You are living in interesting times

T h e F o u n daT i o n For n aT i o n a l Prog r e ss

2008/2009 AnnuAl RepoRt

Mission Statement

The Foundation for National Progress 222 Sutter Street, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94108 phone (415) 321-1700 email giving@motherjones.com fax (415) 321-1701 web motherjones.com

Mother Jones produces revelatory journalism that, in its power and reach, seeks to inform and inspire a more just and democratic world.

The nonprofit Foundation for National Progress publishes Mother Jones magazine and MotherJones.com, directs the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program, and provides fiscal and administrative support for innovative media projects such as The Media Consortium, PopUp Magazine, Longshot Magazine, and Wiretap.

A note From the publisher

Dear friends,

On behalf of everyone at Mother Jones, I’m delighted to share our 2008-2009 annual report with you. It’s no coincidence that we’re sending you this two-year annual report in digital form. That’s a pretty accurate reflection of larger changes at MoJo—changes that put us on a path toward greater impact and a sustainable future. For a 35-year-old organization to be able to say this—while we’re all still dealing with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression—is no mean feat. But it’s true.

The conventional wisdom at so many “future of journalism” conferences is that so-called “legacy” media shops—outfits that cut their reporting teeth in print, or on the radio or TV, and that hewed to the traditional conventions of what was considered good journalism— are dead in the water and won’t make the transition to a digital world. They’re expensive to run, the thinking goes: stuck in old-school thinking, and, well, just plain too old. And it’s true, some of the best-known journalism organizations in the country have

either been reduced to a shadow of their former selves, or have disappeared altogether.

But there’s much more to this story than gloomy prognostications about the demise of traditional media. Because Mother Jones is a nonprofit organization, we’ve weathered the general economic tumult better than our counterparts who are dependent on advertising for financial survival. This is the secret behind MoJo’s strength: You—our readers and donors—have given us the cushion to ride out difficult times.

More importantly, with your support we’ve been able to build Mother Jones into a bonafide home for original investigative journalism—with an award-winning, high-impact team of reporters and editors covering the stories and issues that really matter. Plus, we’ve broken through the conventional wisdom: Mother Jones is helping to create the future of journalism using all the new media tools at our disposal—the web, social media, you name it—while also continuing to produce a top-quality print magazine year in and year out. We’re doing two things at once: covering and

commenting on the 24/7 news cycle online at MotherJones.com, and going deep into the context behind breaking news with Mother Jones magazine. Even more, we’re engaging with our community of readers through social media, inviting them into a conversation with our reporters and editors about what matters.

Why do we do this? Because in the end we believe—as do you—that independent journalism that tells the truth about the world we live in can make a difference. Because (as we note later on in this report) Mother Jones was founded some 35 years ago to contribute to the great historic arc toward justice and social change.

Your support has made this possible, and for that, on behalf of Mother Jones’ entire board and staff, you have our deepest thanks and appreciation.

Kind regards,

Steven Katz, Publisher

Contents 2 Mission statement

3 A note from the publisher

5 What Mother Jones does

6 Six principles for the future

8 How we make a difference: Fill the gap.

11 How we make a difference: Get there first.

12 How we make a difference: Use media effectively.

14 How we make a difference: Don’t let go.

Foundation for National Progress

21 2008-2009 contributors and supporters

26 The Mary Harris Jones Legacy Society

27 Board of directors

28 Staff

30 Statement of activities for the year ending December 31, 2009

34 How you can help

2008-2009 Reporting Highlights

15 Special reports

17 Features

18 Photo essays

19 Online/Washington, DC, bureau coverage

What We Do Mother Jones magazine and MotherJones.com

Awarded the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2008 and 2010, Mother Jones magazine is published by the nonprofit Foundation for National Progress. With a paid circulation of more than 215,000, Mother Jones continues to be one of the nation’s top thought-leader publications. In 1993, Mother Jones launched the first-ever general-interest magazine website and began developing the journalistic possibilities of this new global medium. Today, MotherJones .com reaches more than 1 million readers each month, and the magazine has a large and loyal community of followers on social media mainstays Facebook and Twitter. Together, the magazine

and website offer our audience the depth and context of longform reporting, combined with the breaking-news delivery people crave in this digital age.

The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program

Mother Jones is home to one of the largest and most ambitious internship and fellowship programs in the independent media world. Over the past 30 years, more than 700 interns and fellows have benefited from intensive real-world training in the essentials of investigative journalism. In 2008, Mother Jones named its internship program in honor of the great investigative reporter and journalism educator Ben Bagdikian. Bagdikian interns and fellows work side by side with MoJo’s editors and writers, fact-checking, researching, and writing original reported stories for print and online.

Mother Jones as a center for innovation and incubation

Mother Jones plays an increasingly important role in fostering a healthy future for journalism. As an incubator for new approaches, including iterative reporting by our staff journalists, Mother Jones fosters collaboration across organizational boundaries and media platforms. As part of this commitment, we support new journalism initiatives and projects such as San Francisco’s PopUp Magazine, a live magazine experience, and collaborative publishing projects such as Longshot Magazine, which produces, designs, and publishes a full-size print magazine in 48 hours. Mother Jones also continues to support The Media Consortium, a partnership of some 45 independent, progressive journalism organizations that have come together to strengthen their collective voice.

Six principles for the Future

It’s hard to imagine a world as volatile and—to put a positive spin on it—rich with opportunities for change as the one Mother Jones operates in today: global political change, intensely angry political rhetoric, deep economic uncertainty, and the transformation of the media landscape. As we navigate these difficult but exciting times, Mother Jones aspires to be known as the leading source for high-quality investigative journalism that’s independent, intelligent, passionate, and creative. Built on innovation, flexibility, and transparency, Mother Jones enables readers to discover new truths in the world through our reporting. We help put the latest in politics, human rights, financial affairs, and

the environment in context. And we aim to equip readers with tools to respond as informed citizens.

It’s no coincidence that Mother Jones has emerged as an exemplary model of how nonprofit journalism can work, and has worked, since we began publishing in 1976. The New York Times called Mother Jones a “real-life laboratory” for the future of journalism, and the San Francisco Chronicle called us a “role model” for the industry. It’s also why Mother Jones has been awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence—the Oscars of the magazine trade—twice in the past three years. And it’s why more than 215,000 people subscribe to the print magazine, and another million visit MotherJones.com each month.

To reach these goals, and to expand our audience, we have set out six core principles that will help us make sense of the way forward.

[1] Build on 35 years of print journalism and create a 21st century magazine.

Our roots are in print journalism, and even today—with all the attention being given to new digital products—we believe that a print magazine can do things that no digital product can yet deliver. It is superbly designed to serve both the needs of longform narrative journalism and high-quality photojournalism. It allows individual stories to be placed in a larger context in vibrant, living color.

[2] The future growth of Mother Jones is digital.

At the same time, the future of Mother Jones is increasingly a digital (and multimedia) one. Digital technology offers a cost-effective method of distributing and disseminating our reporting to a large audience. And with two publishing platforms—digital and print—we can build on the strengths of each and give our community of readers an integrated journalism experience.

[5] Do a few very important things very well.

Mother Jones’ identity is rooted in investigative journalism that exposes and explains the behavior of the power wielders of our time, from politics to the corporate world, providing a factual basis for social change. In everything we cover, the unique Mother Jones approach is to seek the story behind the story. We are close to to the news, but not part of the herd; we tell you things that no one else will about (and beyond) what’s in the 24/7 headlines.

[3] Impact is at the center of our work.

Our job doesn’t end when a story is published. We work not only to produce great journalism, but also to do our part in the great historic trend toward justice and social change. We aim to ensure that our journalism makes a difference in the world by reaching out in all directions to connect our stories with a wide, diverse, and dynamic audience of readers.

