I know I’m not the only one this has happened to. I’m surfing the web, and some nugget of information jumps out at me. It’s not from a major news source, or one of the big blogs, but something like a minor document at a government website. "Wow! Wait ’til Emptywheel hears about this."
I’m pumped. I’m excited. I. Am. Flying.
I click my Emptywheel bookmark, open a new tab in my browser, and I’m already mentally composing what I’ll put into the comment box: "I found it! It’s the key to the latest mystery . . ." Marcy’s homepage loads, and my head crashes into the keyboard.
She’s already on it.
Has been for hours, actually. Disappointment quickly gives way to delight, however, as I read what she’s already been able to do with the small nugget I thought I had found.
Admit it — this has happened to you, hasn’t it?
Or maybe it’s been worse. I find that nugget, I go to Emptywheel, and behold: she’s *not* talking about it already! A scoop! I’ve got a scoop to pass to Marcy!!! I post my comment, giddy with excitement, and then wait for it to get noticed. It’s tough to keep from reloading the page every fifteen seconds, but I can hold out for at least a minute because I know — I know! — just how much my news will make a difference.
Then comes the comment — "I posted on that about six months ago" (with a link, of course).
Think about it. How many times have you read Marcy and said something to yourself like . . .
- "Why didn’t I see that?"
- "How in the world did she think of that?"
- "#^%*$!!! There goes my half-written post . . ."
- "I was just about to say that myself."
Marcy reads. Then she thinks. Then she reads some more. Then she digs. All the while, she’s making her timelines and taking notes. She posts, and then she listens as readers chime in with theories and evidence and arguments of their own. She gets into the discussion in the comments, she sifts, she posts again (happily giving credit to her readers), she listens some more, and she goes back to the weeds and digs a little deeper. And the best part of this story is this: when people know Marcy is digging, her regular readers start to salivate and those with something to hide start to perspire.
This makes me smile.
One of my favorite little games it to imagine the reactions of others to the posts that Marcy puts up — especially the ones that go deep in the weeds to unearth things that Teh Evil People want to remain buried. People like telecom lawyers, after reading what Marcy has parsed out from some footnote in a congressional report about their client’s warrantless wiretapping. People like Scooter Libby’s legal team, after Marcy dissects the foolish arguments they made in court — and doing it in real time, as she liveblogs the trial, for all the world to see! People like TradMed editors, after she takes apart a story they’ve published, making them look like idiots, stenographers, or accessories to the crimes they are allegedly covering. People like congressional investigators, stymied in their progress until they read Emptywheel.
- "Damn bloggers."
- "I’ve got an entire newsroom of reporters crawling all over DC, and not one of you came up with this story?"
- "$^%&@ — She’s on to us!"
- "Now that’s an interesting development. At tomorrow’s hearing, make sure the boss asks about . . ."
Imagine if the CIA hired Marcy to do interrogations and analysis. If any of the various House and Senate committees were serious about digging into governmental misconduct — torture, warrantless wiretapping, outing inconvenient covert agents — they’d have hired Marcy long ago. But they haven’t.
Jane, however, is trying to do just that. A while back, she persuaded Marcy to set up shop here with her own little pad at FDL, and last Tuesday, Jane took things a step further:
I’ve been trying for months to get funding for Marcy so she can do what she does full time. I’ve been turned down by every major donor and donor representative I’ve asked. They’d rather create their own "astroturf" blogs. . .
It appears that the only way that Marcy and others are going to be supported to do investigative work past the minimal amount advertising can provide is if it comes directly from readers.
So we’re launching a campaign today. We want to raise $150,000 to support Marcy, another investigative blogger to work with her, and a researcher to help them.
You can make your contribution here, and as of 8:30 AM FDL time today, 818 people have given $49,788 — almost one third of that goal.
I can’t offer you a tote bag or a coffee mug. I’ve got no prestigious "spend the night in the Lincoln bedroom" to dangle out there as an enticement. All I’ve got is this:
If we can get the funds to support a full-time Marcy and give her a two-person staff, a lot of folks will sleep a lot less soundly at night — people like David Addington, Jay Bybee, Dick Cheney, lazy congresspeople (of both parties), TradMed stenographers, . . .
And isn’t that worth a lot more than a tote bag?
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OT, transmission vector for new swine flu found:
http://tinyurl.com/c7o7ej
if there is a process for nominating someone for a Pulitzer Marcy deserves one with no doubt in my mind
when you’re sited as reference for the new York times you are doing some incredible work
It’s happened to me (came to emptywheel with a tip and found hundreds or thousands of words of analysis of the fact which I just learned).
