Dear Friend of the Journal,

Today, Earth Island Journal launches its year-end member drive. As a nonprofit newsroom, reader contributions help us do the hard work of finding and reporting stories — and making those stories available to everyone, without a paywall.

Why doesn’t Earth Island Journal have a paywall? Because we believe access to high-quality information is key to fighting the climate crisis and protecting our shared planet.

We don’t believe in hiding away well-sourced, deeply reported journalism in a place where only a privileged few can access it. That doesn’t serve the public good. People deserve to know who pollutes their waterways, who spews toxic particles into their air, and who endangers local wildlife. People deserve the truth and access to reliable information.

Unfortunately, social media and our public airwaves are flooded with free clickbait and misinformation, often written by PR professionals and, increasingly, AI.

When corporate spin crowds out factual, evidence-based information, people lose trust in our institutions and in each other.

Turning the news into a luxury product that can only be accessed behind paywalls hasn’t protected journalism jobs either. This year, layoffs once again hit big names like the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and PBS. Cuts also came for small but impactful newsrooms like Teen Vogue.

Thanks to your donations, Earth Island Journal produces investigative journalism, commentary, and inspiring stories of grassroots movements without being influenced by big corporations.

Some days it feels like a miracle that our small newsroom has been covering grassroots environmental movements for more than 40 years. We have managed to keep at it because of generous donations from readers like you. The impact of your gift is real.

Thank you for your support.

Regards,