Friend,

Elon Musk couldn't prove Media Matters lied. So he's bankrupting them instead.

Status reporter Oliver Darcy just revealed that Media Matters, the watchdog that has held right-wing media accountable for over two decades, has been forced into layoffs and deep cost-cutting as Musk's legal war drains its finances.

In March, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone had to warn his own staff of a budget shortfall. Last month, the cuts came.

This is how accountability dies. Not by losing an argument, but by being sued into silence. If you believe watchdogs shouldn't be crushed by billionaires, chip in to support COURIER's independent journalism today. 

Remember how this started.

In 2023, Media Matters published a simple, factual report: ads from major brands were appearing next to pro-Nazi content on Musk's X.

Musk didn't dispute the screenshots. He promised a "thermonuclear" lawsuit. The goal was never to win in court. The goal was to make the truth too expensive to publish.

And look around. It's the same playbook everywhere. CBS and ABC paid Trump millions to make lawsuits go away. The Washington Post pulled an ad criticizing Musk. Legacy outlets are settling, softening, and self-censoring out of fear of retribution.

Money. Threats. Intimidation. That's the whole strategy.

COURIER refuses to be intimidated, and grassroots supporters like you are the reason we can't be bought or bullied. Chip in $25 to keep fearless journalism alive. 

This is the media environment we're operating in now: billionaires sue watchdogs into layoffs, corporate outlets cut checks to stay out of the crosshairs, and the propaganda machine grows louder while accountability gets quieter.

COURIER exists to fight all that. We're reader-funded and independent. No merger to protect, no advertiser revolt to fear. We hold MAGA and the media accountable across 20+ newsrooms and reach millions of Americans every day on the platforms where propaganda spreads.

But independence isn't free. It's funded by people like you, $5 and $25 at a time. Chip in whatever you can today to power journalism that won't back down. 

In Solidarity,
The COURIER Team

P.S. — Musk's lawsuits already forced layoffs at one of the most effective watchdogs of the far right. Don't let intimidation win. Support COURIER's independent journalism today.