Peterr; You are 100% right about Marcy’s contributions and the accolades that she deserves. Hopefully Jane’s warchest will be filled sooner rather than later. I made a contribution earlier in the week and will check the barrel to see if there is more that I can scrape out when I get home to CO next week.
Absolutely, peterr. It still boggles my mind that she’s this prolific and not yet full-time. Once she has full-time and help, the output will be staggering and world-changing.
Hooray that we’re almost one third there in just a few days!
Vampire? Robot? Or Superhuman in Spandex? You decide… ; )
I swear EW doesn’t sleep. I’m with you Peterr, EW’s place is the go to location for comprehensive detailed reporting. I’m in as a monthly donor (should be given how much time I spend reading her work and sharing it with others). So let me encourage other readers to pitch in… Just ask yourself where would we be without EW?
Marcy is Brilliant.
And with about $2500 in the last 20 minutes, we’re over the $50,000 mark.
Thanks, everyone!
I think the IBM PC was modeled on her brain.
I’m already in so yer preachin’ to the choir here, *g* but the above is a thought I can really get behind. I also want their stress level to go up a bunch of notches beyond that. In the end I want the million-ton shit hammer of the law to reach out and touch them.
Here’s hoping that Jim Webb can create a lot of prison vacancies; hopefully we will need the space.
When you’re hitting .406, you get noticed.
Rockie of the Year with Plamegate.
MVP in 2007 and 2008.
Hall of Fame in 2009.
Enshrinement. (Five year rule waived)
yes, let’s get the deserving criminals behind bars.
You’re kidding, right? Marcy’s brain actually _works_! I like to think more of a high-end *N*X workstation with semi-autonomous AI peripherals, and even then the designers are still flummoxed trying to put in the reasoning and intuiting parts.
Funny the post should mention “CIA analyst”. It’s not very dramatic to slap a URL down on someone’s desk, but don’t you wonder whether there are supervisors at the CIA and elsewhere looking at their stable of people who are supposed to be picking things apart and thinking, “What I wouldn’t give for one EW in the bunch!”
Ah well; stay humble, Marcy. We need ya.
I realized Marcy was in a class of her own when it comes to blogging during the Libby trial. Not only could she liveblog at realtime speeds, but she could also insert commentary in brackets as things unfolded:
Watching her provide the semi-transcript while analyzing and beating down teh stupid at the same time was a thing of beauty.
you ain’t kidding, it was unfreakingbelieveable!
Nay, the Mac.
Absolutely Peterr. Watching the Marcy Wheeler Fund thermometer has become my new hobby.
Beautiful weather in NYC today and where am I? Parked at EW’s.
What Peterr and Elliott said. Blew my mind.
Marcy’s a Cray and I’m an x86.
True dat. LOL
Mailed a check earlier in the week but as soon as the monthly statement comes in and gets balanced, will send whatever else is available. I *really* want my own investigative reporter!
No way Elliott Marcy’s brain is WAY more complicated that that little PC more like maybe a Cray or one of those new fancy arrays of newtorked computers!!
I quote her work often to my friends!!
Mac = phooeeyy nothing but a rip[off of other systems and operating systems!……/s
Wake up Newt!!!
people! people!
I think the engineers who actually designed the IBM PC actually used Marcy’s brain as the model. Of course she’s way more than that.
(((((katymine)))))
HOpe you are reading the Lake Katy!! Get well soon sweetie (:>))
marcy’s a Cray and i’m a pocket calculator.
Now that i’m finally working full time (eight years of layoffs and underemployment starting with BushCo stealing the first election) i finally have discretionary income. And i can’t think of a better news subscription than Marcy.
So, i’m in for $16 a month recurring fee. 183 divided by 12 and rounded up. I think that number is the least i can do, even tho i’m not in the high-wage class. Howsabout it, Pups? Anyone want to match me? I double-dog dare ya *g*
Jane’s upstairs
Let’s Not Make Torture a Partisan Issue
Congratulations!! You’re the second person I’ve heard in as many days who has gone full time.
Where do we go once we get down to fingers and toes? *g*
Yep, that’s when I first ran across EW’s work. I pitched a tent at The Next Hurrah and have been a camp follower ever since. I’m a slow reader myself and my typing is worse. I marvel at her abilities.
Well said, Peterr. My local NPR station (the one whose “newsroom” I called to provide some information about George Allen back during Macaca and got a sneering earful about blogs) is doing their spring cup clanging. Sorry “local idea station”, my extra cash money went to Marcy. And I’m feeling good about it!
Dru, wonderful idea! Marcy will make much better use of the funds than Nice Polite Republicans.
Over a third of the requested $150K has been raised.
