John,

In recent weeks, as the GOP presidential candidate field has narrowed, mainstream media outlets are desperately trying to convince the public that Nikki Haley is having an “it moment” and could challenge Donald Trump.

This is despite Trump’s significant lead in every single poll in every single state.

So what gives?

We’ll explain exactly what’s going on in a moment, but if you’d like to support honest journalism that doesn’t gloss over the GOP’s extremism, please make a $5 contribution now.

So, let’s talk about the reasons behind the desperate attempt by the media to get us to believe in Haley’s so-called surge:

1. Mainstream media outlets like The New York Times need clicks and eyeballs to make money, and creating the impression that there is a "horse race" in the 2024 election helps with that. 
2. Most dangerously, many in the political press are feeling nostalgic for what they considered the “good old days” — when the media treated Democrats and Republicans as ethical equals, and everyone got along. 

The last point could not be further from the truth, John. Here are just some of Haley's positions on the issues:

• In addition to stating that she’d vote for Trump — even with a felony conviction, Haley also said she’s “inclined in favor” of pardoning Trump should she ever get elected.
• While campaigning for Herschel Walker — an extremist himself, Haley called for the deportation of his then-opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was born in Georgia.
• Haley has attempted to depict herself as a moderate on abortion — and many journalists have played into this — even as she recently called for a six-week abortion ban.
• Haley likes to brag that she took the Confederate flag down at the South Carolina State House — only after a white supremacist murdered nine Black people at a Charleston church in 2015. Before 2015, Haley repeatedly defended the flying of the flag.

John, the truth is that Haley, like her former boss Donald Trump, is no moderate. The fact that the mainstream media is ignoring that fact should raise alarm bells for anyone concerned that the media will repeat the same mistakes it made in the last two presidential elections.

That’s why we’re committed to providing high-quality journalism that prioritizes the truth — not profits or ratings or knowingly misleading the public in search of an outdated “both sides” worldview that ignores right-wing extremism and the ongoing threat it poses to our democracy.

But unlike mainstream news organizations, we don’t rely on a paywall or subscription to power this important work, we rely on you to make our work freely available in the communities that need it most.

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As always, thank you for reading.

Together,

— Courier Newsroom