Non-commercial news outlet Democracy Now! is appealing for triple-matched donations to resist corporate media consolidation and maintain independent reporting. The critical need for such grassroots journalism is highlighted by their coverage of India, where opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained during protests. Gandhi and other lawmakers were arrested while protesting a brutal police crackdown on student demonstrators in New Delhi.
**THE DAILY CRUSADER**
*“The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth!”*
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### **EXTRA! EXTRA! PRESS TRUSTS THREATEN TO MUZZLE FREE SPEECH!**
#### **Goliath Media Monopolies Swallowing Nation’s Newsrooms! Brave Scribes Cry Out for Public Aid to Fight the Fat Cats!**
**NEW YORK CITY —** A grim shadow falls across the republic, folks! The mighty press syndicates are buying up the newsrooms of this great nation, threatening to choke out the voice of the common man. If we are to keep our liberty intact, we must fight tooth and nail for an independent press! We need a broadsheet that tells it straight, captures the authentic voices of the street, and keeps the public wise to the schemes of the powerful.
But the newsboys can’t work on empty bellies, and independent ink doesn’t buy itself!
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For one day only, a group of swell, generous benefactors has stepped up to the plate. They have promised to **TRIPLE** every single copper you throw into the till today!
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Whether you read our dispatch daily, weekly, or just catch a glance once a month, now is the time to dig deep into your dungarees. Do your part for democracy! Keep the muckrakers at *Democracy Now!* on the beat. Don’t let the corporate trusts silence the truth!
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### **RIOTS IN DELHI! GANDHI SEIZED BY CONSTABULARY!**
#### **Opposition Chief Thrown in the Hoosegow During Defiant Sit-In at Premier’s Palace!**
#### **STREETS RUN RED WITH STUDENT BLOOD; POLICE CLUBS FLY!**
**SPECIAL WIRE DISPATCH FROM INDIA (JULY 22, 1926) —** Sensational reports from the Far East reveal that India is in the grip of political fever!
Rahul Gandhi, the dashing leader of the mighty opposition Congress Party, has been pinched by the authorities! In a daring show of defiance, Gandhi and a band of political agitators staged a dramatic sit-in directly on the doorstep of the right-wing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The trouble boiled over when local coppers ruthlessly cracked down on student protestors. Eyewitnesses report a brutal melee, with hundreds of academic youths battered and sent packing to the local infirmaries. While the city burns, Premier Modi and his Home Minister remain as quiet as clams, refusing to utter a single peep!
#### **SHOUTS FROM THE PADDY WAGON!**
Our intrepid correspondents cornered lawmaker K. Suresh of the opposition Congress Party just as the coppers were tossing him into the paddy wagon. Shouting through the iron grates of the police van, Suresh cried:
> *"We are protesting right at the Premier’s front door because our boys and girls were brutally assaulted! They were savagely beaten yesterday by the Delhi police. And yet, the Honorable Prime Minister says absolutely nothing! The Honorable Home Minister offers no explanation! Meanwhile, hundreds of our students are lying in hospital beds!"*
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*The original contents of this program are protected under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All law-abiding citizens must attribute legal copies to democracynow.org.*
