Hey, | Over the past year, I've seen a problem in media get even worse. | For a long time, we knew big media companies were compromised—taking money from billionaires, foreign governments, and political groups to push an agenda. But today, the real danger isn't just coming from legacy outlets. It's happening with online influencers and commentators, and the scale of it makes tracking the truth nearly impossible. | I hear the whispers at conferences and events—who's getting funded by whom, which influencers are quietly taking money to push political narratives. A few months ago, we reported how conservative commentators were recruited by Russian operatives for an influence campaign. Since then, it's become even more widespread, with foreign and domestic interests paying online voices to shape what you see and believe. | These influencers aren't held to any standard. There's no oversight, no accountability, and no transparency. It's hard enough to track the money flowing into corporate media—tracking where all of these influencers are getting their funding? Forget it. It's impossible. | Right-wing commentators who suddenly change their stance on foreign policy? Some of them have taken money from Qatar, the same country funding Al Jazeera, which pushes anti-American narratives from the left. Pro-Palestinian influencers gaining traction? Many are getting direct or indirect funding from Iran, which has long backed media voices that push anti-Israel and anti-U.S. content under the guise of "truth-telling." Anonymous Twitter (X) accounts, Substack writers, and podcast hosts who aggressively push certain talking points? Many are funded by Gulf states and energy interests looking to shape public opinion on foreign policy. Even U.S. allies, including Israel, pour money into influencers to make sure their side of the story gets pushed just as aggressively.
| These influencers don't have to disclose anything. There's no oversight, no accountability, and no transparency. The money flows behind the scenes, shaping the news without the audience ever knowing. | It's never been more important to be independent. That's why we made a big decision after the election. | We cut almost all of our ad revenue. | We've always built Upward News to be independent, but the truth is, even aligned advertisers bring pressure. When companies are paying your bills, you start reshaping your work to please them—even if it's subtle. We weren't willing to let that happen. | So, in the weeks after the election, we made a tough call. We walked away from a major source of revenue to make sure we answer only to our readers. No sponsors influencing our work. No one buying our editorial decisions. Just the truth. | But that choice comes at a cost. | Bootstrapping an independent news company is brutal. It's expensive, the margins are slim, and we don't have billionaires or political groups backing us like other outlets do. The only way we can keep doing this is with direct support from our readers. | If you believe in what we're doing—if you want independent news that isn't bought and paid for—now is the time to step up. | | Your support means we answer only to you. Not billionaires. Not foreign governments. Not anyone else. | Ari | |
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