Dear Tarbell Community:
I started this nonprofit news outlet three years ago with the dream of changing the conversation about America and the powers that shape all our lives. The past few years have been an incredible learning experience for the entire team at Tarbell.
Next year, we aim to drive change in communities with our journalism. We’re improving what we started. I would like to update you with these changes and explain how you can help us meet these goals.
With a great deal of enthusiasm and commitment from our small team of dedicated professionals, we started To Be Fair, Inc. and its media platform, “Tarbell”. The Tarbell concept was borne from its namesake, Ida Tarbell, an incredible talent who revolutionized investigative reporting and writing in the early 1900s.
Her book, “The History of the Standard Oil Company” published in 1904, has been called a masterpiece of investigative journalism and is generally credited as a primary contributor to the dissolution of the Standard Oil monopoly. This 1904 investigation spurred anti-trust regulations that still shape policy today and remains a gold standard in investigative reporting.
Ida Tarbell was best known for taking complex subjects and breaking them down into a series of compelling and understandable articles that inspired change in society. We strive to accomplish the same objective with our “Tarbell” platform. Now that Tarbell team has accrued experience and a sustained level of success, I am pleased to lead To Be Fair, Inc. and Tarbell to the next level of visibility in the world of investigative journalism and to be a force for positive change in the areas of healthcare, the environment, government oversight, aerospace and defense.
We believe the Tarbell platform can become an influential voice and advocate for those who may not be able to speak, act, or organize alone.
We are ready to take the next step, and I am asking for your continued support to help us reach our objectives, which include increasing professional staff to include highly experienced writers who can drive positive change, improving the online presence to become a more interactive platform so that our members can access information related to political contributions, congressional member financial reporting, and defense spending; and creating a wider distribution channel for Tarbell content to include podcasts and video media.
Our goal is simple – investigate complex issues that adversely affect the general populace, break down the problems into simple concepts, distribute those concepts by all available means, and drive positive change that would make Ida Tarbell proud.
Thank you for three years of tremendous support and encouragement. We have incubated a potentially powerful platform for our message, and we are ready to grow because of your willingness to help. Let’s go to the next level together.
With great respect and many thanks,
Wendell
