John, I’m writing to let you know about the HUGE impact you just made on our democracy.
Last year, more than 120,000 Common Cause members like you signed our petition urging AT&T to cut ties with One America News (OAN) – the Trump-approved, ultra-conservative cable “news” network.
Now, thanks to your action, DirecTV – of which AT&T is a majority shareholder – has announced that it will DROP OAN from its platform when its contract expires this spring. This is a big win, and it simply couldn’t have happened without you and thousands of Common Cause members like you speaking up.
This decision will drastically limit OAN’s reach, and with it, its ability to spread dangerous disinformation about the integrity of our elections – lies that incited a deadly attack at our Capitol last January and hundreds of anti-voter bills in states.
Now that we know this strategy works, I need your help to take this fight against disinformation even further. Can you add your voice right now to tell AT&T to finish the job and publicly commit to severing all ties with OAN?
Sign the Petition: Now that AT&T realizes just how toxic its relationship with OAN is – urge the company to cut ALL ties with this conspiracy-peddling “news” network >>
You may remember that in October, an explosive report revealed that OAN exists largely thanks to AT&T. [1]
Not only is AT&T responsible for 90% of OAN’s revenue – but AT&T executives allegedly approached OAN’s founder and encouraged him to start the network, saying the company wanted to add a Fox News competitor to its collection.
The conspiracy theories that OAN spreads day after day have had tragic impacts, from the violent January 6th insurrection to the loss of countless Americans who were misinformed about COVID-19. By removing OAN from DirecTV, AT&T has taken a big step to combat this harmful disinformation.
But more must be done. AT&T has, through a number of financial entanglements and quid pro quo agreements, been instrumental in OAN’s success – and now, the company must publicly commit to terminating their relationship altogether.
OAN knows its financial future is tied to AT&T. The network is now “in panic mode” – and is engaging in smear tactics to pressure AT&T not to drop it. [2]
SIGN NOW: AT&T is listening to consumers like you and me! Urge the company to cut ALL ties with OAN >>
John, your voice has made a MAJOR impact on the future of Donald Trump's favorite cable news channel. Thank you for speaking out in defense of the truth.
Now, I hope we can count on you to step up again and help us finish this fight.
With thanks for all you do,
Devon Nir, Digital Strategies Manager
and the team at Common Cause
1) https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/
2) https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/01/oan-panics-as-directv-drops-network-asks-viewers-to-find-dirt-on-att-chairman/
