Busted & Crimes of The Times
By Greg Palast

August 1, 2007. Cutely buried in the 18th paragraph in a story about Alberto Gonzales on Sunday was a slyly-worded updated confession by the New York Times that, in 2004, the Bush Administration leaned on its editors to spike a story about illegal invasions of citizens' private records ("data mining"). The Times editors smothered the story. They finally ran it - a year later - after Bush was safely re-elected.

As a journalist, this makes me want to throw up.

For two reasons: First, while The Times was covering up Bush's KGB-style data-mining operation, the Palast team was revealing its secrets. We published confidential FBI memos detailing horrific schemes for illegal spying using Bush's favored contractor, a company called ChoicePoint Inc.

The second reason The Times 'confession' makes me ill: While the publishers at the Paper of Record were counting their millions, the Palast Investigative Fund was slowly going broke.

Well, we've made it: Last Friday, the main-stream US media, through the venerable PBS program 'NOW', finally broadcast our reportage on the "caging" of voters, a story we first broke 3 years ago. BEFORE the 2004 election.

We've made it in another way: Friday was also the day I was informed that the Palast Investigative Fund was dead broke, technically bankrupt, with way less than zero in the account.

Bluntly: if we don't get some help, and fast, we're sunk. We are throwing staff overboard and halting some operations while we seek funds to keep afloat.

I'm pleading with you to do three things:

1. Watch PBS 'NOW' on voter 'caging'. Then, if you think our work is important . . .

2. Donate at least $100 (tax deductible) to the Palast Investigative Fund. With heartfelt gratitude, I'll send you a personalized, signed copy of Armed Madhouse (hardbound or paperback, your choice), or the DVD "Big Easy to Big Empty," the untold story of the drowning of New Orleans.

(For $250, I'll sign and send a whole BOX of Raw Journalism: 2 books: Armed Madhouse and Impeach the President, 2 DVDs: Big Easy to Big Empty and American Blackout, the Audio Book Armed Madhouse and the Spoken Word CD Live from the Armed Madhouse). Or simply make an open no-gift donation for a sum of your choice. (All options and many other signed items can be found at the Palast Investigative Fund Homepage.)

3. Pass on this note, post it and make certain your group and friends sign on to GregPalast.com, read our work, and support it.

I do not take one dime of pay from the Fund. 100% of your donation goes to our investigators, cameramen and women, operating costs and equipment. Yes, we get fees from BBC, Vanity Fair and Harper's but that doesn't cover the bills. Not even close.

If we can get your support, we can follow-up on our investigation of The Scheme to Swipe 2008. We're finding that 'caging' is the tip of the fraud-berg. With your help, we can also take on the Vultures, the bond speculators who are preying on Africa's poorest.

We are lucky to have prestigious outlets for our work, but the research is funded wholly by citizens like you, not by media moguls. And the content proves it. Our much-praised investigation in New Orleans was financed entirely by a score of selfless donors.

It's up to you. Real investigative reporting is a money-burning task. And a team effort. Please support our team by donating at least $100 to the not-for-profit Investigative Fund.

Bequests and in-kind donations are also appreciated.

Pick up the New York Times each day and for your $500 a year, you get all the news they find fit to print. Or donate a fraction of that for your signed copy of Armed Madhouse or The Best Democracy Money Can Buy for the real story on the prosecutor firings, caging and all the news that gives them fits.

Yours,
Greg Palast

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