To keep Marcy funded at $150K a year requires $12.5K per month. So far 900+ people have donated a mean donation of just under $60 per person. $14 per month in ongoing contributions from those that have already chipped in would fund Marcy indefinitely.
It is very heartening to see this fast fund raising, people want good investigative journalism, and at least some are willing to pay for it directly.
Sunshine and an ability to parse Orwellian language and translate it into common English are the best antiseptics in the fight against government corruption. They are the vaccination that helps prevent the self-serving “professional courtesy” that sharks, lawyers and politicians extend each other when they think no one is looking. That’s why press freedom is in the First of the first amendments.
Mainstream journalism has lost its way. It was teetering fifty years ago when I.F. Stone was in his heyday. It has toppled since then, acquired by “entertainment” and defense industry conglomerates for whom “news” is whatever promotes their interest; by foreign moguls who exchange good press for sweet deals; and by predatory capitalists that want newspapers and auto companies to produce the same rates of return as winning the lottery.
We need good journalism like we need the vote. We need tools to fight infotainment’s incessant propaganda. There are good newspapers and several good blogs supplying it. But we have a rare opportunity, because we have Marcy in our own back yard (for now). Few are as skilled as she is, or have Izzy Stone’s ability to tackle voluminous documents in the public record and transform them into meaningful news for average citizens.
Support Marcy if you can. Charity and lots of other things begin at home. Thanks.
If you can’t support Marcy now, keep reading her. One day, you may be able to, and you’ll know why it would be worth doing. Thanks.
Peterr…do you realize what you are doing? If you provide Marcy with some help, I KNOW that I won’t be able to keep up with her ;-) I already made a contribution, and once I get back to work will start a recurring one. I have never seen anyone crank out such detail in such short periods!
I am retiring this week and taking a 50% pay cut, but I will squeeze out $10 a month from my tiny entertainment budget, which I’ll longer need once MW goes full-time. I’ll just take my laptop to the coffee shop, read her posts out loud, and let discussion roll!
If I can scrape up this little sum so can 833 others, to get that last $100,000! Hopefully some of you aren’t as strapped as I am and can make it happen faster.
That is, which I’ll NO longer need . . .
why do this as the first post on this thread. It’s rude.
I unbelievably support the work Marcy and FDL are doing and am ecstatic that Marcy may be coming aboard full time! I first started obsessively reading this blog and Marcy’s posts Spring ‘07 during my internship at the Center for American Progress, and I fervently give credit for teaching me a major chunk of what I know about politics during an absolutely critical portion of my career.
The fact that my internship coincided with the Libby trial only made it a more incredible experience as there is no way I could have followed that case in nearly as much detail if it weren’t for Marcy! I know first hand that her and FDL’s incredible work made an impact at CAP (whose CEO co-chaired Obama’s transitionary team), and I don’t think it’s hyperbole at all to say that her and FDL’s work has already quite tangibly changed the direction of the country toward a more progressive direction.
Although I’m only graduating college in a few weeks I already very honestly believe that the skills and experience I have gained following this blog and taking part in the activism campaigns will do much to mold the rest of my professional life. However, the prospect of Marcy coming aboard full time with a staff should make all of us working (or soon to be working in my case)in progressive media especially pause and think of how much we would all gain personally if it is able to happen.
Of course the effects on the country are no doubt dramatically more important, but if you are not a broke college kid and debating the prospect of donating, consider first how you have already benefited. And if you are making money in progressive media, you should really think about how much of a cut FDL and Marcy have earned. If that is the case, the best part of donating is that your money would be an investment IN YOUR OWN CAREER as your benefits from relaying her work increase!
Then again, we all benefit as we are able to watch the country finally getting on track to righting itself! Considering this is based so much on Marcy’s tireless efforts–which are now directly impacting the daily media cycles advocating accountability for torture–we all should do whatever we can to help Marcy, FDL, ourselves, the country, and the world at large by making sure Marcy gets hired!
I have sent my love in the form of $$$, as it should be…not?! ouch! Ow, different type of relationship!
Ms Wheeler is soon to be established as a national treasure. If she doesn’t get a MacArthur Fellowship grant soon, I will eat one of my older sandals (whichever one’s more tender.)
personally, I think Marcy has a “control-F” command in her brain. I swear!
The fact that $50,000 was raised so fast is to me THE elixer and tonic to brighten my brain gloom that’s still dark since pre BushCo.
Incredible. There are real humans out there.
*standsonchairandapplaudseachdonor*
There is hope.
Marcy full-time? That’s scary. I can barely keep up with her blog as is. If she’s full-time there’ll be no way we can keep up. Could the courts even keep up? Have mercy on the judges of America! How many judges have the integrity and judicial ability to withstand a live blogging of a major trial?
definitely a full-time job