Just before the midterms, I tweeted a silly meme I made about voting. It was retweeted. And retweeted and retweeted. And then it ended up in several meme round-ups, including Buzzfeed and Huffington Post.
Me voting in 2016 vs me voting in 2018 pic.twitter.com/wM8l1uGvLe
— Jennifer Reitman (@JenniferReitman) November 5, 2018
At the time of this writing, it’s been retweeted 28,619 times and liked 115,450. I’ve been thinking about the reaction to that tweet, which got me thinking about the work we do at DAME. How the work of our contributors resonates with so many—the profoundness of their ideas and their words, their poignant essays, and nuanced analysis around complex issues. I want every piece we publish to get the same reaction as that silly tweet of mine.
But we can’t do that without your help.
We want to withstand the algorithmic whims of Google and Facebook. We want to remain independent and to be accountable to you, our readers, not to venture capitalists. DAME is one of very few media outlets that is 100 percent owned and edited by women, and when it comes to shaping the narrative, representation matters. With women comprising 51 percent of the population but holding only one-third of all media jobs, one of our primary goals is to is ensure that what we publish accurately reflects the issues important to more than half the population.
And so we have a goal to bring in $35,000 in new monthly memberships by the end of the year. That means adding at least 5,000 new monthly members.
Yes, I know that it’s an ambitious goal. But with your help, we can do it. Whether you can give $4.99 a month, $12.50 a month, or even just $1, you can help us continue in our mission and commitment to balance the media equation. You can imagine how a lot of people giving just a little bit truly adds up.
And you can help us hit our goal even faster by sharing our membership link with your friends.
We’re so excited about everything we have planned for 2019: We’ll be bringing you new seasons of our podcasts, Sip On This with Ashley Nicole Black and The Fifty One, as well as launching new ones. We’ll have deep dive editorial packages on topics such as reinventing government, the importance of friendships, the myth of generation wars, and exploring what “power” means. And, of course, much more work from our incredible stable of columnists and contributors.
I truly believe in independent, fearless media, and the role DAME serves, and I know you do, too. It’s a role that ensures the narrative is fair, that otherwise silenced voices are amplified and that stories that often go untold get the attention they deserve.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support, for being a reader, and for becoming a member!
Jennifer Reitman
Founder, Publisher