The stage is set. We’ve quietly raised $717 at Spot.Us to hire a journalist to fact check the political advertisements for 10 weeks preceding the election. But we need a lot more money and now it’s time to start ringing bells and whistles. As I see it we need to find 70 more people willing to donate $25 each. I have to believe that those people exist. It’s just a matter of finding them and convincing them this is worth their donation. And time is not our friend. The pitch needs to be funded before the end of August or else it’s null.

If we can raise another $1,700 by the end of August, the residents of San Francisco will have collectively hired an independent journalist to fact-check the political advertisements that will inevitably be hurled in their direction. If we don’t reach out goal any money we do collect will go back to the original donors. No harm, true – but nothing gained.

I play for keeps. And this pitch, to have a reporter fact-check the banner and TV advertisements is a perfect for Spot.Us. So I’m drawing a line in the sand to see “who’s coming with me.”

It’s hard to argue against this pitch’s merit. Who doesn’t want fact-checking for political advertising? If you have a moment’s of hesitation, just watch this video with Josh Wilson from NewsDesk.org who is spearheading the project.

We have one month, JUST ONE MONTH to make it happen. If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines, now is the time to jump in and add to the pot. Instead of complaining that we need better media coverage of important issues – ensure it will happen!

Why?

1. Your pledge is only enacted IF we reach the final goal. So you know it will be a meaningful donation or won’t happen at all.
2. You will help voters make more informed decisions when they step into the voter’s booth. There are some serious and important issues that will be decided this election – just take a look at the pitch for details
3. The money will go directly to a freelance journalist – Spot.Us won’t take a cut.
4. The content will be licensed under Creative Commons, which means your own blog or organization can use the data too.

How you can help?

1. The best way (and probably the easiest) is to donate $20. Or heck, if you think it’s worth more – go crazy and give $25. I’d easily argue this pitch is worth that much. Based on the amount of readers for the spot.us blog – if everyone put down just $20, we’d have this funded in a night. Think of it this way – instead of buying that last beer (which will only make you suffer the next day anyways), donate $10 towards this campaign. Then you can go to bed feeling good about yourself – knowing you are helping to keep our democracy strong.

2. Spread the word. Go back to the video above and click that little “share” button, or visit ThePoint’s campaign and do the same. Tell your friends on Facebook, your blog, your community organization. If you know people at the League of Woman Voters, a local political meetup, etc – bring them into the fold.

Spot.Us is NOT a for-profit. We stand to make no money off this – we only aim to serve. So we need help reaching out to the organizations and civic leaders that might benefit from this collaboration. In the end that’s all Spot.Us represents: A meeting ground where communities can distribute the cost of hiring a reporter who will “work for everyone.”

I will spend the rest of my day sending out emails to local leaders. If you know civic minded individuals in San Francisco, please share, twitter, email, or just shout this call out: We need your help! Together I know we can raise this money and for the first time ever we will have a journalist who has no connection to advertising. That reporter will work for nobody but the public and that’s who he/she will serve first and foremost. Don’t hesitate to contact me – This is about spreading the word grassroots. If you believe in this but don’t want to donate, that’s fine: Help us find people who will donate. Again, all we need is 100 more people to give $20

I’m looking forward to the possibilities.

Related posts:

1. Fact Checking Political Adverts – Spot Us' Second Pitch
2. What Do You Want to Know about the SF Election?
3. WE DID IT!!!! S.F. Election Campaign a Success!
4. SF Election Truthiness: Prop. K – Untested Theories Drive Prostitution Debate
5. SF Election Truthiness: First Article – Invasion of the Policy Pushers