John,

There's now a law in California with my name associated with it. Everyone in Sacramento knows exactly what the "Stop Nick Shirley Act" means. 

On August 22nd, Governor Newsom signed AB 2624. Three days later, I was standing at the State Capitol with a crowd of people who showed up because they understood what this law actually does.

Supporters say it protects immigration workers from harassment. Here's what it really does, John: it makes it harder for anyone — me included — to investigate where your tax dollars are being sent.

I said it plainly at the rally: this is not the end; this is just the beginning.

Because here's the part that should bother you more than anything else. The assemblymember who wrote this bill is married to California's Attorney General— the one person in this state whose entire job is supposed to be going after fraud. Instead, his wife wrote the bill that makes it harder to expose it.

That's not a coincidence, John. That's the system protecting itself.

John, will you make a tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, or $100 today to help keep independent journalists like me in the field?

I've spent the last year showing up where legacy media won't — daycare centers, tax-funded nonprofits, the offices of people who'd rather I disappear than answer a question. That work is exactly why a state legislature decided to write a law with my name on it instead of going after the fraud I keep finding.

A state senator at the rally called it unconstitutional. A city attorney called it a direct threat to the First Amendment. They're right — and they're not going to be the ones who stop it. That's going to take people willing to fund the reporters still asking the questions.

Here's something most people don't see, John: doing this work independently means there's no network paying for the flight to Sacramento, no legal department covering me if a state files a complaint over a story, no corporate budget for the cameras and editors it takes to get this footage in front of you.

When I showed up at that rally, Lincoln Media Foundation was on site with their own journalists to cover it, because they understood what was actually at stake before most of the country did.

That’s why I’m partnering with Lincoln Media Foundation. They understand how important it is to support independent journalists and help us keep doing the work without compromising what makes it independent in the first place.

I’m grateful for their partnership and commitment, and every dollar you give to LMF goes directly toward keeping reporters like me in the field – helping cover travel, equipment, and the costs that come with confronting people on camera instead of reading a press release about them.
 
Since LMF is a 501(c)3, your gift is tax-deductible, and it can be made anonymously if that's what you'd prefer.

John, they can pass all the laws they want. They can try to prevent people like me from exposing their corruption, that’s why it crucial to support independent journalists like myself. They are creating laws to silence free speech — and that’s why we need to continue the fight and I need your support. People like you decide this work is worth funding, and it helps me continue!

Will you help LMF keep me — and journalists like me — in the field with a gift of $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can give today?

For the truth, 

Nick Shirley 

P.S. — A California assemblyman is already asking the DOJ to intervene against this law. That tells you how serious this is. A tax-deductible gift today helps LMF keep me and other independent journalists in the field while this fight plays out.

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