[4] Community is an essential element of Mother Jones’ future.

As one of the originators of the nonprofit journalism model, we know how important our community’s support is to Mother Jones’ success. Engagement with our community means unleashing the power of online networks to disseminate our reporting and content, to develop new sources for our reporting, and to maximize the impact of our stories. Seismic shifts in the media business mean that this engagement will only become more important in the coming years.

[6] Deepen our role as a center for journalistic innovation and incubation.

We see Mother Jones functioning as an incubator for new approaches to journalism, such as iterative reporting by our staff writers, collaboration across organizational boundaries, and “pro-am” experiments that combine the best of professional journalism with the people formerly known as “the audience.” We also support intriguing new projects such as PopUp and Longshot magazines. And we will continue to build on our established commitment to the next generation of journalists through the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program.

This is journalism that makes a difference.

In the next few pages, we highlight the ways Mother Jones is adapting and thriving in a new media environment. We spotlight how our print and online reporting is using the technological revolution to create a diverse interactive relationship with our audience and how we are furthering our coverage of issues ignored or underreported by the commercial press.

After he served 19 years at the helm of Mother Jones, we

said goodbye to Jay Harris as publisher in late 2009. Jay

dedicated much of his life as the spirited and charismatic

leader of the organization, taking Mother Jones from

its sophomore years into adulthood. His passion for

progressive issues will continue to inspire and engage

people in the years to come. We can’t thank

him enough for his dedication to smart,

fearless, journalism, and we wish

him great success with his

new endeavors.

Saying Goodbye to Jay

How We Make a Difference: Fill the gap.

The decline in the commercial press has led to widening gaps in coverage of serious news. Mother Jones responded by launching an eight-person DC bureau in the fall of 2007 and, more recently, by introducing two new reporting initiatives: a collaborative approach to reporting on climate change and an expanded commitment to reporting on human rights issues domestically and around the globe.

A political perspective inside and outside the Beltway

The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism’s February 2009 report on “The New Washington Press Corps” included some stunning statistics: Since the mid-1980s,

the number of newspapers with bureaus in Washington has declined by more than half, and the number of media organizations with congressional reporting credentials fell by 17 percent from 1998 to 2009.

As an anchor for an increasingly influential independent media ecosystem, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau is part of the solution in DC. We deploy skilled reporters to cover the White House, the executive branch, Congress, the courts, and the private interests and power bases that shape modern government.

Led by David Corn, Mother Jones’ DC bureau has carved out an important and effective niche in Beltway journalism—covering news as it happens in the Rose Garden and beyond, as well as digging deep into the story behind the headlines. With reporters on the ground and dialed into the inside scoop, MoJo can break news right alongside the big guns. Since opening in 2007, news reports from the bureau have helped shape the national media landscape from inside the Beltway.

2008 election coverage

During the 2008 election, MoJo’s DC bureau consistently broke stories that led the news. In January 2008, David Corn reported John McCain’s campaign-trail comment that it would be “fine” with him if the US stayed in Iraq for “a hundred years.” Corn’s exposé of Ohio pastor Rod Parsley’s virulent anti-Islamic preaching made national broadcast news and forced John McCain to disavow the influential televangelist’s endorsement. And a month before McCain advisor Phil Gramm scolded Americans for living in a “mental recession,” Corn documented Gramm’s pivotal role in jamming through changes in the regulation of credit default swaps that led directly to the housing and credit crises.

“There’s Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole” (online, July 2008)

Washington bureau chief David Corn, senior correspondent James Ridgeway, and news editor Daniel Schulman revealed that the National Rifle Association paid a freelance spy, Mary Lou Sapone, to infiltrate gun-control organizations

at the highest levels for more than a decade. An earlier story by Ridgeway documented how a Maryland-based private security firm spied on Greenpeace and other environmental groups on behalf of corporate clients.

Coverage of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation (online, May-July 2009)

Mother Jones’ Washington bureau covered the Sotomayor confirmation hearing from numerous angles, many of them (such as Ken Starr’s endorsement of the Obama pick) picked up by outside media.

“Blackwater’s World of Warcraft” (March/April 2008) “Their Own Private Africa” “Animal House in Afghanistan” “The Cowboys of Kabul” (online, September 2009)

This package of print and online articles was part of reporter Bruce Falconer’s and Daniel Schulman’s groundbreaking investigation of the military contractor industry. They reported how a little known subsidiary of Blackwater, Greystone, recruits mercenaries from Colombia, Chile, and other countries as part of their global private army for hire. These stories helped bring to light numerous abuses and frame the national military contractor debate.

Covering climate change

In October of 2009, Mother Jones pulled together a group of reporting organizations (including The Nation, Grist, Treehugger, Fora .tv, the Uptake, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, and Discover blogs) to cover the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen. A force of two dozen reporters and videographers, including Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, Chris Mooney, and David Corn, broke a number of stories, posted articles and video in real time, and generated a social-media feed that shared content with the combined audience of all outlets and helped get our coverage on sites such as Huffington Post and The Atlantic.

In December 2009, Mother Jones convened a two-day strategy session to design a longer-term collaborative effort. Participants included Slate, The Atlantic, Wired, the Nation Institute, Grist, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and PBS’ Need to Know, the WNET-New York series that replaced Bill Moyers’ show after his retirement in the spring of 2010. Out of these conversations came The Climate Desk, a new reporting partnership targeting the collective reach of these outlets’ 25 million readers.

The Climate Desk has generated substantial buzz in the journalism and environmental policy worlds, with coverage in the Columbia Journalism Review, Folio, The Guardian, and Mediabistro, among others; climate advocacy sites such as PowerShift and 350.org all told their followers about it. The Yale Forum on Climate Media called it a “new model for serious journalism in troubled times.” Simon Dumenco of Advertising Age, in an interview with Mother Jones co-editor Clara Jeffery, called The Climate Desk “a potentially revolutionary cooperative reporting venture.”

The Anita Fund: A Global Justice Journalism Project

Dame Anita Roddick believed in brave journalism as a critical means of identifying injustice and compelling change for those deprived of their basic human rights. Anita recognized that intrepid investigative reporters were often the first ones to draw the connections between human misery and upstream abuses of power. She believed that journalism is indispensible in bridging truth to justice.

After her death, the staff and board of Mother Jones chose to honor Anita by creating a fund that would represent her values and further her ideals. Thanks to a generous grant endowed by her husband Gordon and their two daughters, Justine and Sam, we proudly launched The Anita Fund: A Global Justice Journalism Project in late 2009.

Combining two of Anita’s great passions—the struggle for global justice and the fierce, probative investigative journalism that can prompt social change—the fund aims to build on Mother Jones’ long-time commitment to human rights.

We hired Mac McClelland, a smart and passionate journalist, to report full-time on global and domestic human rights issues. In addition to her work in the print magazine, Mac capitalizes on the immediacy of the digital age by breaking news both on her blog, The Rights Stuff, and via her Twitter feed, which has more than 7,000 followers.

How We Make a Difference: Get there first.

Jeff Cohen, the founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, once said, “If it’s in the New York Times, it was in Mother Jones six months ago.” From the beginning, Mother Jones has aimed to impact the news cycle by breaking stories that help shift the national conversation toward real issues and facts—2008 and 2009 were no exception.

Here are few examples of how our reporters stayed out in front in 2008 and 2009:

“Foreclosure Phil” and the subprime meltdown timeline (July/August 2008)

As noted in the Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones’ package on the housing mess helped the rest of the press connect McCain advisor Phil Gramm to the deregulation of credit default swaps in late 2008. David Corn’s “Foreclosure Phil” was mentioned, among other places, in the National Review, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as on Democracy Now! and Air America Radio’s Ron Reagan Show.

