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- DEMOCRACY MATTERS
- Strategic Planfor Action
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- The progressive infrastructure groups we've built together were started long before
- Hillary Clinton ran for president. They were always intended to be the first line of defense—
- and offense—~when we are under siege.
- If we keep fighting, our groups will last, we will continue to build for the future—and we
- will win again.
- We have the mandate.
- Together, we won the popular vote and Democrats picked up seats in the Senate and
- the House.
- Trump is the least popular incoming president in modern history and the outgoing president
- and popular vote winner are again the most admired man and woman in the nation.
- The country did not vote for Trump—style change.
- Trump has the legal authority, but we have the moral authority—and the moral responsibility—
- to oppose him.
- We will fight, every day.
- We are going to fight for the things in which we believe, and we are going to fight against
- any attempt to erode the cornerstone work and values of the progressive movement and this
- pluralistic nation.
- We are going to resist the normalization of Donald Trump. His every conflict of interest,
- his every bit of cronyism, his every move toward authoritarianism, his every subversion
- of our democratic systems and principles, his every radical departure from foreign and
- domestic policy norms.
- We are going to contest every effort, at every level of government, to limit rights, rescind
- protections, entrench inequality, redistribute wealth upwards, or in any other way
- fundamentally undermine the tenets of egalitarianism that must serve as the bedrock
- of our democracy.
- Introduction
- 1
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- 2
- We will apply lessons learned.
- Generally speaking and simply put, Democrats got clobbered in the digital space.
- Digital programs—both tactical and messagingifailed to actively listen to and engage the
- online grassroots universe.
- The Trump camp spoke effectively to the grassroots and relied on online channels to
- disseminate information and misinformation and influence the media, even getting fake stories
- onto cable TV.
- And the right colonized Facebook, which has established a virtual monopoly on information
- distribution.
- Our digital efforts were largely focused on changing the narrative with the traditional
- media versus voters. This worked to a point but wasn't enough in the face of a news media
- incentivized by profit and access and fearful of intimidation and bullying by the Trump forces.
- We will fully adapt to the new reality, and we will win.
- Here's how:
- In the next four years, Media Matters will continue its core mission of disarming right—
- wing misinformation, while leading the fight against the next generation of conservative
- disinformation: The proliferation of fake news and propaganda now threatening the country's
- information ecosystem. Here's what success will look like:
- I Serial misinformers and right-wing propagandists inhabiting everything from social media
- to the highest levels of government will be exposed, discredited.
- I Internet and social media platforms, like Google and Facebook, will no longer uncritically
- and without consequence host and enrich fake news sites and propagandists.
- I Toxic alt-right social media-fueled harassment campaigns that silence dissent and poison
- our national discourse will be punished and halted.
- American Bridge will cement itself as the standard—bearer of opposition research, build on
- its role as a progressive clearinghouse for information that drives the narrative on Republican
- officeholders and candidates, and be at the epicenter of Democrats’ work to regain poweri
- starting in 2017 and building to 2020. Here's what success will look like:
- I Trump will be defeated either through impeachment or at the ballot box in 2020.
- I The balance of power will shift back to Democrats. We will measurably impact US Senate,
- gubernatorial, and state legislative races.
- I We will free ourselves from solely relying on the press. Our robust digital program will reach
- voters directly online.
- Private 8; Confidential
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- CREW will be the leading nonpartisan ethics watchdog group in a period of crisis with a
- president and administration that present possible conflicts of interest and ethical problems
- on an unprecedented scale. CREW will demand ethical conduct from the administration
- and all parts of government, expose improper influence from powerful interests, and ensure
- accountability when the administration and others shirk ethical standards, rules, and laws.
- Here's what success will look like:
- I Trump will be afflicted by a steady flow of damaging information, new revelations, and an
- inability to avoid conflicts issues.
- I The Trump administration will be forced to defend illegal conduct in court.
- I Powerful industries and interest groups will see their influence wane.
- I Dark money will be a political liability in key states.
- Shareblue will take back social media for Democrats. We will delegitimize Donald Trump's
- presidency by emboldening the opposition and empowering the majority of Americans who
- oppose him. Shareblue will be the dynamic nucleus of a multi-platform media company that
- informs, engages, and arms Americans to fight. Here's what success will look like:
- I Shareblue will become the de facto news outlet for opposition leaders and the grassroots.
- I Trump allies will be forced to step down or change course due to news pushed by Shareblue.
- I Under pressure from Shareblue, Democrats will take more aggressive positions
- against Trump.
- I Shareblue will achieve financial sustainability while diversifying content offerings
- and platforms.
- I Top editorial and writing talent will leave competitors to join Shareblue.
- Right now, our institutions are among the critical few that stand between the America we love
- and the abyss. We must protect and defend our democratic values.
- We will not back down. We will only move forward.
- We hope you'll fight with us.
- Introduction
- 3
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- I
- MEDIAMATTERS
- F O R E‘ R I C A
- AM
- est. 2004
- The Top Watchdog Against Fake News and Propaganda
- Transforming the Media Landscape
- Media Matters will continue our core mission of disarming right-
- wing misinformation, while leading the fight against the next
- generation of conservative disinformation: The proliferation of fake
- news and propaganda now threatening the country's information
- ecosystem. Utilizing our unique capacity as the nation's premier
- progressive media watchdog and rapid-response research center,
- Media Matters will further increase our visibility in the ecosystem,
- strengthen the ability of our supporters and partners to influence
- it, and improve the infrastructure on which it rests.
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- COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
- The onslaught of well—funded right—wing media manipulation brings with it significant challenges.
- The conservative Media Research Center, with an annual operating budget of $18 million, works closely
- with establishment right-wing media to reinforce the myth of a liberally biased media, push journalism
- to the right, and propel misinformation into the mainstream.
- Breitbart, which has received millions in funding from extremist billionaires close to the Trump
- administration, provides a nexus point for the so—called alt—right (the newest branding for American
- white nationalism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny) to exploit vulnerabilities throughout
- the media landscape. With a powerful ally in the White House (former chief executive Steve Bannon
- will be Trump's chief strategist), Breitbart plans to export its brand of anti-establishment racism on a
- global scale.
