Twice each year--Bluestem asks readers who enjoy reading the blog to make a contribution if they are able. It's that time of year again. (This page will remain at the top of the blog until the "bleg" ends--those looking for new content should scroll down, or better yet, "like" our Facebook page or subscribe).
Why support an independent blog? Along with picking up rural news from Greater Minnesota newspapers, Bluestem often breaks material before more traditional media finds the story.
We started carrying round-ups from Greater Minnesota of news, editorials and letters critical of the voter restriction amendment when other Twin Cities media, blogs and tweeps still thought that rural Minnesota loved photo ID.
We were the first Minnesota blog to consistently cover the growing sandstorm over silica mining.
While other blogs still wrote under the impression that last week's random ballot pull was a break for Mary Franson's opponent, we dug into the data and calculated that the odds were in favor of her margin widening. Her margin increased by ten votes.
In the national press? Just last week, Mother Jones' Tim Murphy shared material in our Edwatch Delphi Technique post.
Our round-up on the drain of ALEC members in the Minnesota legislature was used by PRWatch's ALEC Exposed project article about ALEC losses nationwide--and appeared in online publications like TruthOut.
Just this morning, our look at Cindy Pugh's assessment of voters as " illiterate, disengaged & lazy" was picked up by the City Pages.
You get the picture--and there's more in the works--but it doesn't happen for free. That's why we depend on readers (we'd take conventional advertising--just ask) to throw a little coin this way.
Where else can you read investigative blogging--and telenovelas like Emo Senator as well?
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