“Who Shredded Our Safety Net?” (May/June 2009)

This cover package featured analyses by James Ridgeway, James K. Galbraith, and others detailing how corporate America hijacked the retirement economy. The stories made complex financial topics accessible and were widely discussed in the blogosphere, and amongst national commentators.

“First, Do Harm” (July/August 2009)

Justine Sharrock’s story broke new ground in the detainee-torture discussion, revealing that doctors

were far more active participants in war-time torture than previously understood, and that the professional bodies in charge of policing medical ethics have failed to address the issue. In a related story, DC assistant editor Nick Baumann’s online pieces on the cover-up of a key Justice Department anti-torture memo showed that former vice president Dick Cheney not only advocated torture, but aggressively went after those within the Bush administration who opposed his position.

“Totally Wasted” (July/August 2009)

Our summer cover package put the drug war front and center at a time when drug violence in Mexico was reaching a fever pitch. Contributing writer Charles Bowden’s profile, “‘We Bring Fear,’” of a journalist on the run from the “biggest cartel of all,” Mexico’s US-funded army, drew broad attention from the media and human rights groups. The package’s focus on the dramatic escalation in violence the drug war has wrought throughout Mexico, and in the 259 US cities where the cartels operate, recharged the debate on US-Mexico relations.

How We Make a Difference: Use media effectively.

Effectively capitalizing on new media opportunities is a priority for Mother Jones staff. We relaunched MotherJones.com in 2008 in Drupal, an open-source publishing platform—the ultimate model of a truly free press. Our writers and editors, particularly those in the DC bureau, are producing more daily content than ever before and working with our

online media colleagues to share content with new audiences across several high-traffic aggregate sites and social media platforms.

In addition, we’ve put together a team dedicated to testing and capitalizing on new-media strategies in order to build our audience. Whether it is a two-way conversation with our nearly 28,000 Facebook fans about the latest Mother Jones cover; tweeting breaking news to our 26,000-plus Twitter followers (not to mention the tens of thousands of people who follow our reporters); hosting online forums to discuss the complexities of a controversial feature story; or ensuring Mother Jones’ latest reports find their way onto social networking sites like Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon, we are figuring out innovative ways to reach and engage new and current readers alike.

Viral victory

Anna Lenzer’s September/October 2009 cover story, “Spin the Bottle,” revealed how Fiji Water uses celebrity greenwashing to disguise environmental damage, public health failures, and silence in the face of Fiji’s military junta. The story proved to be a textbook case of journalism gone viral. After it was published online it picked up buzz immediately via social media, especially Twitter. Blogs piled on (including a series of attempts by Fiji Water itself to do damage control—it got to the point where Fiji Water saw the need to offer a free beach blanket to anyone who would tweet positively about it), which further stoked the social media fire. It wasn’t until a week later that traditional media (newspapers, radio shows, and magazines) took notice—but when they did, those pickups in turn were reflected in print, online articles, blogs and social media, kick-starting the coverage all over again.

CBS Evening News CBS: Early Show ABC: Good Morning America ABC: This Week with George Stephanopoulos PBS: Bill Moyers Journal Fox News: The O’Reilly Factor Fox News: Hannity & Colmes MSNBC: Hardball with Chris Matthews MSNBC: The Rachel Maddow Show MSNBC: Countdown with Keith Olbermann MSNBC: The Ed Show CNN: The Situation Room CNN: Reliable Sources Comedy Central: The Colbert Report C-SPAN NPR: The Diane Rehm Show ABC Radio: Imus in the Morning Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now!

MoJo in the media

Just as we’re expanding our presence online, so too are we reaching new audiences via television, radio, and major print publication appearances. Here are a few examples of our ever-growing media presence in 2008-2009, and you can track our latest media appearances at our press page at MotherJones.com.

How We Make a Difference: don’t let go.

Our editors encourage Mother Jones writers to do what we call “iterative reporting”: to walk readers through the process of making real journalism, as well as deliver a superb finished product. In sharing reporting revelations along the way via social media, the reporting process is more transparent and the audience is engaged and invested in the evolution of a story. An in-depth final product, complete with vivid visuals and multimedia elements, can help us reach a broad and diverse audience.

Such was the case when, in October 2009, staff reporter Josh Harkinson chased down the truth behind the US Chamber of Commerce’s inflated claim of 3 million members. Josh’s reporting forced the Chamber to publicly revise its number downward by more than 90 percent. This put the Chamber on the defensive at the same time that major US corporations were leaving to protest the Chamber’s climate-change denials and the intensive lobbying it was conducting against the Waxman-Markey climate bill. Harkinson’s story was picked up by major media and led to a flood of comments on the Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page calling on it to stop lying about its numbers. DC-based reporter Kate Sheppard even confronted a Chamber representative, who

refused on camera to discuss the discrepancy. The story caught fire online as it unfolded, and it ended up as a more in-depth piece in the print magazine. And Josh continues his ongoing investigative work into the Chamber’s record on climate change. In Josh’s own words, “The public and policymakers are starting to view the Chamber as...just another special interest group that represents a few pretty dirty industries.”

Torture Hits Home, March/April 2008

I Was Kidnapped by the CIA Peter Bergen

Voluntary Confinement Michael Mechanic

Am I a Torturer? Justine Sharrock

Department of Pre-Crime Eric Umansky

The Final Act of Abu Ghraib JoAnn Wypijewski

The Future of Energy, May/June 2008

Scenes From the Tar Wars Josh Harkinson

Breaking the Efficiency Gridlock Jennifer Kahn

Put a Tyrant in Your Tank Joshua Kurlantzick

The Nuclear Option Judith Lewis

The Greenback Effect Bill McKibben

Mr. Match.com Pimps Solar Jon Mooallem

Congress’ Top 10 Fossil Fools Chris Mooney

Scrubbing King Coal James Ridgeway

The Seven Myths of Energy Independence Paul Roberts

A Charge to Keep Britt Robson

Small-Town America’s Green Lifeline Jennifer Vogel

Who Wrecked the Economy? July/August 2008

Foreclosure Phil David Corn

The GOP’s December Surprise James K. Galbraith

Where Credit Is Due: A Timeline Nomi Prins

Slammed: The Coming Prison Meltdown, July/August 2008

Welcome to the Age of Incarceration Jennifer Gonnerman

When Prison Guards Go Soft Sasha Abramsky

Hard Time Out David Goodman

Why Texas Still Holds ‘Em Stephanie Mencimer

Probation Profiteers Celia Perry

The Shawnee Redemption Justine Sharrock

Convicting California James Sterngold

Exit Strategy, September/October 2008

Pursuit of Habeas Jack Hitt The Next Prez’s Superpowers David Cole

After W, Will the Press Get a Spine? David Corn

Weakened Warriors Bruce Falconer

Timeline: Bush’s Reign of Error Nick Baumann and Dave Gilson

How to Burn the Speculators James K. Galbraith

America’s Most Dangerous Librarians Amy Goodman and David Goodman

No Contractor Left Behind Josh Harkinson

Party Favors: Land Handouts Are a Gas Keith Kloor

The Chinavore’s Dilemma, and Relief Disaster Joshua Kurlantzick Mission Creep Michael Mechanic, map by Karen Minot

Do Taxpayers Need Marriage Workshops? Stephanie Mencimer Return to Reason Chris Mooney Medicare’s Poison Pill James Ridgeway

What Was gwb@whitehouse.gov Really Up To? Daniel Schulman

Special Reports Mother Jones 2008/2009

The New ECOnomy, November/December 2008

Can We Save the Planet and Rescue the Economy at the Same Time? Al Gore

The Most Important Number on Earth Bill McKibben

Earth to Washington David Corn

The Great Persuader Kevin Drum

When Tree Sitters Heart Lumberjacks Josh Harkinson

What About the Dirty Jobs? Chris Lehmann

Big Green Brother Katharine Mieszkowski

The Science Project Chris Mooney

The Truth About Green Jobs David Roberts

Let’s Go Europe Mark Schapiro

The Seven Deadly Deficits Joseph E. Stiglitz

How Ford Lost Focus Fara Warner

Your Top 20 Econundrums—Solved! Ben Whitford

Diet for a Warm Planet Julia Whitty

Smart Growth: Fresh Solutions for Our Rotten Food System, March/April 2009

Foodie, Beware Daniel Duane

The Saline Solution, and Tray Chic Josh Harkinson

Michael Pollan Fixes Dinner Clara Jeffrey

This Little Piggy Goes Home Bonnie Azab Powell

Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008 Paul Roberts

Why Biofuels Are the Rainforest’s Worst Enemy Heather Rogers

Who Ran Away With Your 401(k)? May/June 2009

Who Shredded Our Safety Net? James Ridgeway

No Country for Middle-Aged Men Sasha Abramsky

Security Blanket: How Social Security Can Save Us All James K. Galbraith

Pension Privateers David Cay Johnston

Waste Not Want Not, May/June 2009

Recycling? Fuhgeddaboudit Susan Burton

Waste Not Want Not Bill McKibben

Meet the Zero-Waste Zealots Elizabeth Royte

Sludge Happens Josh Harkinson

Plastic. Fantastic? Jennifer Kahn

Industrial Strength Solution Joel Makower

Totally Wasted, July/August 2009

This Is Your War on Drugs Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery

“We Bring Fear” Charles Bowden The Patriot’s Guide to Legalization Kevin Drum

Las Baladas Prohibidas William T. Vollmann The Altered States of America Sam Baldwin and Daniel Luzer

Climate Countdown, November/December 2009

Too Hot to Handle Bill McKibben

The Last Breakup Ted Genoways

Betting the Farm Kevin Drum

The New Dust Bowl Josh Harkinson

Return of the Fungi Andy Isaacson

Agents of Climate Change, and What Happens When Your Country Drowns? Rachel Morris

Earth in the Balance Sheet Hillary Rosner GM’s Money Trees Mark Schapiro

Not Under My Backyard Victoria Schlesinger

The Sheikh Down, September/October 2009 Shane Bauer

Enter Stage Right, September/October 2009 Nick Baumann

Louisiana’s Mulch Madness, March/April 2008 Michael Behar

Let There Be Light Crude, January/February 2008 Mariah Blake

Meet the Parents: The Dark Side of Overseas Adoption, March/April 2009 Scott Carney

Class Is the New Black, January/February 2009 Debra J. Dickerson

Obama’s Great Afghanistan Gamble, May/June 2009, and Is AIPAC Still the Chosen One? September/October 2009 Robert Dreyfuss

10 Ways to Trade Up, March/April 2009 Kevin Drum

The FBI’s Least Wanted, May/June 2009 Bruce Falconer

Blackwater’s World of Warcraft, March/April 2008 Bruce Falconer and Daniel Schulman

Stimulus Is for Suckers, January/February 2009 James K. Galbraith

The People vs. Dick Cheney, January/February 2009 Karen Greenberg

The Apostles of Ron Paul, January/February 2008, and Harry Reid, Gold Member, March/April 2009, and What’s Your Water Footprint? July/August 2009 Josh Harkinson

Fiscal Therapy, January/February 2009 David Cay Johnston

Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle, September/October 2009 Anna Lenzer

The Last Empire: China’s Pollution Problem Goes Global, January/February 2008 Jacques Leslie

The Landmark Forum: 42 Hours, $500, 65 Breakdowns, July/August 2009 Laura McClure

Primary Color, January/February 2008, and Why Mercury Tuna Is Still Legal, September/October 2008, and Brave New Welfare, January/February 2009, and I Love a Mark in Uniform, July/August 2009 Stephanie Mencimer

Shock and Audit: The Hidden Defense Budget, September/October 2009 Rachel Morris

Scrubbing King Coal, May/June 2008, and Medicare’s Poison Pill, September/October 2008 James Ridgeway

The Spy Who Loved Hamas. And Hezbollah. And Iran, September/October 2009 David Samuels

First, Do Harm, July/August 2009 Justine Sharrock

Buying the Bull, January/February 2009 Dean Starkman

Failure to Launch, January/February 2008 James Sterngold

Man With the Plan, January/February 2009 Paul Tough

March of the Tourists, July/August 2008, and What Invasive Species Are Trying to Tell Us, January/February 2009 Julia Whitty

Select Features Mother Jones 2008/2009

Out of Iowa, March/April 2008 Danny Wilcox Frazier, text by Ted Genoways

Memorial Day Comes but Once a Year, November/December 2008 Julia Gillard

The Terror of Tijuana, July/August 2009 Eros Hoagland

Aryan Outfitters March/April 2008 Anthony Karen

Unwell, November/December 2008 Christopher LaMarca, text by Rebecca Clarren

Dreams From My Father, January/February 2009 Jon Lowenstein and Jerald Walker

Out of Mind, Out of Sight, March/April 2009 Eugene Richards

Vintage Ad’s Pride and Prejudice, September/October 2009 Hank Willis Thomas

Phone Sex Operators September/October 2008 Phillip Toledano

Can You Love a Child of Rape? May/June 2009 Jonathan Torgovnik

A Bitter Leaf, July/August 2008 Marco Vernaschi, text by Patrick Symmes

End of the Line, September/October 2009 Danny Wilcox Frazier and Charlie LeDuff

photo essays Mother Jones 2008/2009

online Highlights 2008/2009

Forums

Pro-Nuke? Anti-Nuke? Stewart Brand, Judith Lewis, Jonas Siegel, and Harvey Wasserman

Iran Panic? Laura Rozen, Daniel Levy, Yossi Melman, Trita Parsi, Danny Postel, Jacqueline Shire

Is Organic and Local So 2008? Paul Roberts, Lisa Gosselin, Jim Harkness, and Ryan Zinn

Special Reports

Angola 3: 36 Years of Solitude

36 Years of Solitude James Ridgeway

Portraits of Invisible Men Adam Shemper

Angola 3 Dispatch: Albert Woodfox Hearing Jordan Flaherty

Solitary Confinement: A Brief History; Camp J, Red Hats, and the Hole; Convict Confection: Robert King’s Freelines; The Convicts and the Dame Brooke Shelby Biggs

Select Articles

Should Obama Control the Internet? Steve Aquino

A Cheney Cover-Up? Nick Baumann and David Corn

Billions to Be Lost in Auto Bailout? Clinton on Gore: “I thought he was in Neverland”; McCain Blasts Wall Street Failure, Neglects to Mention His Adviser Helped Cause It; McCain in NH: Would be “Fine” To Keep Troops in Iraq for “A Hundred Years”; McCain’s Pastor Problem: The Video; McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam; Sarah Palin: Neo-Con Pawn?; Sarah Palin’s Secret Emails; Two NRA Lobbyists Violating the McCain Campaign’s Conflict Rules? Van Jones and the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory Poison David Corn

McCain Attacks Wall Street Greed—While 83 Wall Street Lobbyists Work for His Campaign David Corn, Jonathan Stein, and Nick Baumann

Contractors Gone Wild; Inside the CIA’s (Sort of) Secret Document Stash; Showdown in Blackwater’s Backyard Bruce Falconer