- Meanwhile, the right has spent millions building and maintaining a next generation conservative news
- infrastructure, which it effectively weaponized through social media and affiliated sites during the 2016
- presidential campaign.
- The relationship is symbiotic.
- Donald Trump uses his Twitter account to manipulate news cycles with lies; attack press outlets that
- produce critical stories about him; and share stories from fake news purveyors, conspiracy websites,
- and right-wing news outlets.
- “Trump TV" (the streaming news upstart Right Side Broadcasting) gives him a platform to bypass
- other news media and distribute programming directly to his supporters. (Trump TV will reportedly
- be present at White House press briefings even without traditional press credentials.)
- In a hyper»fragmented media environment, the right is aggressively exploiting vulnerabilities and
- finding new ways to poison the information ecosystem with lies.
- Media Matters is ready to stop them.
- Media Matters for America 2020 Plan I 5
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- In our last four—year strategic plan, we described the media landscape ahead as being ”sandwiched
- between two realities.” We foresaw a landscape where, on the one hand, legacy outlets would
- ostensibly remain at the forefront, but their power and relevancy would wane as they made abrupt
- shifts to respond to changing economic realities On the other hand, fragmentation among audiences
- would create an explosion in new digital outlets yielding increases in confirmation bias, trap
- information consumers in the filter bubble isolating them from contrary views, and foment extremism.
- We are no longer sandwiched between two realities. The new reality is the one of fragmentation—
- and all that comes with it. Specifically, Media Matters must respond to three distinct challenges:
- I The decay of journalism.
- I The rise of fake news, disinformation, and active propaganda efforts.
- I An information ecosystem that furthers extremism and cultivates a climate of harassment.
- To stop right-wing media manipulation in this environment, we must further increase our visibility in
- the ecosystem, strengthen the ability of our partners and supporters to influence it, and improve the
- infrastructure on which it rests.
- Over the next four years, Media Matters will focus on achieving the following outcomes:
- Serial misinformers and right-wing propagandists inhabiting everything from social media to the
- highest levels of government will be exposed.
- Internet and social media platforms, like Google and Facebook, will no longer uncritically and
- without consequence host and enrich fake news sites and propagandists.
- Toxic alt-right social media-fueled harassment campaigns that silence dissent and poison our
- national discourse will be punished and halted.
- STOPPED DONALD TRUMP’S PHONE INTERVIEW PRIVILEGES.
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- THE MEDIA MATTERS PLAN
- Media Matters will push back on conservative misinformation across all media channels in the
- information ecosystem and specifically neutralize the effects and infrastructure of the newly
- empowered alt-right.
- We will focus our efforts into the following three areas:
- I Leverage our authority to encourage good journalism.
- I Develop technologies to serve as an early warning system for fake news and inoculate
- social media platforms from exploitation and abuse.
- I Implement a robust omnichannel communications strategy and mobilize a massive
- grassroots advocacy effort.
- ENCOURAGE GOOD JOURNALISM
- Traditional news outlets are dying.
- Their business models have been decimated over the last 20 years as
- their audiences have fallen, competitors have grown, and advertising
- revenue has plummeted.
- Journalists face an increasingly precarious personal financial position as news outlets lay off reporters
- or fold altogether.
- This position of weakness, combined with journalists’ institutional tendency to portray political
- problems as equally the fault of both Democrats/progressives and Republicans/conservatives
- regardless of the facts, suggests that the press will continue to normalize Donald Trump and his allies.
- Journalists who confront the extreme reality of a Trump administration experience personal
- harassment. Media outlets that hold him accountable may be subject to boycotts, enflamed by the
- president himself. Both risk access to government information and officials.
- Media Matters must grapple with the effects of decaying journalism and ensure that truth triumphs in
- the information ecosystem—not only as a means to combat misinformation but because it's necessary
- for our embattled democracy to survive.
- Here’s how we'll do it:
- RESEARCH
- Even our fiercest detractors acknowledge the veracity our research. Recognizing that Media Matters'
- strength comes from its research products, we will elevate and promote their branding and use.
- In early December 2016, Media Matters restructured our research department to improve our ability
- to engage in deep dive research studies and opposition research while simultaneously supporting rapid
- response that bolsters the progressive movement.
- In 2017, we will revamp the Media Matters website to make this vital and often evergreen information
- significantly more accessible. Every day, Media Matters receives requests from members of the news
- media and progressive partners that can be satisfied by simply pointing them to previously published
- research content. Developing a research portal will capitalize on this demand.
- Media Matters for America 2020 Plan I 7
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- Along these lines, when it comes to ultimately moving the needle and shaping coverage, few products
- rival a Media Matters quantitative study that puts hard numbers on the amount and type of coverage
- a topic has received, and the people and organizations sought to discuss it. We know this based on
- feedback from journalists as well as the impact these studies have generated. Increasing the number
- of quantitative studies we publish will strengthen Media Matters' overall brand while increasing our
- credibility with activists, media, and our movement partners.
- Additionally, Media Matters’ core media monitoring and research teams, which focus on the news of
- the day, are bolstered by five issue—specific teams led by experts who study how media cover the key
- progressive topics of our time, even when they do not lead the news. Media Matters’ issue teams are
- focused on correcting misinformation on: gun violence and public safety, LG BT equality, reproductive
- health and gender equality, climate and energy, and economic policy. Our issue teams teams work daily
- with movement partners specializing on these issues to amplify our work and change the narrative on
- how these issues are covered in the media.
- MEDIA ADVOCACY—PUNISH ENABLING AND COMPLACENCY
- Media Matters will be vigilant in holding news media accountable for even
- the slightest bit of normalization of Trump. We will encourage journalists
- to defend standard practices, like the protective press pool and media
- credentialing, and strive for higher standards against this new threat.
- When Breitbart applied for Permanent Senate Gallery Press Credentials,
- Media Matters was quick to act by advising the credentialing committee
- of the myriad ways that Breitbart violated their requirements. Additionally,
- Media Matters did something that the committee was unable to do:
- A deep dive study of Breitbart content, reviewing thousands of their
- stories to demonstrate that they do not meet the credentialing
- requirement for original reporting.
