Re: Layoffs

Friend, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and one of the worst financial crises most of us have ever experienced. We lack any sort of national leadership and people are desperate for answers and guidance. Big Tech has gobbled up advertising dollars that once helped journalists make a living, allowing social media platforms to grow ever larger while traditional media companies are forced to make tens of thousands of layoffs. This toxic combination of events allows conspiracy theories about the coronavirus to run rampant. Most of these [conspiracy theories]( give people a false sense of security. Some people think that it is all "fake news" and that masks and social-distancing aren't necessary. People are getting sick and delaying seeking treatment because they don't believe the severity of this virus is real. It doesn't help that Trump stands behind the presidential seal and feeds conspiracy theories like the virus came from a lab in China, that unproven drugs will cure you if you get sick, or that the media and Democrats were sensationalizing the threat of the coronavirus to hurt him politically. We need independent media more than ever to get the facts about COVID-19 out to the public. Unfortunately, more and more media outlets have been hit hard by the financial fallout. An estimated [36,000 people in media have been laid off, furloughed or seen their salary cut](. We can see the consequences of this all around us as states re-open even though the pandemic continues to ravage the country. This is a taste of a future without independent media. [Daily Kos is not immune to the challenges that many media outlets are facing. We have experienced high anxiety about our revenue since coronavirus took a hold in the country. Grassroots support from readers and activists like you, Friend, is now our largest source of income. That's why I am asking you to support Daily Kos -- so we can continue providing progressive news and the tools to make immediate action -- by giving $5 today.]( Keep fighting, Amanda McKay, 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.) Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.