Thank you for being a vital part of this amazing, challenging, inspiring and gratifying ride. At its peak, OEN had 830,000+ unique visitors in its busiest month. We've evoked reactions from Senators, Congresspeople and activist organizations, and we were given the Pillar Award for supporting whistleblowers. We've had readers from 200+ nations and principalities and writers, from scores of countries, publishing over 100,000 articles.
Founding and evolving OpEdNews inspired me to be fascinated with bottom-up thinking. Not that everything I did at OEN was bottom-up, but one of the best bottom-up things about OEN was the volunteer team. OEN wouldn't and couldn't exist without them. I have so much gratitude for the profound role they've had on OEN and me. These are really special people, an important part of the OEN family. Current members of the active team include Meryl Ann Butler, Scott Baker, Joan Brunwasser, Marta Steele, Egberto Willies, Mike Rivage-Seul, Jackie Dial and Lance Cepiela. Thank you all!
I've made great friendships here and I know that many of our regular readers have connected with each other, forming long lasting, meaningful relationships. Back when I ran my Winter Brain Conference, one couple came to me and told me they'd conceived their child at the conference! That story stuck with me. I don't know if any babies or marriages have been conceived with the aid of OEN, but I know we have helped many causes to be birthed and grown.
It hasn't been all rosy. My role at OEN helped me to learn a lot about narcissists and psychopaths and how to deal with them. (Tip: basically, don't give them any attention and just cut them out of your life.) Figure if they make up 2% of the population, then, OEN has seen thousands of them.
It's gratifying that a huge number of people have told me that OpEdNews makes a difference. I think the magic ingredients are to be open to allowing different perspectives and points of view. There aren't many places on either side of the political divide that do so.
Yesterday I posted an article by Glenn Greenwald, New Law Sought by Brazil's Lula to Ban and Punish "Fake News and Disinformation" Threatens the Free Internet Everywhere This article makes it clear that the same threat to censor, even imprison voices with different narratives than the powers that be is well under way in the US. That makes alternative news sites like OEN even more important than ever. It also makes OEN--and me--more vulnerable than ever.
In these severely divided times, I believe OpEdNews offers a unique forum for conversations that are not possible elsewhere, where people can civilly disagree (well, we do our best to personally encourage and monitor civility.) That openness to diverse opinions has cost us many readers who do not tolerate such diverse conversation.
Over the years, many fellow progressive publishers have shut down. To prevent that from happening to OpEdNews I am reaching out to you to help continue to make OpEdNews viable.
In the past eight months I've not seen a single penny from OEN, for my time and work, and in some months I've had to put my own money into the till to make necessary payments for expenses.
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