P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s democratic conversation. But as John Menadue writes, our independence still depends entirely on reader support.
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.
P&I has become more and more an important part of Australia’s democratic landscape. We are succeeding because we focus on key issues. We do not pretend ‘balance’ on these issues.
We have a clear point of view on issues such as:
— the unfolding climate change calamity. Our future is looking more and more precarious as our mother home warms rapidly.
— Australia’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
— managing our relations with China and our region with US hegemony in sharp and dangerous decline.
— failure to address the power of lobbying in such areas as gambling and defence, which is eroding our trust in politics.
— blaming the outsider, the refugee, the migrant – a tactic as old as human history.
— growing inequality and concern that rewards are not being fairly shared.
— our need to improve public services like health and education and to fund them with increased taxation on the foreign-owned mining sector.
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.
But as we enter the last two weeks of the campaign we still have a way to go – we have hit 47 per cent of our $250,000 target for regular donations.
Please help us continue as a pacesetter in the otherwise arid media landscape. 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.