| | | Katharine Viner,
Editor-in-chief |  |
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Dear reader,
This year is democracy’s biggest test in generations.
Already this year, millions of people have cast their votes in elections in Taiwan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Portugal. South Korea, South Africa and India will soon follow them to the polls.
In June, the European Union’s 400 million voters will elect a new European parliament.
After that comes the return of Donald Trump to the ballot in the US presidential election, and a UK general election that could end 14 years of Conservative rule.
That’s not to mention significant elections in Mexico, South Africa, Ghana and beyond.
Many of these ballots will take place in the shadow of disinformation, election interference, a resurgent far right and, in some cases, political violence. Yet the results of these votes will impact us for years to come.
The Guardian is committed to exposing the underlying causes of these threats to democracy, and our global network of reporters will be on the ground to shine a light on the darker forces trying to undermine free and fair elections. You can help sustain our vital reporting. It takes less than a minute to contribute – and no amount is too small.
In the past few years our reporters have uncovered the targeting of opposition figures with intrusive spyware, the work of disinformation specialists who claim to have meddled in more than 30 recent elections, the threat of AI to voters, and the scale of Republican efforts to disrupt the running of US elections.
We have also revealed the high number of European voters planning to vote for anti-establishment parties, reported on far right surges in Germany, the Netherlands and Argentina, and explored the implications of governments making it more difficult to vote in the United Kingdom and the United States. | | | The stakes in 2024 are high, the issues are urgent. And there is much more to uncover.
The sheer number of big elections makes it not just a vital year for protecting democracy, but for protecting the planet.
The election, or re-election, of high-profile climate-sceptic figures in the UK, US, India and across Europe could prove to be disastrous for progress on fighting global heating and the biodiversity crisis.
We want to make sure decisions that harm the planet are exposed.
But chilling economic winds threaten the future of the media around the world, especially when it comes to serious reporting and investigative journalism.
A few years ago the Guardian launched a unique experiment in reader-funded journalism. It is thanks to this that we are more protected from the current financial downturn than other media organisations.
However, a significant part of our income comes from advertising, an industry facing its biggest crisis since the financial crash.
As a result of that, and of other rising costs, thousands of journalists have lost their jobs across the industry, and entire newspaper groups are at risk.
The impact of fewer reporters – especially on local titles – on the health of a democracy cannot be understated. It is critical that officials and institutions can still be held to account.
The Guardian will be there to do that. And that is because of readers like you.
At this critical time for democracy and the free press – I would like to ask you, if you can, to consider supporting us and backing our journalism.
This is a lot to ask, but I am always moved by the generosity of our supporters and your belief in our editorial mission and the critical importance of independent journalism.
Thank you for any support you can give, everyone at the Guardian is extremely grateful.
Katharine Viner
Editor-in-chief
The Guardian
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