- Media Matters also first sounded the alarm about Breitbart's international
- expansion and began working with journalists in the United States and
- abroad to educate them on Breitbart’s model as well as the larger universe
- of alt—right activity for which Breitbart is the nexus. Most significantly,
- we helped journalists understand the symbiotic relationship between
- Breitbart and opposition political parties so that they can accurately report
- on the danger that is spreading across western democracies.
- Supportingjournalism means just that: Helping news media navigate the complicated alt-right
- landscape, defending them against harassment and abuse from alt~right pockets, while simultaneously
- ensuring that they do the work that is so vitally needed.
- NEUTRALIZE GOVERNMENT DISINFORMATION
- What happens when the most dangerous source of misinformation is no longer rightewing radio hosts
- or Fox News, but the federal government itself? Misinformation coming out of government agencies
- can have devastating consequences. Look no further than government—fueled misinformation amplified
- by an uncritical news media that led the country to war with Iraq in 2003.
- The notion that the United States government under Donald Trump could become a source of
- misinformation is not far~fetched—and in fact seems all but inevitable. Trump himself has repeatedly
- pushed lies on his social media accounts. And several of his top officials have promoted fake news
- stories, including the person that he has put in charge of the official White House social media
- accounts, who has also used social media to harass detractors.
- 8 I Private&Confidential
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- 192.1 million
- unique visitors In India Matters“
- “him since 2013
- Bottom line: Media Matters must be fully prepared to identify .. m
- misinformation coming from government and fight it at every
- turn—both directly and indirectly by prodding journalists to scrutinize federal claims.
- As part of our research department restructuring, we have added a dedicated team of media analysts
- that will use new technologies to help track government disinformation Media Matters is prepared to
- confront the United States government under a proven and dangerous dissembler.
- Facebook's virtual monopoly on information distribution has supercharged the fragmented landscape.
- Almost two—thirds of Americans (200 million) consume news on social media. By contrast, less than
- half of adults watch local news, less than a third watch cable news or nightly network news, a quarter
- listen to radio, and only one in five read newspapers.
- In 2016, a full two-thirds of Facebook users used the platform to get news. Facebook’s algorithm fuels
- confirmation bias by feeding content from outlets that tell the users what they want to hear. Fake news
- purveyors exploited this vulnerability for profit and political influence.
- Fake news was so profitable duringthe 2016 election that teenagers in Macedonia began publishing
- pro—Trump propaganda for the sole purpose of making money. In instances where fake news can be
- funded by political operations or even foreign governments, Facebook’s algorithm is the only barrier
- to mass access.
- We are already experts in monitoring the way information moves through the media landscape;
- we understand where and how a lie is manufactured and how it proliferates.
- Now is the time to build on our expertise and unique audio and video archive to develop the
- technologies necessary to combat this new onslaught of misinformation.
- Here’s how we’ll do it:
- BIG DATA ANALYSIS AND EARLY WARNlNG SYSTEM
- Media monitoring enables us to identify pernicious misinformation and develop strategies for
- combating it. Historically, this has meant monitoring conservative media, television news, and newspapers.
- But relying on human media monitors is no longer sustainable. Fake news and alt—right communities
- are multiplying exponentially.
- * FORCED CHANGES AT 60 MINUTES OVER BENGHAZI SHEAR.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Media Matters has already secured access to raw data from Facebook,
- Twitter, and other social media sites. We have also put in place the
- O
- 970% Increase technology necessary to automatically mine white nationalist message
- in Falsehood: engagement we: the
- M ‘ m from Cu. million
- in ”‘3“5‘3 "'Mhzo“ We will now develop technologies and processes to systematically monitor
- and analyze this unfiltered data.
- boards and alt-right communities for our archive.
- The earlier we identify a fake news story, the more effectively we can quash it. With this new technology
- at their fingertips, researchers monitoring news in real time will be able to identify the origins of a lie with
- mathematical precision, creating an early warning system for fake news and disinformation.
- PREDICTIVE TECHNOLOGY
- Bringing this data analysis to scale will also allow Media Matters to identify which individuals and
- outlets are the most destructive forces driving fake news, misinformation, and harassment.
- Cutting—edge advances in cloud computing and machine learning will enable us to identify patterns
- and connections that would otherwise go under the radar. We will be able to assess where and how
- misinformation is likely to move, who will be affected by it, and what needs to be done to neutralize it.
- But predictive technologies are only as good as the data that goes into them. The more data the system
- has to analyze, the richer its insights. Media Matters' already extensive 12—year archive gives this new
- system a big jump~start.
- COLLABORATING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
- Outlets that push fake news are completely dependent on Facebook to spread their lies, and ad
- networks like Google to fund them.
- Media Matters has unique insight to help fix problems in this part of the media landscape.
- After Facebook responded to our campaign by acknowledging the problem of fake news and agreeing
- to do something about it, we began a dialogue. it became clear from these conversations that Facebook
- needed our help in fully understanding the problem and identifying concrete solutions. Further, it also
- became clear that we had information and insight that they didn’t have that was helpful in educating
- them on the full scope of the problem. For example, Media Matters had a detailed map of the
- constellation of right-wing Facebook pages that had been the biggest purveyors of fake news—as well
- as insight into the food chain of fake news and how it was moving through the Facebook ecosystem.
- Similarly, after Google revised their terms of service in order to prohibit so-called fake news sites from
- using their advertising network, it was Media Matters that had the information necessary to identify
- 40 of the worst fake news sites to which this policy applied.
- GOT FACEBOOK T0 COMMIT TO FIGHTING THE RISE OF FAKE NEWS.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Social media platforms need help in identifying vulnerabilities and
- crafting solutions. To this end, Media Matters will serve as their partner,
- speaking to them in their language of big data and encouraging changes based on what we see
- happening in the landscape.
- By applying our expertise»driven technologies and enhanced credibility, we will earn and maintain
- our seat at the table and improve the structures of the media landscape.
- MOBILIZE
- At the Republican National Convention, Stephen Bannon bragged that Breitbart News had built ”the
- platform for the alteright.” Weeks later, Trump appointed Bannon the head of his campaign, and now
- Bannon will follow Trump into the White House. The alt‘right specializes in harassment and abuse and
- distinguishes itself from traditional right—wing media by its ability to self-organize.
