Supporting the Guardian

I usually start my day taking a look around the world to see what's going on. The look includes perusing three websites, the CBC, the Guardian and Al Jazeera, and sometimes others if my curiosity persists.

All of these are offered free, and freeloading had began to bother my conscience a little. Gathering and collating the news as these fine sources do is a very expensive business, and I thought I should be paying my dues, as I did in the old days when I subscribed to a daily paper. The CBC I pay for through my taxes, so no conscience problem there. Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar (the richest country in the world per capita) and partially funded by the ruling and filthy rich Thani family, so it doesn't really need my few dollars.

The Guardian is a different matter. It has to earn its income from readers and advertisers. Unfortunately, as with much of the media, advertising is dropping off while many readers, and I used to be one of them, exploit the free access. Some online media charge but, so far, not the Guardian. Owned by the non-profit Scott Trust Limited, the Guardian pays no dividends but rather plows any profits back into journalism. The trust's role is purely to "secure the editorial and financial independence of the Guardian."

One of the world's premier media, the Guardian offers a liberal view while often presenting stories of great import hard to find elsewhere. For instance, it broke the Edward Snowden story, revealing the disturbing extent to which the American and British governments were spying on citizens and their leaders around the world.

In order to maintain its high standard of journalism, and its independence, the Guardian welcomes donations. Living in Calgary where all four dailies are conservative, I find a liberal voice welcome and well-worth paying for. For others who wish to support outstanding news-gathering spiced with cogent analysis, you can become a Guardian supporter here or make a one-off contribution here.