The NationThe Nation, facing a $120,272 postal hike in the New Year, is asking its readers and others to make special donations to offset that and other costs.

“Chip in today to help The Nation raise the $100,000 we need by Dec. 31 to stay afloat in 2014,” says Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor & publisher in an e-mail to subscribers.

Columbia Journalism Review and FAIR, Fairness in Accuracy & Reporting are also seeking donations beyond subscription prices.

“Black & White and Dead All Over” is an hour-long TV special currently running on Public TV stations.

Vanden Heuvel says that it is getting “harder” every year to reach the 500,000 people who read the magazine on www.thenation.com or in print.

She said 2013 has been “an amazing but trying year—from the achievement of marriage equality in eight states to the Tea Party-inspired government shutdown.”

Katrina Vanden HeuvelHer letter is as follows.

A world without honest, thought-provoking, progressive journalism, where corporations and the politicians and pundits in their pockets rule unchecked and uninvestigated….

I wouldn’t want to live in that world.

But if the big media machine keeps steamrolling independent news outlets at the current rate, we may be facing that kind of a future.

From the achievement of marriage equality in eight states to the Tea Party–inspired government shutdown, 2013 has been an amazing (but also trying) year. The Nation has been there at your side through the good and the bad, bringing you news and analysis when you need it most.

But now I need you. If we want to stand strong against the corporate media machine in 2014, we’re going to need everyone who values this magazine to chip in what they can and pay their fair share.

Can you help keep independent journalism standing strong today? Chip in today to help The Nation raise the $100,000 we need by December 31 to stay afloat in 2014.

To be frank, every year it just gets harder to reach the 500,000 people who read the magazine on TheNation.com or in print. We depend upon subscriptions from faithful readers—and nearly a quarter of our budget comes from Nation Builders who support our reporting with a donation.

By chipping in today, you’ll pay your fair share (and perhaps more) for the magazine you love—and you’ll show solidarity with your fellow readers who might not be able to afford a subscription of their own.

The rising cost of independent quality journalism is undeniable. In 2014, The Nation will face a staggering postal rate hike of $120,272 that we’ll be able to meet only with the help of our Nation Builders. But that’s not the only challenge we’re facing. More than ever, fulfilling our mission results in readers accessing our stories through social media or aggregator sites, leaving us to pay the editorial freight even as revenue shrinks.

But let me be clear: profit is not our motivation. Thinkers like Patricia Williams, Mychal Denzal Smith and Melissa Harris-Perry are motivated by the need for a conversation about the intersection of race, gender and politics. Writers like John Nichols and Naomi Klein are driven to fight economic injustice, GOP bullying and the perils of climate change. And journalists like Katha Pollitt and Jessica Valenti want to keep you on the front lines of the critical battle for reproductive rights and gender equality that rages on in state capitols, the Supreme Court and workplaces across the country.

But paying our reporters fairly and publishing the magazine each and every week has its cost, and we have never felt this cost so deeply. Can you help us stand strong in the coming year?

Help The Nation continue its longstanding tradition as the voice of the progressive movement by donating today. We need to raise $100,000 by December 31 if we want to keep up with rising costs and the damaging effects of corporate media consolidation in 2014.

We strive to represent your voice and your values in our magazine every week, and your gift is a testament to your commitment to progressive ideals. And after The Nation's nearly 150 years in print, I hope I never have to see the last issue coming out in my lifetime.

Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor & Publisher.