Not long ago, I found myself in the office of a corporate CEO. This fellow is known as a philanthropist, and I was trying for YEARS to meet with him.
After exchanging pleasantries, he became very serious. "If your own readers don't support you," he asked from behind his wide mahogany desk, "then why should I?"
Was the question insensitive? Obviously. But he had a point.
Unlike the CEO, there should be no reason for me to make a "pitch" to you about what JWR is --- and why it needs support.
We defend the values YOU hold dear and do so with elegance and eloquence.
And yet … and yet, we need more and more of our readers to care -- that means you, all of you -- that we have the resources to keep on keeping on. (I'm SINCERELY grateful to those who have contributed!)
For those who aren't aware, JWR is not some multi-million dollar company.
To be blunt: We need your help and we need it now.
As much as I like to think positively -- it's my nature -- there comes a time when reality sets in. After discussing JWR's situation with "experts," we decided on a few possible scenarios. Here they are. We could …
1) reduce our publishing schedule to twice or three times weekly.
2) become a subscription-only service with a semi-annual charge
3) offer free and "premium" tracks, which would require a fee
4) spruce up our advertising by adding pop-ups. (They are annoying, but they pay well.)
I would like things to stay the way they are, but without funding it's an impossibility.
What we have NO intention of doing is folding. We know the impact we are having in the cultural debate. And, then, there all of those warm letters we receive.
I am NOT asking you to stop reading if you can't make a donation. But I AM reassuring you that you need not be embarrassed if you can only give a small amount.
Whatever the amount, it will be greatly appreciated. At this point, ANYTHING, and I do mean ANYTHING, is better than nothing. Let's not be forced to change how JWR is run.
I've quoted the CEO. Now, let me quote a reader, James Graper: "Should I trust you with my mind but not my money?"
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In gratitude and friendship,
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky,
Editor in Chief