Dear John,

As we approach the end of 2021 and launch our year-end fundraising drive, I want to take a moment to thank you.

In this past year, right-wing outlets were more unhinged than ever, and even “mainstream” corporate media outlets consistently undermined hugely popular policies by focusing on political theater rather than on the real challenges facing America.

And after four exhausting, frightening years of Trump, you could have tuned this all out. I wouldn’t have blamed you. But you didn’t. You stepped up—and thanks to you, we’ve been able to reach millions of people with clear, compelling posts and videos about what’s happening to our democracy and our economy.

But the right-wing disinformation machine continues to churn, perpetuating Trump’s Big Lie, stoking racial resentment, and promoting violence. And the mainstream media continues to push a corporate agenda—all of which makes our work in 2022 even more urgent.

We need you to step up as a supporter now—again—to beat back the cascade of media misinformation and get the truth out to everyday Americans everywhere. And it’s an especially ideal time to give because all year-end donations will be matched 100%.

ALL DONATIONS MATCHED

As you may know, the right has had a dominant position in social media—but we’re giving them a real fight.

We’re beating both Ben Shapiro and Sean Hannity on Facebook engagement. We’re dead even with Fox News on Instagram, despite having a tiny fraction of Fox's staff and budget. We are consistently one of the few progressive pages listed in the top 10 engagement rankings on Facebook, providing a critical antidote to the barrage of misinformation spread by right-wing media. Crucially, we’ve dramatically expanded our following among young people on Instagram and TikTok.

With your donations and input, this year we produced countless new videos, live broadcasts, and interviews, all of which have received more than 90 million views across a range of new audiences and added over 750,000 followers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok combined. We now have over 6.5 million followers from every state. You are a critical part of this nationwide ecosystem.

In 2021, we launched the Purple America Education Project to expand our social media reach to people being targeted by right-wing disinformation, using the most effective, scientifically tested messages to inoculate them against lies and conspiracy theories. The results are even better than we’d hoped, and in 2022, we plan to expand this initiative—and use our learnings to build power.

With your continued support, we plan to produce even better, more effective, and shareable videos to combat the right’s rampant lies and provide the frameworks the mainstream media ignores. We’re going to educate an even wider swath of the country, and translate burgeoning public awareness into tangible change. Here is just some of what we have planned for 2022:

Produce engaging TikTok videos to reach even more young viewers, popularize our progressive ideas, and mobilize a new audience. (Our TikTok followers more than doubled since last year, and we’re just getting started!)
Produce “frame-breaking” videos to help people cut through the noise coming from right-wing and even mainstream media, and “explainer” videos that connect the dots between inequality, power, and the most pressing challenges of our time.
Partner with educators to use our videos as learning tools in high school and college classrooms, and to build a teacher resource library—all of which will enable us to push back against Prager University’s insidious “education” initiative.
Amplify our reach by strengthening our collaborations with outlets such as MoveOn, NowThis News, and the Gravel Institute, which focus on Gen Z and millennial viewers, as well as progressive members of Congress.
Leverage our digital experience by sharing our learnings with other nonprofits to grow the progressive movement at a seminal moment in American history.

But we’re a small shop, and doing all this and more requires resources.

Also, a bonus: If you donate before the end of the year, your gift will be matched by a generous donor who wants to ensure Inequality Media can start 2022 off strong. So if you give $25, we’ll get $50. And if you give $50, we’ll get $100.

So please, make a donation today so we can continue educating the public, spreading the truth, and building the power we need to stop our slide toward oligarchy and fascism and usher in transformative change.

Thank you! We couldn’t be more grateful for your support.

Robert Reich

Inequality Media