Asking for TARP Funds Takes Only 27 Minutes Alexis Fitts and Daniel Luzer

Are Starbucks and Whole Foods Union Busters? Beck’s Next Scalp: NEA’s Yosi Sergant; The Chamber’s Numbers Game; PG&E Quits Chamber of Commerce Over Its “Extreme Position on Climate Change”; US Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue’s Climate Conflict of Interest; What’s Really Behind the Van Jones Attack; Welcome Home, Bush! Josh Harkinson

Sen. David Vitter (R-Formaldehyde) Andy Kroll

Cayman Island Office Building Home to 9,000 Tax Cheats; Civil Rights Groups Defending Predatory Lenders: Priceless; Supreme Court: Taking Care of Business; Tempest in the Tea Party; Where’s Karen Ignagni’s Copay? Why is Obama Backing Bank of America in Court? Stephanie Mencimer

Meet the Birthers Rachel Morris and Daniel Schulman

Banner Week for Big Insurance; Black Ops, Green Groups; Environmental Espionage: Inside a Chemical Company’s Louisiana Spy Op; Government Health Care Kills Granny Dead! Town Halls and the Resurgence of the Radical Right James Ridgeway

There’s Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole James Ridgeway, Daniel Schulman, and David Corn

Animal House in Afghanistan; The Cowboys of Kabul; Palin: Don’t Save the Whales; Palin to Be No-Show at Obama’s Dinner for McCain Daniel Schulman

Chris Dodd’s Personal Bailout; Revolving Door, Bailout Edition Daniel Schulman and Jonathan Stein

The GOP’s Internet Insurgents; John Bolton at CPAC: The Benefits of Nuking Chicago; John Lewis: John McCain’s Wise Man? The John McCain School for Lobbyists; John McCain’s Fannie and Freddie Connections; MoJo Video: Party-Crashing the Democratic National Convention’s Private Back Rooms Jonathan Stein

Photo Essays

Appalachia as the Crow Flies Tim Barnwell

The Last Empire James Whitlow Delano

Hugo Chavez’s Referendum Bryan Derballa

India’s Forgotten Faces Jesse Finfrock and Rachel Lichte

Portraits from the Evangelical Ivy League Jona Frank, text by Hanna Rosin

The Dying Newsroom Marin Gee

Curse of the Black Gold Ed Kashi, text by Michael Watts

Meadowlands Joshua Lutz, text by Robert Sullivan

Inside Hamas Summer Camp Eman Mohammed

Mexican Superheroes Dulce Pinzon

Portraits of Invisible Men Adam Shemper

Guantanamo Bay Still Life Christopher Sims

The Secret Love Letters of Afghan Women Lana Slezic

Paul Stamets and the Holy Grail of Mushrooms Paul Stamets and Andy Isaacson

Central Valley Agriculture Scott Squire

From Russia, With Fear Daro Sulakauri

Everything Must Go Brian Ulrich

“2nd Tour, Hope I Don’t Die” Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos

Cine Ambiental VOCES Andrew David Watson

Foundation for national progress2008/2009 Contributors and Supporters

Publisher’s Circle $10,000+ annuallyAnonymous (2)Janis Adams and John LyonsBarbara BossonJane W. ButcherE. A. ChivingtonPaul ColebrookColombe FoundationCREDO MobileFJC FoundationBud and Mimi FrankelGladys Krieble Delmas FoundationDavid GlasscoGratia Ainslie FoundationGruber Family FoundationIrving Harris FoundationLannan FoundationMcKay FoundationJohn J. McLean EstateRichard and Barbara MelcherRobert MorrisonHope MorrissettCarolyn MugarMark North

Sally O’ConnellJon PagelerPark FoundationChristina PlattSandy PolishukLaurene Powell-JobsSusan and Nicholas PritzkerQuixote FoundationPaula RantzMark A. RobillardRoddick FoundationRosenthal Family FoundationSchooner FoundationNan Schaffer and Karen DixonKevin Dunlap SimmonsNancy Stephens and Rick RosenthalPhilip StrausSurdna FoundationTed Snowdon FoundationJudy Wise and Sheldon BaskinJamie and David WolfAnn M. Wyman

National Affairs Council $5,000 - $9,999 annuallyAnonymous Charles AinslieCynda Collins ArsenaultDylan Disalvio, Alyx Levine and Elan LevineCheryl ForteLouise and Jim FrankelPeter A. FrankelFranklin Conklin FoundationHarris Family FoundationJoshua Mailman FoundationKatz Family FoundationJeanie and Murray KilgourRobert KlausnerLitowitz FoundationNew Belgium Brewing CompanyPaul and Paulette RyanMeredith SpearJennifer and Ted StanleyJulia M. StaschThomas WarnerJoseph and Dana Ziolkowski

Leadership Gifts Society $1,500 - $4,999 annuallyAnonymous (2)Aspen Business Center Foundation / McBride FamilyPamelia C. BarrattKathy Barry and Robert BurnettLaura BelinGene BirminghamDavid BrunelBob BurnettSteve and Midge CarstensenMartin and Elizabeth CohenPaulette ColeCompton FoundationDavid and Vicki CoxMichael ErnstSara L. FrankelJudy GoldLaurie GottliebHobart G. GuionNancy HamiltonDerry HendersonLeo Hindery James C. HormelAndrew Kassoy

Deborah Jeanne KleinowMarkos Kounalakis and Eleni Tsakapoulos-KounsalakisDoug KreegerDwight LawtonLucy and Ken LehmanEvangeline LillySarah LutzRob McKayJane and Dennis MeyerHarle MontgomerySarah Rutherford NicholsJoel NiggAbby McCormick O’Neil and Carroll JoynesConor O’NeilFrances S. PetrocelliBill and Abby SchmellingSidney Stern Memorial TrustStephen M. Silberstein FoundationSteven L. and Mary SwigHerbert A. WestJohn and Tish WinsorAmy Ziering

Hellraisers $500 - $1,499 annuallyAnonymous (13)Suzanne AlexanderAdolph AlmquistSarah AndersonBen and Marlene BagdikianHarriett BalkindHarriet S. BarlowPatrick BarnettHad BeattyKathy BeckSandy BelkindBarbara BellGerald BeyerSuzanne BlueElspeth G. BobbsMichelle Borg and Jackie CuneoLinda A. BoroughsJoan Catherine BraunKathleen BrodineMs. Percy BrowningScott J. and Mavis G. BuginasRobert Burns, MDRay H. BurtonPenelope CabotJames F. CampbellNancy and Andrew E. CarlsonDaniel Casey and Dolores ConnollyJohn Cawley and Ms. Christine Marshall

Jo ChapmanDavid ChepkoMark ColodnyVicki and David CoxJames CrowJames B. DanielsJonathan Dayton and Ms. Valerie FarisSally De WittWilliam G. DempseyKathy DenisonChristina DesserDavid DietelLarry D. Doores and Janet R. WolfeFelix L. du BreuilSonja Duckworth Dudley FoundationJohn DuffyAnne EhrlichAnn EkstromKaren EschenbachPatricia FarrantMelodie G. FeeleyEllen W. FeeneyBrigitte and Gary FleemanPeter FlomJohn FoleyJudith FoleyAudrey Fishman FranklinLyn FrasierFriedman Fund of the Tides Foundation

Mary M. and Talal H. GamaDaniel GenshaftWayne GershDave and Betsy GiffordRabbi Sam Gordon and Patty GerstenblithJanice R. and Raymond M. GrantJerry A. GreenwaldLumina GreenwayLee and Lulu GrodzinsEthan D. GrossmanHackberry Endowment PartnersThomas HagerJay Harris and Marcia CohenBarbara HaysJames D. Heiden and Susan PetersonSusan R. HelperSvend HestoftBowman HinckleyLindsay HumpalMahendra HundalLura C. HutchinsonMarjorie ImmonenJohn JanzarukCyrus JohnsonLois JosephAlan L. KatzDonna Katzin and Alan Altschuler