- But it has several key vulnerabilities.
- They are largely dependent upon social media behemoths that tolerate their abusive activity.
- (Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, and Twitter have permitted the alt—right's presence, with some rare but
- notable exceptions.) They operate on the edge of the law. Their efforts are largely financed on thin
- profit margins. And their membership consists of weak individuals, often recruited into the movement
- because they fear or resent women and/or harbor racial animosity.
- Both fake news and the alt—right rely on being able to operate in the shadows. They assume that no one
- will detect their harassment and propaganda until the damage has already been done.
- To stop them, we need to become bigger and louder. Only through mass engagement can we halt their
- harassment and lies.
- Here's how we'll do it:
- OMNICHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS
- Media Matters will not just manage the effects of media fragmentation; we will leverage it to advance
- our mission.
- To this end, Media Matters will enhance our existing digital program by establishing an omnichannel
- communications command center to communicate with audiences in ways that are optimized for the
- platform on which they are already most engaged.
- Put another way, we won’t force information consumers to come to us for a one~size-fits—all piece
- of content. Instead, we will go to them with content that is tailored to their individualized way of
- interacting. In practice, this means that the way we present a specific issue on Facebook will be
- different than the way that we present it on Tumblr or Twitter—and some in our audience may not even
- Media Matters for America 2020 Plan 11
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- get information on social, but instead
- have it delivered directly to their phone
- via text messages.
- Our award—winning digital team has incorporated elements of this strategy into our communications for
- the past few years, resulting in a 970% increase in engagement and a comparable increase in growth.
- Now, Media Matters will fully incorporate this approach by overhauling our social media strategy,
- adding additional staff to our social media team, and initiating a comprehensive audience targeting
- and segmentation program.
- We will also bring on board an expert to construct turnkey rapid—response plans so that Media Matters
- can squash burgeoning online harassment campaigns and fake news or saturate the landscape with
- truth, bypassing the news media entirely if need be.
- With this capacity, Media Matters will dramatically increase our audience and engagement and
- effectively quash fake news and misinformation before it spreads far and wide.
- MASSIVE GRASSROOTS TRUTH SQUAD
- Wider reach alone won't be sufficient. We need our audience to persistently engage in the fight against
- the alt—right and fake news—routinely and within their own social networks.
- Too many Facebook users sit silent as extremism and misinformation fill their news feeds. Progressives
- in particular are significantly less likely to challenge content that pops up in their feeds compared to
- their conservative counterparts. Silence allows misinformation to fester.
- This can't go on.
- We will train hundreds of thousands of individuals on how to identify fake news and alteright smears in
- their social media networks and equip them with the tools to fight them on their own.
- In December 2016, with fake news at the forefront of public attention, we added 40,000 new
- participants to our action list. We expect this growth to continue, and will provide trainings, resource
- materials, and urgent action alerts to keep participants actively engaged.
- A deeper grassroots bench also means that Media Matters will be better positioned to win corporate
- pressure campaigns, proven to eliminate perverse incentives that reward this horrific behavior.
- EVALUATION
- Media Matters will constantly monitor the following indicators to know if we're on track toward our
- top outcomes.
- Serial misinformers and right-wing propagandists inhabiting everything from social media to the
- highest levels of government will be exposed. Journalists, activists, allies, politicians, and the general
- public will routinely utilize and weaponize our research products to understand and take action against
- the changing media ecosystem and the extremists seeking to manipulate it. We will continue to break
- engagement records and dramatically expand and diversify our reach by presenting our research in
- multiple formats on a variety of platforms. Key right-wing targets will see their influence diminish as
- a result of our work.
- Internet and social media platforms, like Google and Facebook, will no longer uncritically and
- without consequence host and enrich fake news sites and propagandists. Social media companies
- will engage with us over their promotion of the fake news industry. Facebook will adjust its model
- 12 | Private&Confidential
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- 18,134
- research; analysts, and rapidlmresponse
- pieces publish-ed shine 2013
- to stem the flow of damaging fake news on its W
- platform’s pages. Google will cut off these pages' accompanying sites’ access to revenue by pulling
- their access to Google’s ad platform,
- Toxic alt-right social media-fueled harassment campaigns that silence dissent and poison our
- national discourse will be punished and halted. Hundreds of thousands of activists will join our
- campaigns to push back on alt»right harassment. Key alt-right figures will lose credibility and influence
- in response to our research and pressure.
- Media Matters' core budget for 2017 is $13.4 million, which covers a staff of 81.
- This budget allows us to create a 34-person research department engaged in media monitoring,
- research, deep dive analysis, and rapid response. In addition, this supports five issue-specific teams
- housing experts that provide broad support to the progressive movement on topics key progressive
- issues like gun violence and public safety, LGBT equality, reproductive health and gender equality,
- climate and energy, and economic policy.
- This budget also allows us to invest in technological innovations like the creation of an early warning
- system to identify the proliferation of fake news more efficiently and to create cutting-edge predictive
- technology that allows us to identify patterns and connections in order to asses how misinformation
- will move and how we can neutralize it. We will also build out our digital and video teams to a staff of a
- nine to create a robust omnichannel communications command center and mobilize a grassroots truth
- squad; and increase the number and impact of actions and advocacy initiatives we undertake to drive
- change and accountability across the media landscape.
- SENIOR STAFF
- Angelo Carusone, President. Angelo was named President of Media Matters in December 2016.
- Previously, he was the organization's Executive Vice President, In that role, Angelo helped run day—to'
- day operations, expanded the organization’s online footprint, and managed accountability initiatives.
