In case you missed this critical note from our Politics editor

Dear Reader,

When I discussed writing this note to our readers with my colleague, Priyanka, who leads our donor development, she advised me: “Don’t scare. Inspire!”

The news can feel scary at times. I know because I run the politics desk. I work with three crackerjack editors on covering the state of U.S. politics and of our democracy. Much of our focus this year has been on the upcoming presidential election, which we all believe is the most consequential election of our lives.

That’s high stakes, and we see our role as providing you, our readers, with the facts and independent analysis necessary for you to make intelligent, informed decisions during this important time. That’s what inspires me and my colleagues every day as we do our work. 

And I hope it’s what inspires you to make a donation to The Conversation to support our work.

As editors at The Conversation, we have the freedom to say “no” to horserace election coverage and the obsession with reporting the latest outrageous statements by members of Congress and other politicians. Instead, we do stories that aim at providing a deeper level of political meaning and context. 

One recent example: Other news outlets reported the wild statements made by Donald Trump at a press conference the day after being declared guilty of 34 felonies. But we waited a few beats and published an analysis by a political communication scholar who walked readers through those statements. She showed how they perfectly fit the definition of demagoguery and how they made listeners, viewers and readers react.

That’s what I mean by having the freedom as editors at The Conversation to provide a deeper level of political meaning. If we just reported outrageous statements by politicians, you’d be left with…outrage. But if we provide you with why and how such statements are used, then we’ve performed a public service: You understand the significance of those statements. That knowledge is a kind of power.

A reader emailed me recently with the kind of praise that makes all of us politics editors feel gratified: “Despite having devoted countless hours to TV and written news coverage, I invariably learn something new and meaningful when reading your contributions.” 

Again, that’s the inspiration in what can feel like a scary time. We’ll continue to work as hard as we can to produce journalism that supports your role in our democracy. We’ll provide you with stories that are neither partisan nor filled with opinion. We’ll give you the facts and analysis based on the research of scholars across the country.

And you, we hope, will support our role in this democracy, too. Democracy needs informed citizens; it likewise needs institutions like The Conversation -- and the journalists who work for it -- to bring them that information.

How to donate:

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• By credit card: https://donate.theconversation.com/us
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• With stock: Please write to priyanka@theconversation.com if you are considering a gift of stock or a gift from your IRA.

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