Jack, the calendar may have changed, but news media outlets are still facing the same problems: dwindling cash due to declining advertising revenue.

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It didn't take long for the first round of news media layoffs. On January 2, The Messenger announced they are laying off staff as part of a cost-cutting measure.

In order to stay afloat, the top brass at The Messenger is looking for more investors (besides money, who knows what else those investors will want in return). Other news outlets have tried to bring in more money by finding corporate sponsors, some billionaire backer, or cash from hedge funds. Others find more revenue by blocking news content with a paywall or only make it accessible with expensive subscriptions. Every single one of these options has a tradeoff.

Unfortunately, there were some news outlets, like ThinkProgress and Buzzfeed News, that couldn't find another source of revenue and were forced to shut down completely.

Daily Kos isn't a stranger to the financial hardships that have plagued so many other news outlets. Almost a year ago, facing declining revenue, we were forced to make some hard decisions and other changes in order to survive.

However, instead of looking for a billionaire backer that could use their purse strings to influence our work or a hedge fund that is just interested in the bottom line, we asked our community of readers and activists to support our work by donating a few dollars at a time.

In fact, grassroots donations now make up over 60% of our total income. 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.

Looking at future trends, we don't expect our advertising revenue to return the peak levels of just a few years ago. We are now dependent on the generosity of our readers and activists to power our work.

Daily Kos is the country's largest progressive news and activism hub. As we head into 2024, it's not enough for us to survive, we need to thrive. Support our work with a donation of $5 right now.

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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.