- In 2016, he took a leave of absence to serve as the Deputy CEO for Finance & Administration of the
- 2016 Democratic National Convention. In 2009, as a law student, Angelo founded the StopBeck effort,
- which organized participants via social media to successfully convince sponsors to cease advertising
- on Beck’s show. In late 2010, Angelo joined Media Matters as Campaign Director and worked on its
- PUSH!!! ROGER STONES BIGOTRY 0" CABLE NEWS.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- DropFox initiative; he later went on to serve as Director of Online Strategy & Campaigns. He organized
- the StopRush effort, which convinced thousands of advertisers to refuse to sponsor Limbaugh’s
- program. And he launched the viral DumpTrump campaign in 2012 that was responsible for convincing
- many of Donald Trump’s business partners to sever their relationships with Trump. He holds a B.A. in
- American Studies from Fordham University and a JD. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
- Julie Millican, Vice President. Julie has been with the organization collectively for over eight years
- in various capacities since she first joined as a researcher in 2006. During her time, she has been a
- Researcher, Assistant Research Director, Advisor, Deputy Research Director, and also Chief of Staff. She
- has written extensively about the 2008 election and was routinely cited by the nation’s leading papers.
- Over the years, Julie has been responsible for managing all Research Department resources, involved
- in organization—wide strategy, overseeing the hiring process, executing restructuring, and overseeing
- organizational operations. She holds a BS. in Sociology from Appalachian State University and a MA.
- in Clinical Psychology.
- Sam Zegas, Senior Advisor. Sam is responsible for spearheading Media Matters' technological
- innovations, organizational planning, and operations. Sam is a recognized authority in linguistics and
- multielingual project manager with experience in international affairs. Prior to joining Media Matters,
- Sam was a management consultant at Accenture. There he spent several years helping the Department
- of State to modernize its international supply chain and asset management systems. He then
- transitioned to Boston Children’s Hospital, where he served as the Acting Director of the International
- Health Services department—the world's largest international patient program at a pediatric hospital.
- He has full proficiency and professional experience in German, French, Spanish, and Slovenian, and is
- also able to translate Russian and Italian. He holds a BA in linguistics and anthropology from Harvard
- University. He is currently on deferment from a joint MBA/MPP program from Harvard Business School
- and The Kennedy School of Government.
- DISRUPTED RUPERT MURDOCH'S TIME WARNER EXPANSION.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- I AMERICAN \‘
- BRIDGE
- Z|SY CENTURY
- est. 2011
- The Political Research Engine of the Opposition
- Defeating Trump, Regaining Power
- American Bridge will cement itself as the standard-bearer
- of opposition research, build on its role as a progressive
- clearinghouse for information that drives the narrative
- on Republican officeholders and candidates, and be at the
- epicenter of Democrats' work to regain power—starting
- in 2017 and building to 2020.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
- Defeating Donald Trump requires preparation and focus.
- No other progressive organization has the resources and assets that American Bridge has amassed
- over the past several election cycles to hold Trump, his administration, and the politicians who support
- him accountable.
- Only Bridge stands ready with staff already hired, Trump's web of business ties mapped out, and a
- massive video archive at our fingertips.
- There will be a need for progressive policy alternatives, but our focus at Bridge will be on real time
- political accountability. in this media environment, content is king and that's where the focus of
- Bridge remains.
- A look at the analogous entities on the right further reinforces the need for our work. America Rising,
- which was modeled after Bridge, has become the unofficial research arm of the Republican Party.
- The group’s 501(c)(4) arm, Rising Squared, has already begun promoting Trump’s Cabinet picks.
- Trump's campaign allies have also made public their plans to create a new nonprofit dedicated
- to enacting Trump’s agenda. Trump campaign digital director Brad Parscale, who was reportedly
- empowered by Trump’s son-in—law Jared Kushner to take charge, will head the entity.
- The right will bolster Trump aggressively and deceptively. The campaign to stop him must be nonstop.
- At American Bridge, it has already begun.
- OVERARCHING STRATEGY
- As we move into our fourth election cycle, the vision of Bridge as permanent progressive infrastructure
- is coming to fruition. We are beginning to see the full value of our investment in researching and
- tracking candidates over multiple cycles.
- With 20,000 hours of video, 289 candidate research books, and the largest available archive of Trump
- research in the Democratic Party, we are uniquely prepared to take on the Trump administration, defeat
- Republicans who enable it, and rebuild progressive power in the states.
- Our new Trump War Room, launched within weeks of the election, is already scrutinizing the presidential
- transition and will vigilantly watchdog the personnel, policies, and practices of the administration.
- Our purpose is to keep Trump unpopular and make it more difficult for candidates who support him to
- get elected in 2018.
- American Bridge 2020 Plan | 15
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- The mid-term map appears difficult for Democrats; damaging Trump in the next two years could
- change that.
- Republicans running in 2018 (and 2020) will be plagued by what we are best known for: opposition
- research, video tracking, and rapid response. We will be involved in every competitive Senate race
- in 2018.
- But we must expand beyond federal races; Democrats must build power at the state level. We have
- lost ground and our once-in-a-decade chance to redraw district maps is around the corner. That’s why
- Bridge will continue to engage in gubernatorial races. And for the first time, we will participate in state
- legislature races.
- Nearly 80 entities already use our content. Over the next four years, party committees, candidate
- campaigns, and additional in-state allies will use it, too.
- But to fully realize the value of our content, we must dramatically expand its reach. A new, robust
- digital program will bring our content directly to voters, starting with those who voted twice for
- Obama, but switched in 2016 to Trump. We must win these voters back in 2020.
- As we expand the scope and reach of our research, we must also improve the efficiency with which
- we do it. We will continue to develop campaign technologies that have made us an industry leader,
- And we will continue to reduce duplication and improve the quality of political research as we move
- to the local level.
- We are in a state of emergency.
- Our initial response has been swift and forceful. We expect results to follow suit.
- TOP OUTCOMES
- In the next four years, American Bridge is focused on achieving the following outcomes:
- Defeat Trump either through impeachment or at the ballot box in 2020.
- Change the balance of power by measurably impacting US Senate, gubernatorial, and state
- legislative races.
- Free ourselves from solely relying on the press. Our robust digital program will reach voters
- directly online.
- While the dynamics of the election overcame Trump’s sky-high negatives, the groundwork we laid will be
- critical to delegitimizing Trump as president. Bridge drove 673 stories throughout the campaign exposing
- Trump's unstable temperament, scam-filled business record, history of sexual abuse and misogyny, and
- racist behavior. As he enters office, he is the most unpopular president-elect in modern history.
