By supporting this site, first of all you help yourself as a citizen of this world who believes in democratic values. The Turtle does not treat its readers as consumers of news; it respects people who enjoy reading important stuff and not just entertaining clickbaits. Secondly, you encourage a Australian-Greek solo mum continue doing her work properly; therefore you support indirectly female thinking, writing and creativity. Thirdly, you are investing in a new sort of storytelling; I’d like to coin the term Diasporic Journalism.
The Turtle has no “house”; it follows no line or direction. Restless, it moves in order to survive. It is on a journey towards truth, observing everything on its way. It does not have the luxury of time to sleep under trees, as the hare did in the Aesop myth. Although very slow, this little creature is powerful, a fighter who holds up its shield against information overload, fake news, propaganda and other political dangers – in total the enemies of democracy. Maybe it’s no coincidence that the Ancient Greeks believed that the benevolent turtle protected the people from the evil eye and that its blood was an antidote to poison.
Conclusion: The Turtle is an unbiased self-funding journalism project. In order to keep its independence, it depends on fellowships, donations and volunteer work. Dear readers, even by offering a small amount of money, you can help sustain this quite unique innovation, which tries to marry Journalism with ‘Techné’, an ancient Greek word for which there is no equivalent in English – it includes a variety of meanings from the fine arts and all forms of skilled craftsmanship to morals and politics and various scientific skills.
Thank you so much for considering my request. Thank you for everything you do.
Helen Vrontis
Foundress & Director of The Turtle