P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s democratic conversation. But as we enter the last week of our fundraising campaign, John Menadue writes, our independence depends on you.
At 91, I am not retiring but perhaps slowing down a little.
Catriona, David and our small, hardworking team are doing a very good job bringing key public issues to our growing readership. I feel very confident that Pearls & Irritations is in good hands.
One of the things we have been working very hard on is getting the word out more widely, and I am pleased to say over the past 12 months, another 250,000 readers have found P&I. I am particularly pleased a growing number of younger readers and authors have joined the P&I community.
Free and independent journalism is a critical part of a healthy democracy and P&I has become more and more an important part of Australia’s democratic landscape.
To safeguard our independence, we have always refused to accept advertising or support from government agencies, the arms, fossil fuel, gambling or liquor industries. Our independence depends solely on you, and so many have dug deep.
I have been humbled by the generosity of donors over recent weeks, both existing supporters who have increased their regular donation or who have added another one-off gift. But we have also been very pleased to see over 750 new supporters join our ranks. This keeps the engine going and tells us that you support what we do.
But as we enter the last week of the campaign, we still aren’t there yet. We have hit around 60 per cent of our $250,000 target for regular donations.
So if you can help get us there, please consider a regular contribution of $10, $20 or $50 a month. It genuinely makes a difference.
Donate to Pearls and Irritations here.
John Menadue is the Founder of Pearls and Irritations and a board member. He was formerly the Editor-in-Chief. John was the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.