- 16 I Private8zConfidemial
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- THE AMERICAN BRIDGE PLAN
- American Bridge is the Democratic epicenter of opposition research and rapid response in presidential
- and Senate elections. In the Trump era, there must be no "off years." American Bridge will sustain a
- nonstop campaignagainst Trump, his administration, and Republicans who enable him.
- This is how we will do it:
- STATE-OF-THE-ART TRUMP WAR ROOM
- With 20,000 hours of video and audio footage at our fingertips (including nearly 2,000 hours of
- Trump material) and massive, fully searchable databases of investigative knowledge on Trump‘s
- business dealings and lawsuits involving him, our war room is already putting these assets to work
- in the following ways:
- VETTING NOMINEES
- American Bridge has already set up a world—class vetting operation, the largest in the Democratic
- Party, to investigate the records of potential Trump nominees. More than 1,200 positions require
- confirmation by the US Senate. We will home in on the 100 most important positions, focusing on
- those who stand to have the greatest impact on our progressive values in areas of women's health
- and reproductive freedom, workers’ rights, climate change, and the treatment of immigrants and
- people of color.
- While Democrats’ position in the minority makes blocking nominees difficult, we believe some of his
- nominees are so extreme that there will be the opportunity to do so. Where we cannot block nominees,
- we will use the process to highlight their most egregious past statements and professional dealings
- to make their confirmation process as difficult as possible and further erode Trump's credibility.
- The same holds for Trump’s appointees to the Supreme Court. Republicans set the tone for Supreme
- Court obstruction through their treatment of Merrick Garland. Bridge will expose their extreme issue
- positions, records, and backgrounds and equip Democrats in Congress, progressive partners, and the
- press with our research in real time.
- EXPOSING CONFLICTS
- Donald Trump enters the White House with significant
- conflicts of interest, unprecedented both in number
- and extent compared to any other president—elect in
- our history.
- The US intelligence community has confirmed that Russia
- intervened in the election to help Trump win and the
- president—elect has already appointed individuals with strong ties to Russia and Putin to some of the
- most powerful positions in the US government. Meanwhile, Putin—tied Trump campaign staffers Carter
- Page and Paul Manafort appear poised to continue to leverage their connections to Trump as he takes
- power. American Bridge has, and will continue to, help uncover details of Trump’s affection for Russia
- and Putin (which appears to be driven at least in part by Trump's business interests), including video
- of his Secretary of State pick Rex Tillerson receiving the ”Russian Order of Friendship” medal from
- Putin in 2013.
- American Bridge 2020 Plan 17
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 18
- We are tracking Trump's foreign and domestic business partners, existing construction projects in
- foreign countries, and potential negotiations on future projects that he could use to put personal profit
- ahead of our national security.
- Trump's massive corporate and personal debts take on new meaning when he's in charge of regulating
- financial markets. He owes debt to banks he will regulate, including Deutsche Bank, Ladder Capital
- Finance, Amboy Bank, and nearly a dozen others. There is also strong evidence that he broke the Cuban
- embargo at a time when it was a serious federal crime.
- With so many opportunities for foreign governments and corporations to gain influence over
- Trump, American Bridge will use every means at its disposal to hold Trump and his administration
- accountable—including FOIA requests, lawsuits, and regulatory complaints. As the progressive
- movement's political research clearinghouse, we will arm our allies to join us in taking on the
- administration through paid advertising, earned media, grassroots efforts, and legal recourse.
- WATCHDOGGING THE AGENCIES
- Often the most problematic scandals for any administration begin within the agencies. Trump's early
- nomination picks demonstrate that he will appoint people to run these agencies who are grossly
- unqualified. That, paired with the fact that he is considering gutting the bureaucratic staff, will make
- agency watchdogging even more important for this administration. American Bridge will have a
- dedicated team to monitor the activities of the executive branch for conflicts of interest, malfeasance,
- and incompetence. We will assign individual researchers to specific executive branch agencies,
- including the IRS, Justice Department, HUD (given its interactions with Trump's real estate empire),
- Defense, State, and others. Specific interest will be given to the various federal incentives and grant
- programs and the dissemination of government contracts.
- FIGHTING THE TRUMP AGENDA
- American Bridge's Trump War Room will also have a team dedicated to monitoring Trump's issue
- agenda and its potential negative impacts, especially on working families, women, the environment,
- immigrants, and people of color. As the Trump administration attempts to privatize Medicaid, revoke
- protections for immigrant families, give massive tax breaks to the very wealthy, eliminate Obamacare,
- defund Planned Parenthood, and let oil companies wreak havoc on our environment, American Bridge
- will be there to shine a light on the real—world impacts on regular people. We will curate information
- from policy think tanks, news reports, and our own original research and disseminate easily accessible
- fact sheets to progressive partners, the press, and voters themselves.
- TIME CAPSULING TRUMP TESTIMONIALS
- Much of the paid communication this cycle centered on criticism of Trump and his temperament.
- But one underutilized tactic was sharing testimonials of people who have experienced Trump first—
- hand. Trump and his ilk successfully intimidated and silenced many of these critics. American Bridge
- will give them a place to turn. We film those who want to tell their stories on camera, and provide a
- space for those who fear going public to tell their stories in a confidential manner. We will use some
- of these stories in real time—and catalogue all for use in paid communication for 2020.
- Private & Confidential
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- American Bridge will make running as a Republican
- candidate in the next four years painful. We will not
- only damage Trump, but also the candidates who 2,228,190 miles him and
- enable and support him. American Bridge will use
- its full research, video tracking, and rapid response 24,507mm hyvideotrukers
- capabilities to drive messages about Republican
- candidates that will change the narrative in their
- races and help secure victories for Democratic candidates.
- SENATE
- We plan to be involved in every competitive and potentially competitive Senate race in the coming
- cycle. Democrats are expected to have 23 seats up for election, along with two independent Senators
- who caucus with Democrats. Republicans are expected to have eight seats up for election. Taking into
- account seats that will likely be safe for one party or the other, we project that American Bridge will
- work in 16-20 races.
- Democratic incumbents are on the ballot in nine states that Trump won including five that Republicans
- also won in 2012: Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia. Others include Florida,
- Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Virginia Senate race may also be competitive with Tim Kaine
- up for reelection. In these races, it will be critical to define the Republican candidates early so they are
- unable to capitalize on a political landscape that is favorable to their party.
