Fearlessly covering Musk & DOGE
Audiences are hungry for content taking on the unpopular oligarch. Now is the time to increase our volume.
Across the country, there is a slow simmering backlash against the chaos happening in Washington, DC. Online and off, Americans are beginning to tune in and respond to the Trump administration’s overreach as they see or hear about the impacts of massive government-wide cuts. Republican town hall meetings are being flooded with angry attendees, and protests are breaking out at Tesla dealerships from Florida to Washington. Today, there is a grassroots economic “blackout” being organized by movement groups to send a signal to corporate brands that if they keep falling in line with this corrupt administration, it will affect their bottom line.
COURIER’s national coverage is meeting this moment: the content we’ve produced about Musk’s conflicts of interest, his role in the administration’s chaos, and the already-felt negative impacts of DOGE is riding a massive wave of interest and engagement on social media.
On TikTok, our team has published 38 pieces of original content in the past few weeks specifically about Musk, DOGE, or their negative impacts on people’s lives. Those posts have received over 67 million views. To put that in context, that’s more views than most political or news accounts on the app have received in their entire lifetimes.
During the same time period, our Musk-related content on Instagram also drove large-scale engagement. On that platform, our national team published another two dozen posts about Musk and DOGE that have received over 20 million views.
According to data from CAP Action, over the past month, COURIER has been the #5 most engaged left-leaning political account on Instagram, and ranked #4 for total impressions (views) on TikTok.
The formats and focuses of our coverage go beyond easy clickbait. We have shared multiple stories of the real-world impacts of DOGE’s madness, highlighted grassroots protests around the country, clipped straight-news reports, and spotlighted the absurdity and unpopularity of Musk’s behavior.
The way that this content is moving on these platforms signals to us that there is real, untapped grassroots energy opposing what’s happening in Washington right now. Across the country, more and more Americans are seeing their friends, families, or neighbors impacted by DOGE’s cuts. The stock price of Musk’s electric car company is on the decline, and a new poll from Pew Research last week shows the billionaire with a net unfavorable rating.
Contrast the editorial decisions and stories from COURIER with billionaire owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos’ announcement this week on Twitter that the legacy institution that once broke the Watergate scandal will now suppress all opinions that are not “in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” as defined, of course, by Bezos himself. I have long beat the drum that transparency with readers trumps self-proclaimed “objectivity” in media, so I will credit Bezos with being transparent about his putting his thumb on the scale of the paper he purchased to advance his own financial interests, but this is just another sign of the rapid descent of once-trusted media outlets into capitulation, fear, and favor to the corrupt and authoritarian regime that has taken hold of our government.
Now is not a moment for us to put our foot on the brakes or wait a few months to suss out new opportunities or tested tactics for action. Anyone who cares about the future of this country and has the financial or other resources to support urgent efforts needs to double down and accelerate our investments right now to help us reach more Americans online and clearly articulate what’s happening and what’s at stake. It’s not too late, but we need to respond at the same pace at which they are dismantling the institutions that were built to protect not only the most vulnerable of us, but ALL Americans.
At COURIER, we’ll continue to do our part, but we need more support and allies in our corner. The only way out of this scary moment for our country, and for the freedom of press, is through - and now.
- Tara
COURIER’s annual retreat
As a fully remote company with staff spread across the country, it’s not always easy to get the full COURIER team together, but earlier this week we made it happen in Arizona, and I am still beaming from face time with the incredible team we’ve built.
Over 80(!) of our staff members met up in sunny Scottsdale to spend quality bonding time, build cross-departmental relationships, and strategize on priorities, products, and new organization-wide initiatives for 2025 and beyond. It was a great opportunity for our team to refocus and reset our approaches as we confront this new era, and to share in joy and laughter amidst the chaos we report on every day. Can’t recommend retreating in warm weather to combat the seasonal and political depression enough!
What I’m reading this week:
Five Key Insights Into Americans' Views of the News Media (Gallup, 2/27)
“Trust in media has dropped precipitously in recent years, particularly among young adults and Republicans.”
White House takes control of press pool that covers Trump (BBC, 2/25)
“The White House plans to determine which news outlets have access to President Donald Trump, taking control from an association of journalists after more than a century. The changes, announced by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday, mean the White House will determine which outlets participate in the "pool" that covers presidential events and shares material with other media outlets.”
How digital paywalls are quietly reshaping (and reducing) local news coverage (StudyFinds, 2/21)
“The findings raise concerns about civic engagement, as reduced coverage of local government, school boards, and community development leaves citizens less informed about decisions affecting their daily lives.”
On X, Conservative Activists Find a Direct Pipeline to Musk’s Team (NYT, 2/26)
“Prominent conservative activists with a presence online have appeared to wield extraordinary access to Elon Musk’s team, and the power to sway policy through it.”
House Republicans hit the brakes on town halls after blowback over Trump's cuts (NBC News, 2/25)
“[Republican] Party leaders suggest that if lawmakers feel the need to hold such events, they do tele-town halls or at least vet attendees to avoid scenes that become viral clips, according to GOP sources.”