Jack, it's maddening that we live in a world where just two tech companies--Facebook and Google--receive 60% of all money spent digital advertising. Even before the economic ravages of the pandemic, this shift away from fact-checked journalism and toward facts-optional social media like Facebook and YouTube resulted in the loss of 7,800 jobs at media companies in 2019, with the trend showing no sign of slowing.

The outcome of this shift is not neutral. People who receive their information about the COVID-19 pandemic primarily from social media are significantly more likely to believe conspiracy theories about the pandemic than those who receive their news from other sources. This likely has been a contributing factor in our poor national response to COVID-19.

However, there is a better way, and we do not have to go gentle into that good night. At Daily Kos, we have discovered that it is possible to develop an economic model for journalism that is centered on facts even as Big Tech continues its ever-increasing domination of digital advertising.

In 2020, small-dollar contributions from our community of readers and activists increased by over 50%, rising from one-third of our income to more than half. This has allowed us to avoid the layoffs, furloughs and paycuts that have been implemented at hundreds of other media companies. We are now less reliant on advertiser dollars than ever before, and more accountable to the grassroots donors who support us.

At Daily Kos, we have a different model for journalism--one that is funded by it's readers instead of by advertisers, one that is centered on facts instead of on propaganda, and one that gives its audience a way to take action on the news instead of just being passive consumers. This has been our mission for over a decade, and we will keep going as long as you support us. Help Daily Kos continue our ongoing work by making a $5 monthly contribution.

Can't make a monthly donation right now? Please consider making a one-time donation to help Daily Kos.

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers
Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos

P.S. An email I sent you last week on this topic can be seen below.

Jack, even before the news media industry was hit by COVID-19--causing over 36,000 workers to be be laid off, furloughed, or have their salary cut--it had a pre-existing condition that will make recovering from the pandemic more difficult for the entire country: Big Tech and social media.

Facebook and Google account for over 60% of all money spent on digital advertising. Worse, as an article from eMarketer details, their chokehold over online advertising is increasing, and their only emerging competitor is another Big Tech giant--Amazon.

This is money that used to support publishers and journalists who followed professional standards, such as fact-checking. Now, this money is instead supporting a largely fact-free world of social media, especially Facebook and YouTube. This is why, even before the pandemic, 7,800 jobs were lost at media companies in 2019.

There are real-world consequences to the shift in media consumption toward social media and away from journalism and publishing. In a survey released earlier this week, the Pew Research Center showed that Americans who receive information on the COVID-19 pandemic primarily from social media are noticeably more likely to believe conspiracy theories about the pandemic. To put it one way, our nation's changing media habits are at least partly responsible for our nation's disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's maddening that we are in this situation, but it's crucial not to go gentle into that good night. Even in an age where Big Tech social media dominates digital advertising, at Daily Kos we have discovered that it is possible to develop a new economic model for journalism that centers on facts. In 2020, small dollar contributions from our audience of readers and community of activists have increased by 50% from one-third of our income to over half of it. This has allowed us to avoid the layoffs, furloughs and paycuts that have been implemented at hundreds of other media companies. Indeed, this may even be an improvement, as we are now less reliant on advertiser dollars than ever before, and more accountable to the grassroots donors who support us.

We need an entirely different model for journalism--one that is funded by it's readers instead of by advertisers, one that is centered on facts instead of on propaganda, and one that gives its audience a way to take action on the news instead of just being passive listeners. At Daily Kos, this has been our mission for over a decade, and we will keep going as long as you support us. Help Daily Kos continue our ongoing work by making a $5 monthly contribution.

Can't make a monthly donation right now? Please consider making a one-time donation to help Daily Kos.

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers
Executive Campaign Director, 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. (Please note that we may be slow to process checks during the coronavirus outbreak.)