Hello, Goteo community!

Today we are writing to you with a special newsletter to present an urgent and necessary campaign by some colleagues you already know well: La Marea.

Many of you will remember them for the successful #YoIBEXtigo project, which was made possible thanks to collective support on our platform. Today, they are back on Goteo, but this time with a call to defend the very essence of their work: independent investigative journalism.

The campaign: Stay strong!

After nearly 13 years of rigorous journalism, La Marea is facing its first lawsuit. An agency dedicated to surrogacy is claiming €60,000 from them for an investigation they published on this transnational business.

This has a name: SLAPP (strategic litigation against public participation). These are abusive lawsuits designed to intimidate, exhaust, and silence critical media outlets and journalists. Preparing their defense has already required an enormous effort in terms of both human and financial resources for an independent cooperative such as theirs.

That is why they are launching this crowdfunding campaign: to regain strength, protect themselves from these pressures, and continue doing what they do best: rigorous, fearless, and unrestricted investigative journalism.

Why is it important to support La Marea?

Supporting this campaign is not just about helping a media outlet cover legal costs. It is about defending a model of journalism that we believe is essential for democracy and the common good:

• It is open-access journalism: They publish openly on lamarea.com, without paywalls or invasive cookies, because they believe in the right to information.
• It is independent journalism: They are a non-profit cooperative. They do not accept sexist advertising, nor from the IBEX 35, nor from fossil fuel companies.
• It is courageous journalism: they put the spotlight on power, whether it be companies or governments.
• It is everyone's fight: SLAPP lawsuits are a growing threat to freedom of expression. Supporting La Marea sends a clear message: they will not silence independent journalism.

You are the driving force behind La Marea!

The campaign's goal is clear: to obtain the resources and peace of mind necessary to continue investigating and to make their reports even more impactful, with interactive and attractive formats that are always freely accessible.

As with all Goteo projects, your support is rewarded. From public acknowledgments and digital magazines to annual subscriptions, training courses, and even the new La Marea sweatshirt.

They say it themselves: their true strength is their community. Let's demonstrate the power of crowdfunding once again. Donate here.

Thank you for being part of this wave of support.

P.S.1: 🍀 Boost your feminist project!

Speaking of courageous initiatives, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you that, to mark November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), we have opened our crowdfunding workshop for feminist projects. If you have an idea, a collective, or a project that fights for equality and you want to launch it on Goteo, now is your chance! Find out more and sign up here.

P.S.2: 🙌 We invite you to participate in the Bauhaus4Med Sprint Event

A transnational open innovation initiative that promotes collaboration between citizens, students, startups, and SMEs in the Mediterranean area. If you have an idea or project for the sustainable transformation of our environment, sign up here.