The Conversation - Thank you

Dear Reader, 

Last year was a challenging one - as was this past week - but I found one silver lining: events demonstrated the need for The Conversation’s journalism, the power of what we do and the depth of support we have from our audience.

As the public looked for reliable, fact-based information on the pandemic, on the election and on many other topics, our readership doubled in 2020 over 2019 to 203 million pageviews.

We reached more people on our own website, but even more importantly, we reached millions more by giving away our articles for republication under a Creative Commons license. Over a thousand news websites and newspapers carried our stories, from the North Platte (Nebraska) Telegraph and Hickory (North Carolina) Daily Record to the Washington Post, spanning our nation’s geographic and demographic divides.

And our readers stepped up to support this vital work: We raised just under $400,000 in 2020, up 120% over 2019’s total, a year that was itself up 120% over 2018. Donations ranged from $5 to $25,000. Equally helpful in these uncertain times are the 1,022 individuals who have stepped up to be monthly donors, a more than fivefold increase over the course of the year. These contributions are a vital piece of our budget, supporting our team of 30. We are incredibly grateful to our supporters.

If you haven’t yet joined that group, we would so appreciate it. Even a tax-deductible donation of $5 or $10 a month helps us keep the lights on and our virtual presses running to distribute fact-based journalism (one-time gifts are welcome, too).

If the events of this week are any indication, 2021 is shaping up to be a busy and important year. We’ll help you keep up with the latest coronavirus science and policy. We’ll counter misinformation vigorously, from the incoming administration or supporters of the current administration. We’re launching a new initiative to raise up the voices of scholars of color. We’ll be running more events to let you interact with our authors, online or (we hope eventually) in person.