Jack, traditional news outlets are shrinking at an alarming rate. Progressive news outlets like ThinkProgress are long gone. Progressive activist groups like CREDO Action and, as of this week, Democracy for America are going under too.

Daily Kos has, so far, not had to make tough decisions about layoffs like so many other groups in the news and activism worlds have. The secret to our survival is you.

We learned many years ago that ads alone would not be enough to pay our bills, and so we had to turn to our readers and activists for donations to make up the shortfall. In exchange for your support, we began to offer you something quite unlike any other progressive media operation: the ability to take action on the very story you were reading. It was news you could do something about—and there's still nothing like it anywhere else on the internet. But Daily Kos isn't immune to the forces that have crushed other groups and it is getting harder for us. That's why I'm writing to you today.

Daily Kos is $23,621.60 away from its annual goal. Can you donate $5 now to help us close the books on 2022?

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Keep fighting,
Amanda McKay, Daily Kos

Jack, we've lost another progressive institution. Democracy for America (DFA), a progressive giant in the late 00s and early 10s, is shutting down after nearly two decades of grassroots organizing.

The loss of DFA at a time of rising well-organized right-wing extremists is a scary thought, but progressive groups aren't alone in feeling the economic pain. A wave of layoffs has washed over the news media, from CNN to the Washington Post. Job losses at outlets like these take journalists, fact-checkers, and proofreaders off the board amid rising tide of disinformation campaigns from the right-wing.

Daily Kos sits at a unique junction between news and activism, meaning we face the same pressures that drove DFA to shut down and the pressures are pushing news outlets to make deep cuts. That's why I'm writing to you today.

Daily Kos has been able to avoid layoffs over the past several years because, unlike other media outlets, nearly half of our revenue comes from donations by readers and activists like you. Please keep independent, progressive media going while economic forces try to batter us down by donating $5 to Daily Kos right now.

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Thank you,
Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos

If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. (Please note that we may be slow to process checks during the coronavirus outbreak.)