- Bridge has already begun research on known Republican Senate targets like Josh Mandel in Ohio
- and Dean Heller in Nevada. We have moved 10 trackers into key Senate states and will increase our
- tracking reach across the country beginning in April 2017.
- We are also maintaining a presence and beginning research and tracking in states that may provide
- greater opportunity for Democrats this cycle than they have in the past, like Arizona where Republican
- Jeff Flake is on the ballot in 2018.
- DERAIILED RUDY GIULIANI'S CABINET NOMINATION.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 18,000+ stories
- placed based on Eridge research since 2011:
- GOVERNORS
- Electing governors in 2018 is the first concrete step
- Democrats can take toward having a bigger say in the next redistricting process, and opportunities
- for pickups are widespread. As Politico recently reported:
- “Twenty-seven of the 38 governorships up in 2017 and 2018 are Republicanvheld, including
- many seats that will be open after eight years of GOP control. That means widespread
- opportunities for Democratic gains, as well as a critical chance for new ideas and new blood
- to emerge as the party seeks to identify its next generation of leaders.”
- In 2017, Bridge will produce research and tracking for the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races.
- We are already ahead of the game in Virginia since we produced a research book on Republican
- Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie when he ran for US Senate in 2014. We have also
- begun research on Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart and State Senator Frank Wagner.
- We have moved a tracker into New Jersey for the gubernatorial race and have begun research on
- Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, and Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick.
- ln 2018, Republican governors like Scott Walker, Charlie Baker, and Bruce Rauner are among our
- targets. We will also engage in the Florida gubernatorial race, a critical state for Democrats in this
- cycle and future elections, as well as the Nevada and New Mexico races, which represent promising
- opportunities for Democrats this cycle.
- Due to the overlay of targeted Senate and gubernatorial states, Bridge will track in many gubernatorial
- races even in those where we may not be as heavily invested in the race.
- STATE LEGISLATURES
- Progressives have long discussed the importance of state legislative races because of their impact
- on state legislative agendas as well as redistricting for 2020. However, with redistricting just four
- years away, these discussions have led to little in the way of concrete plans or action. Now these
- state legislative battles are even more critical. Due to poor performances in 2014 and 2016,
- we must rebuild our bench for state and federal races for 2018 and 2020.
- Over the next cycle, American Bridge will leverage its infrastructure and expertise into the arena
- of state legislative races. We will create pilot programs in key states where we can engage in our core
- competencies—research, tracking, and rapid response—and impact the outcomes of races. Bridge will
- choose to operate in states where a) Democrats are in the minority by a narrow margin in the state
- legislative chambers, b) redistricting is critical, and c) our progressive partners are most engaged.
- DROVE UP THE KOCH BROTHERS’ NEGATIVES.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- PARTNERSHIPS
- Our impact increases with every partnership. Candidates, party committees, and progressive allies
- put our content to work in paid and earned media, polling, and grassroots campaigns.
- At the center of the resistance, we expect our partnerships to grow significantly—particularly as we
- engage at the state level.
- In its earliest days, Bridge provided research exclusively on the "independentrexpenditure”
- side to Priorities USA, Senate Majority PAC, EMILY's List, NextGen Climate Action, the AFL-CIO,
- SEIU, AFSCME, Planned Parenthood, League of Conservation Voters, and others. That research
- was used as the foundation for polling and paid media efforts in presidential and Senate races.
- ln 2016, Bridge took its role as a research clearinghouse to the next level by expanding the content
- we provide to “coordinated side" campaigns and political parties, further maximizing efficiency and
- reducing duplication of work by Democratic groups.
- As we look to 2018 and 2020, we will further increase our impact by building new partnerships
- with state parties, local candidate campaigns, and state allies.
- DIGITAL PROGRAM
- We know that voters are consuming information in a drastically different way than they have
- in the past and that they often distrust the traditional news media as sources for information.
- For most Americans, Facebook is their source for news. In 2017, we will invest in a new, robust
- digital program to bypass the press as gatekeepers and deliver our original research directly
- to voters.
- We will initially focus on Obama»Trump voters in swing states, (Trump won more than 200 counties
- that Obama Won twice.) By targeting these voters and testing their reaction to our content with a
- sophisticated public opinion research program, we can pave the way for Democrats' strategy to win
- these voters back in 2020.
- Our content will include visual guides to knock down Trump’s daily narrative, comprehensive
- research reports on Trump's policy positions or key appointees, and video testimonials from Trump
- voters who face the worst impacts of a Trump presidency.
- The right's digital capabilities currently outpace our own. We will leapfrog Republicans, as we have
- before, by being smarter, faster, and more agile.
- American Bridge 2020 Plan I 21
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- American Bridge places a premium on bringing technological innovation and creativity to opposition
- research and campaign communications. Over the past five years, we have developed:
- I Live stream technology as part of our tracking program—allowing our DC»based staff to watch
- events we are tracking across the country in realtime and disseminate information to the press
- and public in a matter of minutes.
- I Our “Vault"—a lé—terabyte, fully—searchable video archive (created in conjunction with a
- firm that recently commercialized a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- development), built from monitoring candidate media appearances on national and local
- television and radio, as well as tracking public events.
- I The “Vault" features a revolutionary “sound search" that allows audio and video searches
- without any pre—existing transcript. This technology indexes audiovisual materials by
- phonetic sounds, allowing us to find useful tidbits of information buried within our video
- collection. Because the Vault is our sharing mechanism for groups that access our video
- database, progressive organizations also have access to this powerful search technology.
- I An industry-first software system for managing the scheduling and record»keeping for our video
- tracking program.
- I A first-of-its-kind customized database for creating and tracking public records requests that
- saves hundreds of researcher-hours each year.
- I Top—of-class database of federal legislative history that makes generating lawmakers’ voting
- records simpler and more efficient.
- As we move forward into a new era of government and political campaigns, Bridge staffers are already
- busy homing in on the next innovative step we can take to stay ahead of the competition. We are
- expanding our ability to live stream local events, monitor and record radio programming, and tap into
- podcasts that host Republican candidates and other tracking targets.