Stephen KaufmanEugene J. KettnerMichael and Frances KieschnickJeffrey KimballCharles KirekerRhoda KittelsenThomas B. KnoedlerHelen P. LaddCherlie Larson and Ms. Diana WiegelJulie LeflerMichael H. LiljaCory and Debbie LipoffRuth A. LucasEduardo J. MaglioneDaniel C. MaguireTimothy J. MaloneyGeorge Martin EsqTed MaysJames McGrathPeter J. McNabbBrian MeisterSteven MelendezRobert MichaanShayle MillerMarjorie MinotWayne and Jan MitchellRobert A. MoeserKenneth F. Mountcastle and Katharine B. MountcastleMarc A. Musick and Mary Rose

Grace Allen NewtonDorothy J. NiccollsBeverly Brazier Noun and Bob NounKathleen O’GradyPatrick O’HeffernanNora OlgyayDavid B. Olsen and Diana DillawayMarte ParhamJay PattinTheresa PerenichHilary E. PerkinsRoland H. Pesch and Kathleen A. RosskophRonald PhelonGenny PlamondonMary Jane PollackGeorge PostRevenge Is, LLCRonald Leroy RichardsGayle RichardsonL. Richardson, Jr.Randolph E. RichardsonRod and Sherry RinellAnne L. RobinsonHadley RoffSievert and Brigitte RohwerPaul RomanoFrank Roosevelt

Rubblestone FoundationSabbatino Family Funding TrustAmi G. SadlerSandbox Studio ChicagoStephen SaksBettylu and Paul SaltzmanLilli Scheye and Norman ShapiroSteven R. SchildPaul SchwarzbaumRoy L. SchweyerThomas ScruggsPhilip SemasMichael A. and La Donna R. SheaRobert T. and Nancy E. SheetsWilliam ShieldsC. D. ShortRichard SimmondsJulius SlazinskiJohn L. SmithSheila Smith and Edwin T. CregoSamuel G. SolittJonathan SpeakerMarcella SpinottiEllen Ruth Stone BelicFred StrickhouserJim Struve and Jeff BellAnn L. StuetzerGilbert Tauck

David N. TaylorJanice TazelaarJack TheimerWilliam and Catherine TislarMargaret B. TitusBrenton VerPloegMarilyin VitaleBarbara L. WalkerBelinda WalkerDavid WardenJennifer Alter Warden and Rob WardenPhilip F. WarnerDebbie WeeterRobert WeinstockJan A. WellsNancy and Christian WernerJim and Mary WhiteStephen D. WhiteLeslie WilburAndrea L. WilliamsDan WilsonWinky FoundationTheodore and Gertrude WinsbergGuy WolfJoshua and Laura Wolf-PowersPat Wright and Paul HeffronGordon M. YoungerCharles ZimmerAnaïs Zoë

Muckrakers $250 - $499 annuallyAnonymous (4)Clarence M. AblowMichele AbruzzoPeter AlexeasBernard AlfredAles J. AllanKeith AllemanJudith AllenLucy AllenRichard AmesDinah AndersenMary E. AndersonKathy AragonGeorges AstieOlivia AtchersonJohn F. AuchLinda BaileyGregory F. BallFord Ballantyne, IIIDelores A. BarbeauMiriam BarberenaAllen BarryM. BarstadMichael D. BartanenP. L. BaylessGeorge BeardRuth A. BeckerSuzanne I. BehrMagnus BennedsenBill BerreyesaRobert BerryEdward BetzigMargaret Bishop

Dawn Black-FoxMolly BlackwellElizabeth K. BlattRobert BlizardFaith BlumenfeldMitchell Boers and Stephanie Long BoersFrederick BolandRobert BolandAllan BonneyDaniel K. BorregardDavid and Lupe BotelloBeth and Don BowmanMartha BoykinsDonna Branch-GilbyKate BreckenridgeS. G. Bridges Jr.Harriet B. BrittainDuward BrownWilliam W. BrownVirginia C. BrowneMarianne BrumbyDarryl BullingtonEdward BurkeDale K. and Carolyn P. BurtnerKarl BuscemiIsolde CahillPatricia CaldwellLee E. CampbellElaine CapenScott Carlson

James and Cecilia CarravallahCarol CartwrightJeff ChantonMary Xakellis ChapmanBob ChristiansonEllen ChungLouis CinquinoJane ClarkStephanie ClarkRobert ClarkeMary ClevelandMark D. Colie

Bill CollierBasil A. and Lucy L. CollinsHugh C. ColmanCharles L. Conlon, M. D.Fred ConsortiJohn M. CoppolaPhillip CorinRobert CreaseySusan CrockerAndrew CrowleyGail CrumpKate Culver

Craig CummingsHeather CurtisJo Anna DaleAndrew DavisClarence DavisStewart DavisJanet DavisonEugene DawberPatrick DawsonAlice and Lincoln DayWilliam DeppNorman Dessel, Ph. D.

Giovanna DevenyJohn DewareSara DewittMorris and Shirley DiamondMarilyn DinklemeyerJoan DionMartin DodgeDoris DortPatricia DoughertyDonn DouglassNellie DroesJ. C. DuncanStephen DunstonHugh DurkanDavid EarlyHal H. and Patricia S. Eby

Miriam EdwardsJulie EichenbergerScott EliasPhyllis L. ElliottMargaret EllisSean and Pat EltonSusan EricksonIgnacio EstradaRonald F. and Bonnie J. EttingerHildegarde EvansRichard FarrellW. John FaustJoel FedderElizabeth and Lewis FellowsHarvey Fernbach M.D., MPH

David FerrazzaJane FikeMartha FleischmanDennis FlemingDennis N. FortinRichard FoyE. Aracclis FrancisElizabeth A. FranksRichard FreemonPatricia FriebertBarbara FudgeJohn GeilRobert A. GellerLinda GochfeldKenneth Goertz, M.D.Phyllis GoldMary GoodmanShahna N. GooneratnePatricia GordonHilda GouldZadelle Krasow GreenblattErica GreerJohn F. GrimJoyce R. GriswoldRoger L. HaleKathryn B. HamiltonHarry E. HardebeckPhyllis HardsSarah HarkinsonWalter HarrisonCarol HartmanMichelle Harvey

George Heine and Janet BarnettErik HenryJo A. HerrJohn A. HerronLeslie A. HessRichard and Beverly R. HesterNancy HeyserPaul I. HicockWilliam HigaCatherine HillenbrandHoward W. HoardBart HobijnSharlene HodgesNancy HoltAlbert Schiller Hook

Leland HopkinsCharles HovisAlice Q. HowardCarole HubbsMax E. and Jan M. HuntWilliam E. HuntGeneva HydeNigel JaquissDavid JefferyJoel JensenAndrea JohnsonBarbara JohnsonShirley T. Johnson

Oskar KaaringPhil KallasMike KappusDavid KasperekMark KeigiValerie KelleherGary KernChandler KetchumR. S. KiewitKatharine KingRobert KipperH. KitsonDonald Klenk

Stuart KlugmanJohn KoehlerEvelyn M. KoenigCharlotte KoomjohnLorraine KosstrinTracy KoyE. KrallPaul KraskaJoan KrollCharles A. KromerAlice KutzJames LambJoyce LandinghamJoe LaneNadene Lane

Mark C. LarsonJack P. LaverickBarbara I. and Christopher R. LawlessArlene LeeFranklin LeeStephen LeeEileen M. and Paul F. LefortIra S. Leibin and Carmen Urquiza-LeibinFred LeonardJess and Mary LevineSharona A. LevyKaren L. LewPaul LindseyFrank Lipman, M.D.Dennis LisoC. J. Livingston

