About this project

Image saying "Democracy is not a spectator sport"
Photo by Jon Tyson / Unsplash
The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate.

That's a quote from Thomas Jefferson, and it's super-relevant to our situation today. Our schools aren't doing enough to create an educated electorate, and most of our journalists are doing a terrible job.

Journalists aren't singularly responsible for the disastrous outcome of the 2024 elections. But if this is the last gasp for liberal democracy – and basic human rights including freedom of speech – in America, they will share the responsibility.

What can we do now? What can I do now?

With this newsletter, I hope to bring you news and commentary that will help you fully grasp the vastly worse conditions we are likely to face in the Trump presidency – and help you respond to them. Trump's regime will become a dictatorship unless a genuine and effective resistance coalesces.

But resisting isn't enough. Liberal democracy and progressive policies need champions, workers, and funders: a cadre of people who want to turn resistance into rebuilding. I'll do what I can to help.


Please share items from this site that strike you as useful. I hope you'll also help me find the useful links. Send your suggestions!

**

A little about me: I spent almost 25 years as a journalist, including a stint covering regional and national politics. My primary focus for the 15 latter years of my journalism career was technology and tech policy. After leaving the media business, I taught at the Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. You can find out more about me on my personal website.

**

Again, I need your help. Please subscribe, and share the coverage we share with you.

This site is free to read. To comment, please sign up – you don't need to subscribe, but this is the best way for me to deter spammers and trolls.

Several subscribers have asked me to set up a tip jar, however, and I'm leaning toward doing that.


Why I am using Ghost for this newsletter

  1. It works for me, and for a number of excellent newletter writers. The basic software is open-source, with a paid hosting component (much like WordPress).
  2. Ghost isn't Substack. (Here is why that's important.)
  3. Ghost is building an ecosystem.

Special thanks to Ryan Singel of Outpost, a publishing cooperative for Ghost users, for his help in getting this together.


Start your own thing

Enjoying the experience? Get started for free and set up your very own subscription business using Ghost, the same platform that powers this website.

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to The cornerstone of democracy....

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.