Most media organizations have a "business" section, which is usually redundant given how corporate media covers business and labour issues. The Globe and Mail declared, "The postal workers have been acting against their own interests by holding rotating strikes." CTV ran this G & M headline: "Hate the Air Canada strike? Write them a letter. Oh, wait." The Toronto Star went with "Canada Post: Thank the union for the lockout," the list goes on.

Voices are rising in Canada, from Senate page Brigette DePape's "Stop Harper" protest, to postal workers striking for decent work, to unions and communities fighting back against the attacks on public service, to a freedom festival on the anniversary of the G20, to actions on the environment, child care and beyond, Canadians are standing up.

At rabble.ca we get by with help from our friends but this last Friday we got a special treat. Like most non-profits we find that mailing out support letters is a great way to get a good response from folks. We usually try to gather volunteers and have a bit of fun with stuffing envelopes but we weren't sure what our volunteer count was going to be last Friday for our May membership mailing, though we were told we might get a nice surprise.  

Since day one, every section of rabble.ca has been free to use. While that is true of a number of other online media sources the times are a changin' and more media are a chargin'.

Not us. We are committed to keeping rabble free -- free to use and free from corporate ownership.

But of course, rabble isn't free to operate. We have an annual budget that is about a quarter of the budget of similar organizations, and that is less than the salary of a single news anchor in some bigger media outlets. We can only be free to use if a lot of folks pitch in a bit.

"If anyone was to be perturbed by a Harper majority, it's the folks at rabble.ca, the left-wing online news site." Sarah Boesveld - National Post, May 4, 2011

That's for sure. At least we are in good company, very large company. But not "large company" like the media conglomerates who endorsed Mr. Harper and the Conservatives for the election claiming he has "shown leadership. . . and discipline" (Globe and Mail) or that he brings "stability" (National Post) to Canada. Big media can't be trusted to tell the real story on issues that matter most to you. Canada's big media can be found toying around with the climate crisis, beating war drums, disparaging labour, supporting corporate tax cuts and more. The fact is they just aren't that into you.

"If anyone was to be perturbed by a Harper majority, it's the folks at rabble.ca, the left-wing online news site." Sarah Boesveld - National Post, May 4, 2011

Dear Friends:

Well, at least the National Post got one thing right. If, like us, you are still in the second stage of grief - anger - then we have an outlet for you: support rabble.

Weeeeee're back! You know the story. We think rabble.ca is pretty special but one thing that doesn't set us apart is that like all community media organizations we depend on membership to keep going. Today is the last day of our summer membership drive where you can still get our bonus gifts -- signed copies of great books by some of the most exciting authors around (no tote bags here).