Dear MoveOn member,
Fox News has settled. We won't.
In fact, following their historic settlement of nearly $800 million in a lawsuit over their election lies, we are now more determined than ever to expose the endless stream of lies and attacks that saturate Fox "News" airwaves.1
Yes, they lied about the 2020 election and they are now paying a steep price for those lies.2 Yes, they are under the cloud of other multibillion-dollar lawsuits that could cause them to lose hundreds of millions more.3
But we are under no illusions that Fox will stop putting profit and partisan ideology ahead of truth. Any "news" outlet that is willing to inflame an insurrection by lying to their viewers for money must be confronted head-on.
That is why this week we launched a campaign called "Stop Funding Fox." Advertisers and cable companies are two of the biggest sources of Fox's revenue. Which is why our "Stop Funding Fox" campaign is targeted squarely at that revenue by calling on advertisers to pull their ads and cable companies to refuse to pay increased fees.
By targeting those that advertise on Fox, as well as those cable companies that pay Fox hidden fees to carry their hate, we will hit Fox's bottom line—the thing they care about most—and weaken their ability to spread dangerous lies.
Will you start a $5 monthly donation today to fund and sustain our campaign to get corporations to boycott Fox News and to get cable companies to pay them less? "Stop Funding Fox" is an all-out effort to end the power of Fox "News," and your monthly donation today will go directly toward powering that effort for as long as it takes.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
You probably don't realize this, but the average cable subscriber is paying $2 a month for Fox News.4 That means even though you don't watch Fox, if you have cable, you are likely paying Fox to spew hate. This amounts to almost $1.8 billion a year in revenue, twice what Fox has agreed to pay as part of their Dominion lawsuit settlement.5
As we write to you, Fox is likely trying to negotiate higher contracts with these providers, which means you will be paying Fox even more money. Our campaign is targeting the providers directly to say no.
Similarly, Fox News gets tremendous revenue from advertisers like Subway, AT&T, and General Motors. We are also targeting them directly through boycotts, petitions, letters, unflattering press, phone calls, you name it, to convince them to pull their ads from Fox. A few of the biggest offenders have already begun hearing from our members (we hope you call them, too!).
But in order to get them to stop giving your money to Fox, we have to increase the pressure, and that starts with you making a donation today.
The truth is that Fox News will continue spewing lies and hatred, further destroying our democracy, until they start losing profits. The most effective way we can hold Fox News accountable for their lies is to demand that these corporations stop funding the channel through any new advertising on the channel. Will you start a $5 monthly donation to power and sustain our "Stop Funding Fox" campaign?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
We all know it isn't just the lies about January 6 that sets Fox apart. Through QAnon conspiracy theories; anti-vaccine rhetoric; attacks on immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community; and more, Fox News has consistently shown it will promote hate and lies to push a right-wing political agenda in return for profits.6
MoveOn members have confronted Fox's partisan lies for years—challenging advertisers to drop Bill O'Reilly, asking the Democratic Party to pull presidential primaries off the network, and more. And we'll continue to fight to hold hosts like Tucker Carlson accountable both for his willful lies about the election and his ongoing white supremacist attacks. At the same time, we want to confront Fox structurally where we know it will hurt most: their profits.
They may be paying for one specific lie today, but they will continue all the others until they are forced to do otherwise. Until they see that their hate, misogyny, transphobia, and racism are financial losers.
By making a $5 monthly gift, you will help make Fox a financial loser. Are you in?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelsey, Dan, Sana, Emma, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Fox Will Pay $787.5 Million to Settle Defamation Suit," The New York Times, April 18, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/172122?t=8&akid=350253%2E53570607%2E2fKji_
2. Ibid.
3. "Here are the other legal cases Fox is entangled in." The New York Times, April 18, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/172123?t=10&akid=350253%2E53570607%2E2fKji_
4. #Unfoxmycablebox, Media Matters, accessed April 19, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/172124?t=12&akid=350253%2E53570607%2E2fKji_
5. Ibid.
6. "The unique, damaging role Fox News plays in American media," The Washington Post, April 4, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/170629?t=14&akid=350253%2E53570607%2E2fKji_
Want to support MoveOn's work? Together, we must work to end the filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms, our families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but only if we work together.
Will you start a monthly donation right now to power our critical work?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on April 20, 2023. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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