I’m David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect. I rarely write fundraising emails, but today’s situation demands it. Our independent journalism is more vital – and more threatened – than ever before.

Let me be direct: We’re currently $40,000 short of our $75,000 year-end goal, with just two weeks left. The timing couldn’t be more critical. Can you make a donation to protect independent media today?

If you’ve read my reporting, you know I don’t deal in hyperbole. My staff and I analyze power, who has it, and what they are doing with it. So, believe me when I say that Trump has laid out an explicit plan to attack independent media in his second term. He’s not hiding it. He’s bragging about it. Just in the last few days, he has sued The Des Moines Register over simply publishing a poll that he didn’t like. ABC News crumpled and settled a frivolous defamation case for $15 million. Trust me, this will not be the last time Trump uses his power to try to intimidate and silence the press.

What’s more, as my colleague Bob Kuttner has written, Trump is gearing up to weaponize the IRS to punish his enemies and silence any dissenting voices. The Prospect was started as a nonprofit so we could tell the truth to our readers without interference from billionaire owners and corporate advertising, but that means we could be in Trump’s crosshairs.

Here’s what makes the Prospect different: We don’t have corporate owners who want to suck up to power. We don’t rely on advertisers who can apply pressure to us to dilute our reporting or shy away from the truth. We answer only to our readers and to our mission.

But that independence comes with a cost. We need your support to keep doing this work.

Your donation today will help fund:

Deep investigative reporting into the next Trump administration
Legal protection for our journalists
Technical security for our sources and journalists

I know there are many worthy causes asking for your support right now. But without robust independent media, all other democratic institutions become more vulnerable. The Prospect’s investigative journalism isn’t just reporting: It’s a shield protecting democracy itself.

We’ve never had a paywall, and we never will. But that means we depend on readers like you who understand what’s at stake.

Will you donate today to help us reach our $75,000 goal and defend independent journalism?

-David Dayen, Executive Editor