Diane LookmanMatthew LoschenBonnie LounsburyMarlin E. LowryThomas LutgensMichael LynchJerald LyonGlenn LyonsGraham MadaraszMartin MarcusSusan and Bill MarineRobert MarshallIla Anne MaslarPhyllis MaslowLaura MasonerAnja MastGail E. MautnerJay MayerJeffrey Mayersohn

Muckrakers (continued)

Patrick McCormickCharles McGinleyWilliam R. McLeanAndrew McMichaelBarbara J. MeislinMaryann Milano-PicardiCaryle B. MillerFrances MillerEdward P. MinerTifani MootChristina MoraskiTheresa J. MorehouseSusan E. MorelliMichele MorganWilliam MorrillStacy MosherMatthew MullaneRobert MyersShirin NashLynne NathanMary J. NefedovJim NelsonPhilip NessJean G. NicholasJohn H. Noel, IIIDoris NorritoJohnson OlatundeGregory and Rebecca Ann OldaniTod A. OlsonMay O’NealJames PalmerRichard ParsonsChristine A. Paszkiet

Dorab PatelThomas T. PaukertC. PawleyTom PennyRichard PerlRosetta PervanE. Blake PetersonVijay PoduriAmanda PollackLeslie Fay PomerantzMurray PotterRichard PowellJ. PuseyJames and Margherita RaugustMargaret C. RawlinsMildred ReedWilliam ReedKatharin ReevesCharles ReyesAnna L. ReynoldsKeith RichardDorothy RiesterJan RinehartJudy RingkvistRMF FoundationStephen RobertsEddie RobinetteGail RobinsonRobert and Donna RoseBarry RosenthalCol. Joseph H. Rouse and Dolores Ann Robb

David RutherfordMarianne SalcettiMarianne SantarelliK. ScarboroughRichard J. SchichtMichele and Jay SchindlerRobert SchmidtJohn L. SchroederK. SchultzJohn Schwartz and Diane MarkrowMary ScullyMichael T. SeamanDerek SeymourPatricia ShalerJuliet K. SharrockDane ShelleyBeverly SilvaLee SilverBarbara L. SimmonsMichael L. SimpsonGary SislerT. Slavik and G. SlavikBruce C. SmithDean SousanisWilliam SteifTimothy and Visakha M. SteinMartha StephensonElizabeth and Ojars StikisChristopher A. StokesT. StoneWilliam S. Strain

George StranahanNancy StreetLaura StrongMoira C. SuterGeoffrey SwensonRichard TaberMay TakayanagiCharles TalmageGeorge H. TalmanNancy F. TaonoSarah TaylorStephen TeiglandWayne TerrellJudith L. TharpKeith Thobe

Donald ThompsonMaria ThompsonWilliam TierneyBarbara TilleyFranklin Torrence Betty TottenJoe ToyoshimaDavid TuckerJane TurnerNicholas TurnerRobert O. TylerSolveiga UngerMartin UsherRoger VaagenTom van DyckLadonna M. and Robert J. Versteeg

Richard B. WaidArlen WallumFred WalterBobbie C. WaltonJane WaltonKurt WarmbierCynthia K. WarnerKate C. WattTimothy WeilandGayle WeinbergDolores WeltyGerald WhiteWalter WhitlockJohn Whitty and Martha Baker WhittyChristin WillRose WilliamsVerna Z. Wilmeth

David Scofield WilsonCharles WiltseHelene WinebergMarilyn WinninghamLauress WiseRuss and Kath WitneyGary C. Woodward and Jan E. RobbinsRobert WorthAudrey WreszinMichael E. WrightThomas F. WrightJohn WustmanAmy YenkinGertrude YoungIra YurdinMichael Zemsky

Muckrakers (continued)

the Mary Harris Jones legacy Society

Anonymous (2) Harriet S. Barlow Gene Birmingham Joan Catherine Braun Bobby Brown John Howard Bryson Jane W. Butcher Steve and Midge Carstensen Frank H. Carter Elsie Ann ChivingtonPaul Colebrook Geneva Folsom and Lisa Folsom-ErnstCheryl Forté Martin Russell Hamelin Helen J. Honeck Marjorie Jasper Alice Lazerowitz Holger A. Lerche Elizabeth Marcus Anita Martin Gore John J. McLean Sara Meric Robert Morrison Glenn Norris Beverly and Bob Noun B.J. Novitski Sally O’Connell Nora Olgyay Hilary PerkinsGoldwina Nelson Phillips Christina Platt

Thomas E. Rosenbaum Lois Rowley Robert L. Schafer Virgil L. SwangoJudith S. Van Schaack Rose Volkman Thomas WarnerJanice WheelockDick WoodElizabeth A. Wood Marilyn Ruth Dudine Woodruff and Arthur Edson Woodruff

In 1975, Mother Jones magazine was named after Mary Harris Jones, a great American orator, organizer, hellraiser, and heroine. Mother Jones battled corporate elites and politicians, went to jail repeatedly for organizing workers, and converted tens of thousands of Americans to the labor movement. A longtime champion of laws to end child labor, she continued as a union organizer and agitator into her 90s. At the height of her influence, a strike-busting prosecutor called Mother Jones “the most dangerous woman in America.” Her fearless and passionate leadership inspires Mother Jones magazine and she is a reminder that we all have the capacity to inspire, the passion to change, and the courage to lead. The Mary Harris Jones Legacy Society honors those who have included Mother Jones in their estate plans.

2009 Board of Directors

Christina Platt Berkeley, California Co-Chair

Phil Straus Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Co-Chair

Jay Harris San Francisco, California President

Monika Bauerlein Oakland, California Vice President

Clara Jeffery San Francisco, California Vice President

Steven Katz Fairfax, California Vice President

Mark North Berkeley, California Treasurer

Sara Frankel New York, New York Secretary

Mac McClelland San Francisco, California Staff Representative

Daniel Schulman Washington, District of Columbia Staff Representative

Harriet Barlow Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jane Butcher Boulder, Colorado

Judith Anne Gold Chicago, Illinois

Erik Hanisch Seattle, Washington

Adam Hochschild San Francisco, California

Robert McKay San Francisco, California

Richard Melcher Glencoe, Illinois

Hope Morrissett Boulder, Colorado

Carolyn Mugar Cambridge, Massachusetts

Jon Pageler New York, New York

Susan S. Pritzker Chicago, Illinois

Paul Ryan Fairfax, California

Kevin Dunlap Simmons Chicago, Illinois

Alicia Wittink Washington, DC

Emeritus Board

Peter Barnes Marjorie Craig Benton Russell Budd Dr. Price Cobbs Geoff Cowan Ronald Dellums Christina Desser Robert Glaser Danny Goldberg Victor Gotbaum Stanley Hill Al Meyerhoff Susan Bay Nimoy Beverley Brazier Noun Sally O’Connell David Olsen Andy Patrick Thomas Peters Rabbi John Rosove Marlene Saritzky Chara Schreyer Steve Silberstein Jeri Smith-Fornara Julia Stasch Rose Styron John Tirman Mark Tukman Judy Wise Mike Woo

