I wanted to share some good news with folks: As you can see here, the Idaho Statesman is now going to be running my column, as is the Idaho Falls Post Register. In the last month, the Seattle Times and a number of smaller local papers have also picked up the column, and the Denver Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Everett Herald and Ocala Star-Banner have run it from the beginning. In all, my column -- which was launched just a few months ago -- now appears weekly in newspapers with a combined daily circulation of more than 1.3 million readers. This is proof that progressive populist media voices can succeed and get into the media debate without having an insider, Establishment perspective -- as long as those voices and that perspective is actively supported by readers.
You will notice in the Statesman's announcement that editor Kevin Richert says the paper "heard from several readers" about the column -- which is just fantastic. As I have said before, my column is really a grassroots endeavor, from the topics I cover, to my efforts to solicit ongoing input, to my reliance on readers for their support in contacting editors. As Richert's note suggests, editors often want to hear feedback from local readers, and in many cases they take the input seriously.
So, in this diary I just want to again thank the HuffPost community for its ongoing support. As a self-employed writer, this business is no cakewalk, financially or professionally. But I have been able to rely on a community and a movement that has been absolutely supportive -- and I thank you all for that. I hope my writing is making the movement proud.
As you can see from many of my columns, I am trying to give voice to the causes and organizations inside the progressive movement that for too long have been shut out of the media debate. My belief is that the more the movement is promoted, the better -- and the more the column can be a platform for the movement, the better.
More broadly, I am doing my best to offer a Western-flavored, populist perspective on the events of the day -- a perspective all too often ignored by a Punditburo that is geographically isolated in New York and Washington. And the more help I get from you and feedback you give me, the more effective I'll be able to be.