From the editor: don't believe the cynics, your trust in us shows facts still matter

As this tumultuous and fascinating year draws to a close I want to take a minute to thank you for reading and supporting The Conversation. Your interest in the work of academics published here is a personal vote for facts and evidence, and the entire team working here is deeply grateful for it.

There are plenty of cynics these days who want to tell you that we live in a post-truth world, that facts are in retreat. But you, and the flourishing of The Conversation, are living proof that isn’t true, and it need not be our fate.

In 2019 our expert articles attracted more than 380 million reads across the globe. In Australia more than 100,000 people subscribe to the Conversation’s daily email. Thousands of media outlets regularly republish our work because they value the rigour of our non-partisan approach to sharing the best evidence and thinking on any topic.

At The Conversation we only publish academics who are writing in their area of expertise and know what they are talking about. We aim to be unbiased and we ask all authors to fill in a disclosure statement to identify any potential conflicts of interest. We only ever publish with one goal, and that is to inform.

Our mission is to democratise knowledge, to redistribute information from those who have it to those who need it most. We pursue this work with vigour and never deviate from our goal.

So thank you for supporting us with your attention and for so many of you with your financial giving too. This year more than 10,000 people made personal donations to The Conversation, and that money helps us continue our work.

(If you want to join this growing army of TC supporters you can do it here.)

But most important, and most inspiring, is the fact that you care enough to want to know more and seek out information from quality sources you can trust. Thanks for placing your trust in us whether you are an author, a university, a reader or a donor. We value it, we know it is precious, and we will do everything in our power to live up to it.

Have a lovely relaxing break and may you flourish in 2020.