Jack, about a decade ago, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were a major boon for news outlets, driving huge amounts of traffic to news sites, and with it, advertising dollars. So much so that some "up and coming" outlets, like Vox Media, ViceNews, or Buzzfeed, had estimated values in the billions of dollars.

Daily Kos benefited from this rush of big traffic for a time too. Unfortunately, the interests of Big Tech changed at a whim and media outlets have suffered as a result. We have seen our advertising revenue drop in a big, big way in recent years and we are relying more and more on donations from our readers and activists to power our work. We need to raise $48,446 by the end of the month to make ends meet. Please donate $5 or more today.

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The problem for news outlets is multifaceted. Firstly, Big Tech companies altered their algorithms and are no longer driving readers to news sites, except for a handful of right-wing personalities like Ben Shapiro. At the same time, businesses are spending more of their advertising dollars to reach users on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Google instead of advertising in news outlets like they did for decades.

Long story short: Thanks to social media platforms and Big Tech, the days of high-valued news outlets are long gone. Just last year, Vox was forced to lay off staff, ViceNews filed for bankruptcy, and Buzzfeed completely shut down their news division.

Daily Kos has been no stranger to these financial problems. Just last year, we were forced to make deep budget cuts and other changes in hopes of finding more sustainable financial ground. Even though our finances had some improvement, it has become abundantly clear that in order to survive these hard times, we need to rely more and more on grassroots donations from our readers and activists.

Please support the work Daily Kos does day in and day out with a donation of $5 or whatever amount is meaningful to you.

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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.