Mail Stream: August 3
Christian Science Monitor: The 100-Year-Old “New” Newsweekly
Last October, the Christian Science Monitor announced that it would discontinue publishing a daily print edition in favor of a digital “Daily News Briefing” and weekly print publication. The Monitor recently mailed a charter offer promoting its new weekly format. The cover touts the title as a “brand-new news weekly that’s been 100 years in the making,” which the promotion expands upon inside with images of the publication in various incarnations throughout its history. The new publication is positioned as a source that will both “illuminate” and “elevate.” To provide a glimpse of editorial, the magalog includes two feature articles: “Can Iraq Go It Alone?” in the “Monitor on World” section that questions Iraq’s ability to battle the continued low-level insurgency, and “A Push to Boost College Graduation Rates” in “Monitor on USA.” As examples of its promised weekly coverage of innovation, the environment and money, the magalog presents a map of “America’s wind corridor,” an article titled “How Europe Is Saving Its Bees” and a company profile of person-to-person micro-lending site KIVA.org. The hard offer is $13 for 26 weekly issues.
John Grisham Lends Support to Southern Poverty Law Center
Legal thriller writer John Grisham lends his name to support the mission of Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), known for its true-life legal battles with hate groups. Founded in 1971 as a civil rights firm, the organization has also become well-known for its nationwide Teaching Tolerance educational project. Grisham, who replaces fellow author Toni Morrison as spokesperson in the redesigned promotion, introduces the founder, Alabama lawyer Morris Dees, as a friend. He highlights a recent $2.5 million verdict obtained by Dees against the leader of the Imperial Klans of America for brutally beating a Latino teenager, adding that a member of an IKA splinter group was arrested for plotting to assassinate President Obama. The letter also cites an alarming rise in the number of hate groups, up 50%+ since 2000. An insert provides a timeline spanning over three decades that chronicles SPLC’s accomplishments, and offers extensive praise for the organization, including CBS News’ claim that “The Southern Poverty Law Center has cracked cases even the FBI couldn’t solve.” The ask ladder for donations, $15/$20/$25/$35/$50/$100/other, remains consistent with prior fundraising efforts and there is also an option for monthly donation. $25+ donors receive the long-running premium,
