Jack, my parents had a cupboard that was stacked with the iconic yellow-bound National Geographic. The 135-year-old publication sparked my childhood curiosity in science, adventure, photography, and the world around me. I know I am not the only one that has fond memories of flipping through the pages of the magazine.

Last week the Walt Disney Company, the parent company of National Geographic, announced that they were laying off the remaining staff writers and will stop selling the printed magazine on newsstands starting next year.

Unfortunately, this has become an all-too-common story in the news media world.

Daily Kos has missed its revenue projections through the first half of 2023. We have been relying more and more on our readers and activists to make up the difference. Can you support community-driven and community-funded news and activism by donating $5 a month to Daily Kos?

If you can't commit to a monthly donation, a one-time donation of $5 will still have a huge impact. Please click here to donate.

As many businesses are concerned about a looming economic recession, they are pulling back from their advertising spending—the main source of revenue for many news media companies. On top of that, the return on advertising views has drastically dropped, resulting in even less revenue.

The result has been a record number of media layoffs so far in 2023, outpacing what Buzzfeed News foreshadowed as "a media extinction event" during the pandemic. Earlier this year Vice News filed for bankruptcy and Buzzfeed News shutdown.

Daily Kos hasn't been immune to the plague of financial hardships that have hammered news media companies over the past decade or more. In fact, so far, 2023 has been a very hard year for us. We were forced to make deep financial cuts and other changes in hopes of improving our revenue. Finally, after months of work, we are starting to see the impacts of those changes.

Daily Kos has been relying more and more on grassroots donations from our readers and activists to pay the bills. And honestly; we prefer it this way because it makes us accountable to you—not to some billionaire or corporation with their own agenda. We know that in order to keep operating, we have to fight and deliver for what you believe in.

Please support Daily Kos and the work we do every day by making a monthly donation of $5 or whatever amount is meaningful to you.

If you can't commit to a monthly donation, a one-time donation of $5 will still have a huge impact. Please click here to donate.

Thank you for all you do,
Amanda McKay, Daily Kos

If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible.