Dear MoveOn member,

Each year around this time, I write to you with an update about the right-wing media machine, and each year I hope that I can give you good news. Sadly, the fascistic, conspiracy-fueled ecosystem that helped give us Donald Trump and the MAGA movement is still going strong—and has managed to become even more extreme.

In just the last few weeks, right-wing media personalities and outlets like Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax have done all this:

Breathlessly and uncritically lauded Trump for calling his opponents "vermin," an infamous antisemitic stereotype favored by Hitler himself.¹
Gleefully shared reports that Trump plans to imprison government employees and members of the media who criticize him.^2,3
And celebrated as Kate Cox, a woman in Texas who received the devastating news that her wanted pregnancy was nonviable and dangerous for her health, was threatened by the state's attorney general and denied access to an abortion by the state's supreme court.⁴

These stories are repulsive. They are enraging. And they are a key reason that I am more dedicated than ever to the mission of Inequality Media, the organization I co-founded to counter the lies spewed on the right with authentic, powerful, and factual content that can break through all the noise and help inoculate our fellow Americans against misinformation.

We now have an audience of almost 9 million people across social media, including an unusually large percentage of conservatives and independents. Our videos were viewed more than 100 million times in 2023 alone, and they've proven to be exceptionally effective at shifting people's views on major issues like inflation and corporate power. We are filling a crucial messaging gap that keeps getting bigger and more treacherous to navigate.

But as a people-powered nonprofit, we can't do any of this without the help of grassroots progressives like you.

As we close out 2023, will you make a gift of $9 to Inequality Media to keep us strong and able to do this critical, democracy-saving work next year?

I need to be honest with you, John: 2023 has been a difficult year for many organizations across the nonprofit space. Donations are down. Way, way down.

But even facing that uncertain landscape, Inequality Media has achieved some of our most impressive wins this year.

Here's just one example: Every day, the team here at Inequality Media is dreaming up new videos to educate the public and change minds about issues around the economy. Then, we use scientific testing to figure out which videos are most successful at changing people's minds, and we blast those out even further. According to public opinion experts, if you can move your target audience by 2 to 3 points, that's considered successful. Five points is outstanding.

Now here's the incredible news: Our latest series of videos are moving the numbers by 12 to 18 points! That means our work is at least six times more effective than most traditional online persuasion strategies.

Not only that, our videos are effective at changing the minds of people across all demographics: men and women, college-educated and non-college-educated viewers, progressives, centrists, and conservatives, as well as urban, rural, and suburban residents.

Which is why we cannot afford to slow down now.

We're dedicated to making 2024 even bigger, but we can do it only if we have the dedicated support of activists like you. Will you chip in $9 to Inequality Media today?

Together, we can continue to build our massive audience across social media and create the support needed to make real change. Here is just some of what we have planned for 2024:

Use cutting-edge analytics that commercial advertisers have used for years to refine and expand the most effective video content in real time.
Create more eye-catching short TikTok and Instagram videos to connect with young viewers and grow our audience on the platforms where more and more of them are getting their news.
Produce viral explainer videos that counter right-wing disinformation and connect the dots on issues that the corporate media continue to ignore.
Make our content more accessible to educators, to make "dry" economic topics come alive for young people in high school and college classrooms.
Spread the value gained by our experiments by sharing our test results with allies across the progressive movement, so we can all grow stronger together and reach the widest audiences possible with messaging that is proven to move the needle.

Join me, and together we can build an economy that works for everyone, not just the 1%. Please, make a $9 donation now to Inequality Media so we can keep doing this critical work in 2024.

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich, Inequality Media

Sources:

1. "Right-wing media downplay and justify Trump's 'vermin' comments," Media Matters for America, November 15, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185534?t=6&akid=371603%2E40999114%2E72BIrb

2. Ibid.

3. "Right-wing media call for 'revenge tour' in response to Trump's indictment for attempting to overturn the 2020 election," Media Matters for America, August 3, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185535?t=8&akid=371603%2E40999114%2E72BIrb

4. "Anti-abortion media attacked a Texas woman seeking an emergency abortion, likening the procedure to eugenics," Media Matters for America, December 12, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185536?t=10&akid=371603%2E40999114%2E72BIrb

Want to support MoveOn's work? Book bans have skyrocketed thanks to right-wing state laws which have forced teachers to remove books from their classrooms. In response, MoveOn is launching a "Banned Bookmobile," filling it with books that the far right has banned, and driving it around to hand out those books, for free, in highly trafficked areas that will attract media attention. To keep the Banned Bookmobile up and running into 2024, we need your help.

Will you chip in to power our critical work?

Yes, I'll chip in.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.

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