From Chris Bowers, Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos
On April 10, the New York Times reported that 28,000 workers at news companies in the United States had lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic. As the news industry pleads for federal relief, many publications are shutting down entirely, in what Buzzfeed dubbed “a media extinction event.”
This is taking place immediately after what had already been a terrible stretch for media in general, and progressive media in particular.
In late 2019, ThinkProgress, long one of the largest progressive news sites on the internet, shut down. Many large, “mainstream,” but still clearly left-of-center, digital operations suffered layoffs in 2019, including Vox, Vice, Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed. Smaller progressive digital operations were also forced to reduce staff, including Rewire, First Look, Pride, and Out. (source for all these layoffs)
But that’s not even the worst of it. As the rest of the industry shrinks, Fox News continues to grow stronger. After posting record ratings in 2019, Fox broke that ratings record in the first quarter of 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic is hastening the arrival of a future where Fox News is bigger and all other news media, including progressive media, is smaller. This has terrifying implications for who holds politicians accountable and for how Americans get their information during moments of crisis, such as the current pandemic.
Daily Kos is able to avoid the mass layoffs facing other progressive news outlets and remain an alternative to Fox because, unlike almost everyone else, over one-third of our revenue comes not from advertising but from community donations. This grassroots support not only makes sure that we can pay our bills, but also makes us accountable to you. We know that in order to keep operating, we have to fight for what you–our small donors–believe in.