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Back in March, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States with force, I experienced the same sense of shock and confusion that all of you surely went through.

At the same time, I immediately knew that Free Press would need to fight for the millions of people who lacked access to the lifesaving information they would desperately need in the months ahead. And while a patchwork of school districts stepped up to get their students connected, millions still can’t afford home internet.

We have made progress in protecting everyone’s right to truthful information, but there is still much work to be done. Please make your first-ever donation to Free Press now while your gift will be DOUBLED in the fight for affordable internet access for every U.S. household.

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In the early days of the pandemic, it quickly became clear that the same people who were cut off by the digital divide — in Black, Brown and low-income communities — were also bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

With so many lives still at risk, it is simply unacceptable that our government has largely ignored the suffering in these communities. And it’s also unacceptable that most internet service providers have refused to offer lower-cost options during this crisis.

Make first-ever tax-deductible donation now while it will be matched dollar for dollar to help fight for everyone’s right to truthful, lifesaving information.

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Together, we have made real progress in our fight against the digital divide. Here is some of the work that your support has helped make possible — and that your donation today will help move forward:

• Free Press Action helped shape the House’s HEROES Act, which goes further than nearly any other legislation has to get and keep people connected.
• AT&T suspended data caps and Comcast waived two months of internet fees for low-income customers after 10,627 supporters like you signed our petition demanding that telecom companies ensure reliable access to lifesaving information.
• We took a lead in the fight against COVID-19 disinformation, issuing our first action on March 19 and to date collecting 40,000 signatures from supporters like you to fight the lies.
• We gathered 9,674 public comments to the FCC to argue against giving Charter — one of the nation’s largest ISPs — permission to institute data caps in the midst of a pandemic.

None of these actions would have been possible without supporters like you — and most of the efforts described here are still ongoing. Will you donate today while all gifts are being DOUBLED to help Free Press continue this essential work?

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It’s also critical to highlight the fact that the rise of online hate and racist political rhetoric disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities.

Your donation today will also support Free Press’ longstanding fight against white supremacy — a fight that we have seen significant progress on this past year.

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We have seen prominent white supremacists banned from social media platforms, sites like Twitter and Reddit take real steps towards implementing stronger anti-hate policies, and more and more advertisers take a stand against Facebook’s and Fox’s practice of profiting off of hate.

Make your first-ever donation now to have TWICE the impact on our work fighting for access to truthful information and against hate and propaganda.

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Thank you for everything you do to bring justice to Black, Brown and low-income communities — and to help build a just media system that supports us all.

In solidarity,

Craig Aaron
Co-CEO
Free Press
freepress.net

P.S. Remember: All donations are being DOUBLED until we raise $50k — but we have to reach this ambitious goal by Dec. 31. Free Press doesn’t take a cent from business, government or political parties — we truly rely on individual supporters like you to sustain our essential work. With the challenges that we continue to confront, from COVID-19 disinformation to online hate, we can’t afford to miss this goal. Please make your first-ever donation to Free Press now to have TWICE the impact in our movement for a just media.

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