2009 Foundation for national progress Staff

Madeleine Buckingham Chief Executive Officer and President

Steven Katz Publisher

Monika Bauerlein Co-Editor

Clara Jeffery Co-Editor

Editorial

Dave Gilson Senior Editor

Mike Mechanic Senior Editor

Elizabeth Gettelman Managing Editor

Laura McClure Multimedia Editor

Kiera Butler Associate Editor

Celia Perry Research Editor

Jen Phillips Assistant Editor

Josh Harkinson Reporter

Mac McClelland Human Rights Repoter

Kevin Drum Political Blogger

Julia Whitty Environmental Correspondent

Washington DC Bureau

David Corn Bureau Chief

James Ridgeway Senior Correspondent

Daniel Schulman News Editor

Rachel Morris Articles Editor

Nick Baumann Assistant Editor

Stephanie Mencimer Reporter

Art & Production

Tim J Luddy Creative Director

Carolyn Perot Art Director

Mark Murmann Photo Editor

Claudia Smukler Production Director

MotherJones.com

Robert Wise Webmaster

Celine Nadeau Web Developer

Young Kim Web Producer

Development, Membership & Communications

Kevin Walter Associate Publisher, Membership

Richard Reynolds Communications Director

Amber Hewins Circulation Director

Laurin Asdal Director of Development

Peter Meredith Promotions Manager

Stephanie Green Development Associate

Alison Parker Membership Coordinator

Advertising

Khary Brown Integrated Advertising Director

Jeff Cosgrove Advertising Account Manager

Lisa McQueen Integrated Advertising Representative

Rose Miller Integrated Advertising Coordinator

Dylan DiSalvia Advertising Research Assistant

Administration

Myna Chiem Controller

Ed Homich Technology Director

Emma Logan Director of Human Resources

Kevin Medford Business Manager

Ross Montgomery IT Technician

Cathy Rodgers Accounting Coordinator

Samantha Schaberg Administrative Assistant

Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program 2008/2009

Brittney Andres

Steve Aquino

Sam Baldwin

Alexandra Bezdikian

Ben Buchwalter

Jessica Calefati

Michelle Chandra

Rachael DeWitt

Justin Elliott

Jesse Finfrock

Alexis Fitts

Kathleen Nye Flynn

Nikki Gloudeman

Corbin Hiar

Neha Inamdar

Andy Kroll

Daniel Luzer

Stephanie Lowe

Cassie McGettigan

Stephen Robert Morse

Gary Moskowitz

Casey Miner

Lauren R. Rice

Sonja Sharp

Andre Sternberg

Joyce Tang

Marian Wang

Taylor Wiles

Carolyn Winter

Nichole Wong

Statement of Activities: 2008

Total Revenues & Support: $10,626,183

Total Expenses: $10,646,742

Membership $2,007,859 19%

Single issue sales $502,434 5%

List rentals $357,578 3%

Royalties $26,247 0.2%

Advertising $1,248,671 12%

Other $85,771 0.8%

Grants and Contributions $6,397,623 60%

Total program activities $8,384,399 79%

Live from Main Street $233,294 2 %

The Media Consortium $458,173 4%

MotherJones.com $748,561 7%

Journal production and distribution $1,158,897 11%

Research and Editorial $3,714,475 35%

Outreach $385,696 4%

Membership $1,685,303 16%

Total supporting services $2,262,343 21%

Development $1,306,675 12%

Advertising sales $785,435 7%

General and administrative $170,233 2%

Statement of Activities: 2009

Total Revenues & Support: $9,381,643

Total Expenses: $9,249,105

Membership $3,032,430 32%

Single issue sales $365,910 4%

List rentals $208,312 2%

Royalties $20,991 0.2%

Advertising $870,292 9%

Sponsorship $10,616 0.1%

Other $89,753 1%

Grants and Contributions $4,783,339 51%

Total program activities $7,638,171 83%

The Media Consortium $301,071 3%

MotherJones.com $517,197 6%

Journal production and distribution $1,070,563 12%

Research and Editorial $3,393,304 37%

Outreach $123,490 1%

Membership $2,232,546 24%

Total supporting services $1,610,934 21%

Development $650,386 7%

Advertising sales $641,601 7%

General and administrative $318,947 3%

2008 Revenues & expensesTotal Revenues and Support

Grants and contributions $6,397,623

Membership $2,007,859

Single issue sales $502,434

List rentals $357,578

Royalties $26,247

Advertising $1,248,671

Sponsorships $0

Other $85,771

Total support, revenue and classifications $10,626,183

Expenses

program activities:

Membership $1,685,303

Outreach $385,696

Research and editorial $3,714,475

Journal production and distribution $1,158,897

MotherJones.com $748,561

The Media Consortium $458,173

Live from Main Street $233,294

Total program activities $8,384,399

supporting services:

Development $1,306,675

Advertising sales $785,435

General and administrative $170,233

Total supporting services $2,262,343

Total expenses $10,646,742

Assets

current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents $310,821

Accounts receivable $565,826

Contributions receivable $200,719

Prepaid expenses $150,501

Total current assets $1,227,867

Fixed assets (net of depreciation) $104,057

Other assets $31,037

Total assets $1,362,961

Liabilities and Net Assets

current liabilities:

Line of credit $200,000

Accounts payable $815,186

Accrued expenses $500,976

Current portion of notes payable $29,017

Current portion of deferred subscription revenue $702,078

Total current liabilites $2,247,257

Notes payable, net $110,308

Deferred rent $131,081

Deferred subscription revenue net $824,349

Total liabilities $3,312,995

net assets (deficit):

Unrestricted net assets: $(2,380,835)

Temporarily restricted $430,801

Net assets $1,950,034

Total liabilities and net assets (deficit) $(1,362,961)

Change in net assets (deficit) $(20,559)

Beginning net assets (deficit) $(1,929,475)

Ending net assets (deficit) $(1,950,034)

2009 Revenues & expensesTotal Revenues and Support

Grants and contributions $4,783,339

Membership $3,032,430

Single issue sales $365,910

List rentals $208,312

Royalties $20,991

Advertising $870,292

Sponsorships $10,616

Other $89,753

Total support, revenue and classifications $9,381,643

Expenses

program activities:

Membership $2,232,546

Outreach $123,490

Research and editorial $3,393,304

Journal production and distribution $1,070,563

MotherJones.com $517,197

The Media Consortium $301,071

Live from Main Street $0

Total program activities $7,638,171

supporting services:

Development $650,386

Advertising sales $641,601

General and administrative $318,947

Total supporting services $1,610,934

Total expenses $9,249,105

Assetscurrent assets:

Cash and cash equivalents $182,263

Accounts receivable $427,749

Contributions receivable $91,175

Prepaid expenses $122,624

Total current assets $823,811

Fixed assets (net of depreciation) $83,146

Other assets $30,085

Total assets $937,042

Liabilities and Net Assetscurrent liabilities:

Line of credit $200,000

Accounts payable $535,446

Accrued expenses $497,044

Current portion of notes payable $29,006

Current portion of deferred subscription revenue $963,303

Total current liabilities $2,224,799

Notes payable, net $68,910

Deferred rent $94,256

Deferred subscription revenue net $366,573

Total liabilities $2,754,538net assets (deficit)

Unrestricted net assets: $(2,405,404)

Temporarily restricted $587,908

Net assets $(1,817,496)

Total liabilities and net assets (deficit) $937,042

Change in net assets (deficit) $132,538

Beginning net assets (deficit) $(1,950,034)

Ending net assets (deficit) $(1,817,496)

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Gifts of stock

You can help amplify the voice of independent media and simultaneously reduce your tax bill by making a gift of stock. By donating appreciated stocks, bonds, and mutual-fund shares that you have owned for more than a year, you can completely avoid capital-gains tax and receive an income-tax deduction for the fair market value of your gift. To make a gift of stock, ask your broker to transfer the shares to the Foundation for National Progress. The transfer should be coded as follows:

Charles Schwab Schwab One Account Foundation for National Progress, dba Mother Jones Magazine Tax ID #: 94-2282759 Account #: 4176-1072 DTC Clearing 0164, Code 40