How journalism can serve the greater good

In the washup following the federal budget last week, the ABC did a vox pop interview with a voter about a tax change that would leave him worse off. The answer he gave was unexpected. Instead of complaining, he told the reporter that he supported the change because it could help young people get into housing, and that would serve the greater good.

I’ve been thinking about what he said ever since. How often, these days, do you hear anyone talk about the “greater good”? For a long time now, large sections of the media and political class have behaved as though public policy is a game of snakes and ladders in which the only question anyone cares about is “what’s in it for me”?

But if you stop and think about it, that’s a delusional way to approach things. The truth is, we are all invested in the greater good – we all have families and friends and colleagues and loved ones. We all care about the community in which we live, and we all want to make things better.

At The Conversation, serving the greater good is our core objective. Our small editorial team works closely with academic experts to produce journalism that’s constructive rather than sensational. Our only aim is to help people be better informed, and we give away our work for free so that everyone can access quality information when they need it.

To pay the bills, we raise almost a third of our budget in an annual donation drive that kicked off this week. Every single time we launch the campaign, I’m a mess of nerves, because your support is what keeps us going. Every single time, I’m blown away by the flood of messages and support that show how generous and selfless you can be.

This year, please consider giving whatever you can afford to help us produce sober and thoughtful journalism.

And thank you for being part of a community of thoughtful readers who show us every day how deeply you care about the greater good.