Thread by @frodofied

You can support a truly independent press and help lift up editorial voices that you admire by searching them out, clicking their work, sharing it widely, liking AND retweeting their posts, financially supporting them through groups like PayPal.

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The truth is that we have become a nation who has become accustomed to getting information and news for free while also becoming ad adverse.

Producing good content is not free, however. And it never will be.

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If, like me, you admire the work of writers like @sarahkendzior, @Shakestweetz, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and organizations like @wonkette it is important to make sure they can do it. Find ways to contribute financially to their efforts to bring the truth to our computer screens.

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Speaking as a content creator I can promise you that few appreciate the costs in time and money it takes to produce a blog or a write a well researched article or a needed editorial perspective.

But it is never free.

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Organizations like @medium, @Shareblue, and Wonkete provide ways to support their writers and sites through subscription plans or direct donations.

At @wonkette you can give as little $1 a month. That is a small price to keep @commiegirl1 and the team going.

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Media production, creation, and distribution is constantly in flux and the internet has changed everything. The result has been mixed for those of us out here trying to offer perspectives not found in tradional media offerings.

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Independent journalism comes in many forms and includes areas like bloggjng, podcasting, independent radio, e-zines, and social media contribution. And at a time when there is an actual ongoing assault on the truth the work done here is often the most essential.

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But again, creating valuable content in any format requires certain technologies, tools, and time. None of these things come freely and the response when one has worked hard to provide new content is often unequal to the efforts.

It is an often thankless job.

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Clicks are most often reserved for established organizations and independent media creators are often left to fight for attention and scraps.

Those of us doing this work do it for the right reasons and the contributions of many are key to the dissemination of truth.

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When I know that wonderful, award winning writers like my friend @VABVOX are struggling to make ends meet despite working tirelessly to keep facts above the water I know the system has failed.

But, honestly, our audiences are partly at fault for these grim realities.

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It is time for that to change. The survival of a free press and our republic demand it and that is not hyperbole.

Know this, progressive voices and efforts require the most support.

That has always been true, but it is truer today than ever.

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It is easy to be a conservative voice today. The craziest thing you can write with the highest confidence level will easily find a large audience who is more than willing to financially support their team.

Progressive audiences are less enthusiastic and more skeptical .

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They are also less forgiving and less loyal, often moving on to the new "voice" quickly.

So it can be, and most often is, difficult out here for we writers / journalists, and producers with progressive leanings.

It doesn't have to be as challenging.

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In the age of new media we find our information and source our inspiration in increasingly differing and unique ways.

You, as an audience nember have a responsibity to those whose work is a part of your particular information pool.

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That pool can include an unmissable podcast or a thought provoking blog, and even a tweep who churns out challenging and informative threads like this one (damn right).

It 2015 - 2016 a core group of us were pulled together by the centrifugal force of the Clinton campaign.

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A few of us like @docrocktex26, @fawfulfan, @KaraCalavera, @LisaTalmadge, and @marcushjohnson (there were many of us, you know I love you all and all you contributed) found our lives swallowed up by the campaign and the fight for truth.

Again, not hyperbole.

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We spent countless hours here forcing the truth out. We argued ceaselessly with the worst of the offenders in the MSM. Ask Joe Scarborough, Maggie Haberman, or Andrea Mitchell what they think of me.

I can't, because they all blocked me. Enough said.

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We researched media lies, corrected them in real time, and then moved on to the next. But our roles were multi-faceted & complex.

We fielded questions about the campaign, connected donors to giving resources, & fought misogyny & white supremacy like warriors of old.

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And we were right.

Without us things woukd have been worse.

It is important to recognize that.

But we did all of it on our own dimes. I know that many assumed our work was funded by the Clinton campaign.

It was not. Not one cent, not once.

And that Soros myth?

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Turns out is just a myth.

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You can help fix these not unfixable problems discussed above by signing on to support the work and endeavors of people that inform and inspire you.

Approach your favorite bloggers or social media heroes and offer your support.

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It is not charity.

If anything it is patronage and there is no time that that is out of fashion.

Ask Mozart, Jacques Louis David, or Titian.

Our relationship with our information sources is changing and circumstances require a higher degree of symbiosis than before.

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Make sure that those you admire, turn to in a time of questions, and point to in a time of debate, understand that you respect them & the work they do by contributing to its continuance.

They'll be grateful, you will be fulfilled, and landlords everywhere will sleep better.

End