MoveOn Members Call on Advertisers Like General Motors, AT&T and Subway to Stop Funding Fox News
MoveOn activists across the country are demanding that corporations including Subway, AT&T, General Motors, and Comcast stop funding Fox News, in efforts to hold the network accountable for dividing Americans and spreading disinformation, bias, lies, and hate. Cable companies and advertisers provide two major revenue streams for Fox News, thus enabling the lies they spread. The most effective way MoveOn members can hold Fox News accountable is to demand that these companies “cut the cord” and stop funding the channel through any new advertising or potential increased cable fees.
Why Fox News is problematic:
According to a recent Navigator report, two-thirds of Americans, including 69% of independents and 46% of Republicans, believe Fox News divides the country and puts a political agenda and profits ahead of getting the story right. Two in three Americans report they’ve heard about Fox News firing talk show host Tucker Carlson, and a plurality believe it was the right decision.
The report also revealed that Americans are troubled by the network’s inaccuracy, propaganda, and division. Americans’ concerns are taking a clear toll on the network, as Fox News’ viewership has dropped within the last month: Navigator reports that regular viewership has declined by 4 percentage points (from 38% to 34%) since mid-April of this year.
Fox News pushes a right-wing political agenda, undermining our democracy with its inherent deceit and spreading of disinformation. “Fox News’ lies are fueled by the financial support of corporate advertisers like General Motors, AT&T, and Subway–every dollar that these corporations and others give to Fox News funds its extreme rhetoric, bigotry, disinformation, and conspiracy theories,” shares MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting. “Prospective advertisers should be on notice: We won’t back down from protesting these corporations until they stop funding Fox’s lies.”
How MoveOn members are taking action against Fox News:
Just last month, Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems nearly $ 800 million in a blockbuster settlement over the network’s 2020 election lies. Unfortunately, this sum is nothing more than the “cost of doing business” for the media giant. This is not accountability. Not only does Fox News still need to go on-air to acknowledge pushing lies and conspiracy theories that undermined our democracy, but the companies who financially support Fox News must stop funding the network–or else let them continue stoking division and spreading disinformation.
In the last several weeks, our #StopFundingFox initiative has heightened following the Dominion trial, Fox News’ recent annual upfront pitch to advertisers in New York City, and Fox’s firing of Tucker Carlson. Our members are taking action in a number of ways to get advertisers’ attention and convince them to stop funding Fox:
- Protesting at the Fox News upfront in NYC: MoveOn coordinated a rally with Media Matters for America and Truth Tuesdays at the Fox upfront to ensure advertisers heard our demands to stop funding Fox as they walked into their meeting with the network. Protesters gathered with signs declaring, “Advertisers: Drop Fox,” “Fox News is Faux News,” and more–all in an attempt to discourage advertisers from funding Fox News.
- Hosting Stop Funding Fox rallies in other cities: MoveOn hosted Stop Funding Fox rallies at the headquarters of Subway in Miami and General Motors in Detroit with mobile billboards. Members delivered our petition with 60,000 signatures echoing this demand for the companies to stop advertising with Fox News.
- Launched a digital ad targeting AT&T, Subway, and General Motors: The same day as the rallies and the Fox upfront, we launched a digital ad highlighting that the lies Fox News spreads are funded by corporations. Any amount of advertising on Fox News subsidizes and supports the network’s far-right propaganda programming.
- Calling Subway, AT&T, and GM out via social media: MoveOn members have also taken to Facebook to get advertisers’ attention and hold them accountable for continuing to fund Fox.
In a Facebook response to AT&T, MoveOn member Sundra Allen said, “Please stop supporting Fox News until their news is fact and opinion only if stated as such. Thank you.”
MoveOn member Ronnie Carlson wrote the following on Subway’s Facebook page: “I’ve always gone to Subway. Until you stop funding Fox [N]ews, myself and my entire family will NOT be returning!”
In a Facebook response to General Motors, MoveOn member Christine Bourg shared, “I own a GM car. I think GM is a pro American company. But supporting Fox News with their lies and hate filled bigotry against the people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and progressives in general is very unAmerican…”
How you can take action against Fox News:
The Fox News controversy won’t end without direct, continuous action against the companies funding Fox’s biased political agenda. We launched our Stop Funding Fox website in April 2023 to take action against said advertisers for funding Fox News’ dangerous rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories.
You can take action by signing the petition to make Fox News optional, calling your cable company and telling them you don’t want your cable bill to increase because of Fox, and emailing Fox funders demanding that they stop enabling Fox News’ lies, propaganda, and bigotry by dropping all future advertising on Fox News. Visit Stop Funding Fox to learn more and get involved.
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