September 2, 2011

CNN Series Follows MoJo’s Investigation of Teen Homes

Photos: New Bethany Alumni; Barbed Wire: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images

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A month after Mother Jones published our investigation of fundamentalist religious compounds, CNN is covering abusive teen homes in a two-part investigative series on Anderson Cooper 360° called “Ungodly Discipline.” On September 1, coverage focused on Hephzibah House, an Indiana boarding school for troubled teenage girls that has long battled accusations of abuse from its former students.

Just in case you missed it in our July/August issue, read “Horror Stories From Tough-Love Teen Homes,” and see our slideshow of “Survivor Snapshots From Teen-Home Hell.” Teen girls were sent to Independent Fundamental Baptist homes like the New Bethany School for Girls to build character and to reform from troubled ways, but instead, they say they were abused and tortured. Former residents call themselves “survivors” and compare their time in teen homes to prison sentences.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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