This was a hard email to write

Friend, as I mention in the email below, almost every single news outlet built their revenue model around advertising. Unfortunately, that source of income has been on the decline for well over a decade. There is no indication that there will be improvements in the future. Instead, reliance on advertising revenue will only become more precarious. By June of this year, there were already [17,436 layoffs]( among media outlets—the highest rate ever reported for the industry—and that was just the first five months of the year! Some outlets like Buzzfeed News and Gawker didn't survive the year and were forced to shut down. Daily Kos also relied heavily on advertising revenue to cover our operation expenses. However when finances got tight, we didn't rely on a billionaire backer that could use their purse strings to control what we say, corporate sponsors that come with their own agenda, or some big vulture capitalist group that only cares about the bottom line and shareholders returns. Daily Kos relies on you, friend, and tens of thousands of our readers and activists donating a few dollars at a time to fuel our work and keep our content accessible to everyone. [That's why I am asking for your help. Daily Kos needs to raise $154,872 by the end of the year to make ends meet. Can you donate $5 today to support our work?]( [DONATE]( Thanks for all you do, Amanda McKay, Daily Kos --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, to say it has been a brutal year for news outlets is an understatement. An [uptick in layoffs]( within the news media started in 2020, during the pandemic and an economic downturn. However, as the pandemic eased, news media layoffs never did. News outlets were rocked by a [record number of layoffs]( in just the first six months of this year. The mass amount of layoffs is not just detrimental to the individual news outlet, it greatly affects the quality of information that the public receives. [Please support progressive, independent news with a donation of $5 or more to Daily Kos.]( [DONATE]( The financial hardships mostly stem from an industry that was built around a single source of revenue: advertising. Unfortunately, Big Tech behemoths like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are sucking up an ever-growing share of advertising dollars, and even controlling access to advertising revenue. The solutions to stymie the economic woes that plague news outlets are not ideal. As mentioned, there are budget cuts and layoffs, finding a billionaire backer, being bought and sold to the highest bidder, paywalls and expensive subscriptions, or answering to shareholders. Every solution comes with a tradeoff. Daily Kos went in a different direction: We asked our community of readers and activists to support our work by donating a few dollars at a time. In fact, grassroots donations now make up over 60% of our total income. Honestly, we prefer it this way because it makes us accountable to you—not to some billionaire or corporation with their own agenda. We know that in order to keep operating, we have to fight and deliver for what you believe in. Looking at future trends, we don't expect our advertising revenue to return the peak levels of just a few years ago. We are now dependent on the generosity of our readers and activists to power our work. [Daily Kos needs to raise $181,188 by the end of December to reach our fundraising goal. Please support our work with a donation of $5 or more today.]( [DONATE]( Thank you for all you do, 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. 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](.