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Dollars & Sense

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Dollars & Sense is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible.

Many thanks for your support!

Why do we need your money?

A magazine has subscribers, subscribers pay for a magazine ... So why do we need your money again?

Well, most magazines don't get all, or even most, of their income from subscriptions; for many, advertising revenue is actually more important. And some have wealthy corporate parents. Dollars & Sense is a little different. As an independent magazine, we don't have any corporate sponsors or big-bucks investors. And our critical perspective on economic issues ensures that we also don't earn a lot of money from advertisements. Compare our business model to that of that other collectively edited economics magazine:

	Circulation: 7,000 Help us raise this number.
	2005 revenue: $128,000
	Sources of revenue: subscriptions 55%; donations 42%; ad sales 2%; newsstand 1%
	Ownership: Dollars & Sense is a 501(c)3 non-profit run by a non-hierarchical volunteer collective.
	There are few things as important as the kind of work Dollars & Sense is doing. —Noam Chomsky

	Circulation: 1,000,000
	2005 revenue: $362,700,000
	Sources of revenue: ad sales 50%; all others 50%
	Ownership:The Financial Times Limited, which is a Pearson plc sudsidiary, owns 50% of the share capital of The Economist Group but does not have a controlling interest. The bulk of the remaining 50% is owned by individuals. Pearson was founded in 1844 as a building and engineering company. By 1920, it was a holding company with businesses in building, oil drilling and refining, and finance. Between the 1920s and the 1990s, it acquired major media interests, and in the 1990s it rid itself of most of its non-media assets. The Economist Group operates as a separate and independent business.
	I used to think. Now I just read The Economist. —Larry Ellison, Founder & CEO, Oracle

Dollars & Sense revenues reflect magazine income and donations only, excluding book sales and reprints; circulation reflects subscriptions and newsstand sales. Most information on The Economist comes from their About page; information on Pearson plc and The Economist Group and its revenue is from Wikipedia.

Why are these differences important?

In 1896, New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs declared that his paper would "give the news, all the news...impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interest involved." Each year, Extra! compiles a Fear & Favor report on the ways that "mainstream media often fail to live up to that goal. Demands from advertisers, government, media owners, and other powerful people frequently manage to blur or breach the wall between the editorial and business ends of the newsroom. In survey after survey, journalists report that they feel outside—or inside—pressures to avoid, slant, or promote certain stories that might affect those powerful interests."

As you can see above, Dollars & Sense is funded primarily by our readers. We publish our smart, accessible, and progressive economic coverage for you. And that's why we ask for your support, beyond the price of your subscription.