Theres only one solution to right-wing disinformation: great journalism.

Right-wing conspiracy theories and disinformation are a very real threat to our democracy. The solution is great journalism.




The daily list of top-rated posts on Facebook are consistently dominated by right-wing propagandists like Ben Shapiro and Franklin Graham, and the No. 1 host on cable news is Tucker Carlson.

Meanwhile, 60 percent of Donald Trump voters still believe that the election was stolen, and a majority think that the January 6 attack on the Capitol was a false-flag operation organized to “make Trump look bad.”

Online conspiracy theories and disinformation may be profitable content for Facebook and Fox News, but they’re a real and growing threat to our democracy.

At The Intercept, we believe that the best solution to disinformation today continues to be truthful investigative journalism that pulls back the curtain to hold the powerful accountable.

As a nonprofit newsroom,... we rely on reader donations to power our work, and this month we’ve set a big goal of raising $400,000 by June 30. Will you make a donation to help support the fearless independent investigative journalism of The Intercept?

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

DONATE $15 →

DONATE $25 →

DONATE $50 →

DONATE $100 →

DONATE ANOTHER AMOUNT →

The internet may have changed how disinformation spreads, but powerful people lying to the public is nothing new. The tobacco industry lied about the relationship between cancer and cigarettes. Big Oil lied about global warming. Presidents have been lying about war since the dawn of the republic.

Were those lies any less damaging than Trump’s?

Right-wing disinformation gets more than five times more engagement than straight news at a time when newsrooms are being gutted by layoffs and falling revenue. Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Twitter are siphoning off advertising dollars from media outlets while their algorithms replace genuine journalism with clickbait and outright falsehoods.

That’s why The Intercept is so critical. Our team of investigative journalists is on the front lines every day, uncovering the stories that a healthy democracy needs to flourish — and when our stories are shared widely, they provide a crucial antidote to the noxious falsehoods circulated by the right.

The Intercept was fortunate to launch with major support from an individual donor who believes in our mission and has honored his pledge not to interfere in editorial decisions. But we never intended to be entirely dependent on any single funder.

To sustain and grow our work into the future — without putting ads on our website or setting up a paywall — we must increase and diversify our funding. So we’re asking our readers to help support The Intercept with whatever you can afford and meet our goal of raising $400,000 by June 30.

If you believe, as we do, in quality journalism as a fundamental building block in democracy, please donate to The Intercept and help support our investigative journalism.

If you can afford it, please donate today and help us reach our mid-year membership fundraising campaign goal so we can continue fighting back against the lies and conspiracy theories threatening our democracy. Every donation matters, no matter how small.

STAND WITH THE INTERCEPT →

Thank you, The Intercept team

First Look Media Works is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax ID number 80-0951255).

The Intercept’s mailing address is:
First Look Media
P.O. Box 27442
Washington, DC 20038

The Intercept is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Our in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on surveillance, war, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media and more. Email is an important way for us to communicate with The Intercept’s readers, but if you’d like to stop hearing from us, click here to r0 from all communications. Protecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Contribute now to support our independent journalism.

Login Form