Dear MoveOn member,
It's outrageous, John: CNN is providing Donald Trump an
exclusive, prime-time platform this week to spread his lies and extremism
at a town hall in New Hampshire.^1
None of his competitors will be present. Nor will any reporters fact-check
his violent and hateful lies and distortions. Just a moderator taking
questions from sympathetic New Hampshire voters who plan to vote in the
Republican primary.
CNN clearly hasn't learned its lesson from 2016 or has simply decided to
put its ratings and profits ahead of the safety of our democracy and
country.
Either way, we can't let CNN get away with giving Trump further free and
unchecked airtime—which will serve only to legitimize him as a leader,
when in reality, he's an indicted, twice-impeached,
insurrectionist-plotting sore loser.
That's why MoveOn is launching an emergency campaign to pressure CNN to
stop kowtowing to Donald Trump. We cannot allow a repeat of 2016. We need
to ramp up the pressure right now and keep it up—not only to stop CNN's
dangerous money grab but also to discourage other networks from doing the
same.
Which is why we're asking you to please start a $5 monthly
donation to our emergency campaign. If we raise enough resources, we'll
organize in-person rallies outside CNN headquarters, produce and place
hard-hitting TV ads on CNN itself, and mobilize people across the country
to express their outrage to the network via phone calls and social media
and to keep on pressuring CNN for as long as it takes.
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
In 2016, CNN and other major news networks gave the former
insurrectionist-in-chief nearly $2 billion in free advertising, helping to
normalize his sexism, white supremacy, and hate with voters across the
country.^2
And since then, CNN has continued to uplift Trump and his violent and
hateful lies.
While most major news outlets chose to skip broadcasting Trump's 2024
announcement speech, CNN, for the sake of its ratings and profits, decided
to broadcast his speech live—giving Trump unregulated reign over the
airwaves.
At the heart of it, CNN's reckless pursuit of ratings and profits is a
threat to our democracy and freedoms.
Since announcing his candidacy for reelection, Trump has promised to:
* Issue pardons and a formal government apology to the white
supremacists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6^3
* Bring back and expand the unconstitutional and Islamophobic "Muslim
Ban" that was repeatedly struck down by the courts^4
Trump is an ever-looming threat to our freedoms, democracy, and the world
at large, and it's shockingly irresponsible for CNN to give him unlimited
and unchecked airtime.
That's why MoveOn has launched an emergency campaign to hold CNN's feet to
the fire once and for all—for as long as it takes—to make the network
answer for its decision to uplift Trump time and time again, from the
run-up to the 2016 election to the January 6 insurrection to this week's
town hall. Can you start a $5 monthly gift to support and
sustain the campaign?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
It's long past time to stop giving Trump free airtime to spin his
conspiracy theories and lies. Unlike with right-wing propaganda channels,
there is a real opportunity to use negative attention and pressure tactics
to change CNN's behavior. Which is why MoveOn is prepared to go all in on
this campaign.
Let's not repeat 2016.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Tzyh, Kelsey, Erica, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "The Memo: CNN's Trump town hall reignites debate over media coverage,"
The Hill, May 5, 2023
[link removed]
2. "$2 Billion Worth of Free Media for Donald Trump," The New York Times,
March 15, 2016
[link removed]
3. "Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected,"
The Washington Post, September 1, 2022
[link removed]
4. "Trump 2024: Bring Back the 'Muslim Ban'—and Expand It," Rolling Stone,
May 5, 2023
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? Voters just defied history and stopped a
MAGA wave of extremism at the polls. But there is more work to do to end
the filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms,
our families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but
only if we work together.
Will you chip in monthly to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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