Like most Americans, we have yet to receive any promised relief from the federal government.
And so I am asking you to consider making even a small contribution to The Progressive in this time of heightened need. We promise you that we will put it to the best of use—to help keep us going, and vibrant.
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