Dear MoveOn member,
One America News (OAN) is a wildly pro-Trump source of far-right
conspiracy theories, pushing lies about COVID-19, the January 6
insurrection, transgender kids, and the 2020 election.^1
And a bombshell investigation has just revealed that this white
supremacist hate channel is almost entirely funded by AT&T.^2
OAN is even more extreme than Fox News, and because OAN is carried on
AT&T's DIRECTV, its hate and lies are pumped directly into more than 30
million homes, increasing vaccine resistance in the midst of a deadly
pandemic and fueling attacks on our fragile democracy.^3
We need to shut down OAN.
The good news is that we can.
DIRECTV is still the sole national cable provider offering OAN—and even
OAN admits it would "go out of business tomorrow" if it was taken off
AT&T-owned DIRECTV, so we're ramping up a public pressure campaign to
demand AT&T drop OAN from DIRECTV.^4
AT&T is a highly visible consumer brand that desperately needs to protect
its image with its customers and the public at large. Exposing that it's
propping up this bigoted outlet can make OAN more trouble than it's worth
to AT&T.
If we can raise $100,000 by midnight tonight, we'll have the resources to
run a hard-hitting TV ad on the air during the next big Dallas Cowboys
home game at AT&T Stadium. Will you rush a $3 donation today
to hold AT&T accountable? If we're successful, we could very well put the
horrid One America News out of business.
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in now.
It's impossible to exaggerate how dangerous and extreme OAN is. Here are
some of the worst examples of their far-right propaganda:
* COVID-19 conspiracies: OAN peddles unhinged COVID-19 disinformation,
suggesting the Pfizer vaccine makes bodies magnetic and comparing the
Biden administration's support for vaccines to Nazi Germany.^5,6
* Phony claims of election fraud: OAN pushes Trump's Big Lie about the
2020 election, claiming that ballots were altered by secret computer
programs and that "a lot of dead people voted."^7 OAN even held an
on-air fundraiser to support a "private" audit of ballots in Arizona
and suggested there should be mass executions of election
officials.^8,9
* January 6 insurrection: OAN praised the mob that attacked the U.S.
Capitol on January 6, and their owner claimed that the attack was a
"false flag" operation by left-wing activists.^10
* LGBTQ+ hate: OAN's hosts and guests said transgender people have a
"mental illness" and compared gender-affirming PBS programming to
"child abuse."^11
* White supremacy: OAN claimed George Floyd was responsible for his own
death, pushed a video that went viral accusing a Black Lives Matter
protester of attacking police, and one of their most prominent hosts
has extensive ties to neo-Nazis and white supremacists.^12,13
After the news broke about AT&T's funding of OAN, we launched an online
video calling out AT&T that has gotten nearly 700,000 views already, and
if we can raise enough money, we'll be able to run a hard-hitting TV ad
during the next Dallas Cowboys home football game at AT&T Stadium.
[ [link removed] ]Will you rush a $3 donation to power our campaign to
hold AT&T accountable and to send OAN to the trash heap of history?
Remember, if we can raise enough money, we'll be able to run a
hard-hitting TV ad during the next big Dallas Cowboys home game on
November 7.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Chris, Allison, Liia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Conservative outlet complains about lack of Trump shout-out at rally,"
The Hill, March 29, 2019
[link removed]
2. "How AT&T helped build far-right One America News," Reuters, October 6,
2021
[link removed]
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. "OAN hosts woman who claims the Pfizer vaccine made her arm magnetic
for friendly interview," Media Matters for America, August 13, 2021
[link removed]
6. "OAN host compares Biden administration's vaccine push to Nazi
Germany," Media Matters for America, October 8, 2021
[link removed]
7. "OAN panel reacts to Biden's address to Congress: "There were a lot of
dead people that voted in the last election," Media Matters for America,
April 28, 2021
[link removed]
8. "Pro-Trump OAN Reporters Are Blatantly Raising Money For A Bogus
Election "Audit" In Arizona," BuzzFeed News, May 18, 2021
[link removed]
9. "OAN Host Who Mused About Mass Executions: I Was Just Discussing The
Federal Legal Code!" Talking Points Memo, June 24, 2021
[link removed]
10. "OAN host and guest defend Jan. 6 participant who sat at Pelosi's
desk, instead put blame reporters and Capitol Police," Media Matters for
America, August 4, 2021
[link removed]
11. "OAN is a cesspool of anti-LGBTQ hate. It's supported by these cable
providers and streaming services," Media Matters for America, June 15,
2021
[link removed]
12. "One America News' racist falsehoods undermine DirecTV's appeals for
racial justice," Media Matters for America, April 2, 2021
[link removed]
13. "SPLC Investigation: Far-right OANN Anchor Jack Posobiec's Rise Tied
to White Supremacist Movement," Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed
October 14, 2021
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? The GOP is launching an all-out campaign to
take down the Democratic majority in Congress and reinstall Mitch
McConnell as Senate majority leader in 2022. To defeat the GOP, MoveOn is
going all-in with TV ads, a nationwide grassroots organizing campaign, and
more.
Will you chip in to power our effort to defeat McConnell and the GOP in
2022?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]?. Not authorized by any candidate or
candidate's committee.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
