2023 has been a brutal year of job losses and shutdowns in the news media industry due to rising costs, declining social media traffic, and a growing trend of news avoidance by the public.
But here at The Intercept, we’ve faced an additional threat: a relentless defamation lawsuit pursued by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater.
Prince has lost in court again and again, but just last month, he filed an appeal to reverse the trial court decision that most recently tossed his case.
The rich and powerful pursue lawsuits like these and drain newsrooms of precious time and money. We’re counting on readers like you to help ensure we have the financial support to continue publishing unflinching investigative journalism.
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The news media industry is facing the most difficult economic environment that we’ve ever seen. The first half of 2023 saw more job losses than all of 2022, and digital newsrooms in particular have been hit hard.
These broader challenges make news outlets especially vulnerable to big corporations and billionaires, who use libel lawsuits to silence unfavorable news coverage.
Lawsuits like this don’t have to be successful in court to have a chilling effect on journalism. By forcing news organizations to defend themselves, defamation lawsuits send a message loud and clear: Investigating the rich and powerful could come at a steep cost.
To make sure The Intercept remains financially strong enough to keep doing hard-hitting, adversarial journalism in the face of this kind of legal bullying, we’re aiming to raise $400,000 by the September 30 end-of-quarter deadline.
