re: Daily Kos went ad-free this weekend. We didn't have a choice. Here's the story:

Friend, the Daily Kos tech team is hard at work to resolve the malware issue that forced us to take ads off our site this weekend. Until then, we can't run most of our ads and we remain cut off from one of our revenue streams. As I said in my email yesterday, ads are only a part of our income, but every little bit matters. News outlets are in [very serious trouble]( and small, independent outlets like Daily Kos are especially vulnerable to downturns in revenue. That's why I'm writing to you today. [Daily Kos is turning to you in this moment of need: Can you please donate $5 right now to help us offset this lost revenue?]( [DONATE]( Thank you again, Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos P.S. Here's my email from yesterday: --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, Daily Kos went ad-free this weekend, but it wasn't by choice. Ad revenue has been declining for years—not just for Daily Kos, but [everywhere](—but it is still part of our revenue picture. Due to a malware issue, though, we had to disable ads to protect our site and our users. We're losing revenue every day that ads are down and, while ads are only a small part of our income, it hurts to lose anything at a time when the news industry is under such [severe financial pressure](. Unlike many news outlets, though, our biggest source of income is donations of just a few bucks at a time from readers like you, so we're turning to you in this moment of need. [Friend, can you donate $5 right now to support Daily Kos and offset this lost revenue?]( [DONATE]( Online ads have been the subject of countless articles in recent years, but they all come down to two big points: - Companies are spending less now on digital advertising than they were in the 2010s. - The ads that are being bought go overwhelmingly to Big Tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. These two things combined have left news outlets—especially small, independent ones like Daily Kos—out in the cold. Even so, having to turn ads off this weekend, and cut off what remains of that revenue stream, still hurts. These past few years have been a tough time for Daily Kos, but we've managed to survive this far because of your support. [Small donations make up more than 60 percent of our income, and that share is only going up. We literally couldn't do without you. That's why I'm asking you to donate $5 to Daily Kos right now.]( [DONATE]( 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. If you wish to unsubscribe from Daily Kos fundraising emails, please [click here](. You will still continue receiving other types of Daily Kos emails. If you wish to unsubscribe from ALL Daily Kos emails, please click the link at the bottom of the email. 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](.