The 2024 election season is upon us. At stake is nothing less than our democracy. In that context, no region of the country is more discussed and debated than the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. And no region has been more harmed by disinformation and extremist propaganda. Meanwhile, there are fewer and fewer journalists at the border to push back against the harmful rhetoric.
This is why The Border Chronicle was created: to provide people with accurate reporting that has context and analysis, and to amplify voices from border communities. We believe the U.S.-Mexico borderlands are beautiful. Fronterizas/os volunteer their time to help others, save lives, and solve problems. They speak multiple languages, come from different cultures, and participate in cross-border solidarity. The border region is so many things, and it’s so much more interesting and complex than how it’s portrayed in the racist, impoverished “threat” narrative that has been fed to us for years, mostly by right-wing politicians and their media backers, to further political careers and feed the insatiable border security industry.
That’s why we’re asking you today to help us push back against the border haters. There are two ways you can help us.
1. Donate to our end-of-year fundraiser. We’ll use your money to hire more freelance reporters to cover more issues, such as the environment and Border Patrol accountability. Your donations are tax deductible. And please share with friends and family. The algorithms are against us, so we need your help!
2. Support our podcasts and reporting with a paid subscription. We have more than 9,000 subscribers, but only a small portion of those underwrite our work with a paid subscription. (We still don’t make a living from The Border Chronicle.) A subscription is just $6 a month, or a discounted $60 a year. That’s the cost of one fancy coffee a month, a bargain! We also offer a founding member’s subscription for $125, which comes with two additional annual paid subscriptions and our everlasting thanks! And ’tis the season: gift that special someone with a Border Chronicle gift subscription!
We have many exciting things planned in the coming weeks, including a podcast with Amali Tower, founder and director of the nonprofit Climate Refugees, who will be speaking about the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which starts November 30 in Dubai. We will also have a discussion thread, hosted by Todd, on U.S. border policies abroad. Todd’s article on border externalization spurred a lot of questions and comments, so we thought it would make for a great discussion. Discussion threads are just one of the perks we offer paid subscribers. Melissa will also be spending a week in Texas, reporting on Texas governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
Also, we want to hear from you! What do you like about The Border Chronicle, and what would you like to see more of? Since the get-go, we have considered our work to be a rich discussion with our audience, and we remain committed to bringing you more discussion threads and public forums. We’ve also begun accepting essays and op-eds.
If there are issues in your border community that need to be exposed or people whose work you’d really like to amplify, please let us know. You can reach us confidentially at theborderchronicle@protonmail.com. We’d love to hear from you. Plus, we’ll send you a Border Chronicle bumper sticker.
Thank you for supporting The Border Chronicle. We couldn’t do this without you.
Un abrazo desde Tucson,
Melissa & Todd
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