New Matilda, Australia's best known online independent publication recently launched MAYhem - one month, four major investigations, to show you what we could do year round if we were 'properly resourced'.

Our first major investigation was unveiled in the first week of May. It centres around allegations of sexual assault, and the James Morrison Academy of Music. You can read it here. 

We've got three more major investigations to unveil... plus a few miniMAYhem's as well. So watch this space (well, watch New Matilda).

'Properly resourced' means having a strong enough subscription base to pay our writers (most are unpaid) and to provide adequate resources to investigate major stories.

Over time, we'd like to build our paid subscription base to 10,000 (at the moment the paid subscription base sits at 1,000, the unpaid at 20,000). It's a modest goal in a population of 24 million, but it's also nearly a million dollars in subscription revenue every year. We already do a lot with a little at New Matilda, but imagine what we could do with $1 million in revenue. Imagine the sort of independent journalism that would buy?!?

In order for that to happen, we need readers to subscribe. You can do so for as little as $6 per month here. Or you can contribute directly to this Pozible fundraiser, by choosing one of the rewards on offer.

Without independent media, you're stuck with the mainsrteam. You won't get truly independent coverage - you'll just get vested interests and big business reporting.

The biggest challenge facing New Matilda is resources. We always find a way to stay afloat, but by properly resourcing a small, independent media outlet, you're helping build a movement unaffected by politics and large corporations.

We also face major challenges through legal threats. On that front, we've got an unblemished record - despite many threats and attempts, New Matilda is yet to lose a legal battle, courtesy of our inhouse pro bono lawyer Geoff Holland, and law firm Marque Lawyers, which guides us through the minefields that are major news investigations.