- OPENED THE 000‘! FOR UNEXPECTED DEMOCRATIC SENATE PICKUP IN "“7”ka
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- EVALUATION
- American Bridge will constantly monitor the following indicators to know if we’re on track toward our
- top outcomes.
- Defeat Trump either through impeachment or at the ballot box in 2020. The number of stories and the
- value of TV time for anti—Trump media coverage we generate will break all internal records. Multiple
- Trump nominations will become a drag on his administration due to the research we unearth. Trump's
- approval ratings will remain historically low.
- Change the balance of power by measurably impacting US Senate, gubernatorial, and state legislative races.
- Republicans will spend precious resources defending stories generated by Bridge in competitive races.
- Republicans will be forced to spend money in races that wouldn't otherwise be competitive due to
- Bridge's work putting them in play.
- Free ourselves from relying solely on the press. Our robust digital program will reach voters directly
- online. Millions of people will see our content through someone they know (a friend or contact) online.
- Our own public opinion research will allow us to measure change in opinion among targeted voters
- who consume our content.
- BUDGET AND TEAM
- American Bridge’s core budget is $14.7 million in 2017. This budget represents both the work of
- American Bridge’s 501(c)(4) and its Super PAC and covers a total of 146 staff.
- The 501(c)(4) is creating a 47-person war room to take on Donald Trump with a staff of 25 researchers,
- a communications team of 16 which is feeding our work to the press and doing rapid—response, and a
- team of six media monitors. Bridge will also build out a robust digital program to deliver our content
- directly to voters. The total cost of the Bridge war room will be $78 million in 2017.
- The Super PAC will do research in 16—20 of the most competitive Senate races in the 2018 cycle with
- two Senate research teams of five people each. We will also do research in the seven most competitive
- gubernatorial races with two research teams comprising of nine people total. We will also hire 33 video
- trackers to be out in the states providing constant video tracking in all 20 Senate races, along with
- 16 total gubernatorial races. To enhance this tracking effort further and bring the information to voters
- and the press in real time, we also plan to invest to expand our use of live stream technology, and
- we plan to make new technological advances in our work, including radio and podcast monitoring.
- Lastly, we will also launch pilot programs to leverage our research and tracking infrastructure and
- expertise into selective state legislature races. The total cost of the work in the SuperPAC will be
- $6.9 million for 2017.
- American Bridge 2020 Plan 23
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- SENIOR STAFF
- Bradley Beychok, Executive Chief of Staff to the Chairman. Bradley has over a cecade of experience
- managing political campaigns and progressive advocacy organizations. From 2012-2016, he served as
- President of Media Matters for America, the nation’s leading progressive media watchdog, overseeing
- its $11 million annual budget and team of over 70 people. Prior to that, Bradley served as Campaign
- Director and co-founder of American Bridge 21“ Century PAC, the largest opposi ion, video tracking,
- and rapid response organization in Democratic politics. In 2012, Campaigns and Elections magazine
- named Bradley a “Rising Star," a select group of operatives who the magazine deems will have a lasting
- effect on the campaign world. A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Bradley began his po itical career working
- for the famed political consultant James Carville.
- Jessica Mackler, President. Prior to joining American Bridge, Jessica spent near y a decade working
- on the ground on campaigns across the country, including managing the 2012 Senate race in Nevada
- and serving as a top adviser to US Senator Mary Landrieu during her 2008 ree ection campaign.
- In Louisiana, Jessica directed research and rapid response communications to fielp overcome a
- Democratic exodus from the state following Hurricane Katrina, a trend of GOP s atewide wins, and
- a competitive opponent with statewide name recognition to win. Fittingly, Jessica got her start as a
- researcher at EMlLY’s List, rising through the ranks to become the Deputy Director of Research. She
- left EMILY’s List to co»found what was then one of the only women-run opposition research groups,
- where she worked with a number of clients who helped Democrats regain majorities in Congress and
- governors' offices in the 2006 elections. For their efforts, Jessica’s firm was named the “Rookie of the
- Year” by the American Association of Political Clients.
- Eddie Vale, Vice President. Eddie is a veteran of Democratic and progressive politics and currently
- serves as Vice President of American Bridge. He most recently served as Communications Director
- for the AFL-CIO’s Super PAC Workers' Voice and the health care organization Protect Your Care.
- He has also previously worked for the AFLPCIO, Progressive Media USA, John Edwards for President,
- Ned Lamont for Senate, and Spitzer for Governor, as well as multiple congressional races.
- CREATED THE PWOTAI. MOMENT AGAINST TODD AKIN
- TO SECURE A DEMOCRATIC VICTORY IN A RED STATE.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- CREW
- est. 2003
- America’s Nonpartisan Watchdog Against Government Corruption
- Combating Abuse, Ensuring Accountability
- CREW will be the leading nonpartisan ethics watchdog group
- in a period of crisis with a President and administration that
- present possible conflicts of interest and ethical problems on an
- unprecedented scale. CREW will demand ethical conduct from
- the administration and all parts of government, expose improper
- influence from powerful interests, and ensure accountability
- when the administration and others shirk ethical standards,
- rules, and laws.
- III.IIII'IIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
- The nonpartisan coalition that has driven good government reform for decades now finds itself outgunned.
- Judicial Watch, the most frequently cited conservative watchdog organization, has a $30 million
- annual budget. It consistently caused problems for President Obama and Secretary Clinton through
- aggressive Freedom of Information Act litigation and other lawsuits and a steady stream of reports and
- press outreach.
- Donald Trump presents conflicts of interest and possible ethical problems on an unprecedented scale,
- and special interests are pushing to influence both parties in Congress. Yet Judicial Watch and similar
- groups (like Cause of Action and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT)) have been
- conspicuously quiet.
- Responding to this crisis requires an ethics watchdog with the credibility, resources, and willingness to
- hold Trump and his administration accountable.
- Bolstered by bipartisan board leadership and a winning record even in the face of partisan gridlock,
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is positioned for this fight.
- Now is the time to scale.
- OVERARCHING STRATEGY
- CREW knows how to use litigation, legal complaints, research, and press outreach to get results.
- We must significantly ramp up to fill the gap in serious ethics analysis and legal accountability for the
- new president and the rest of the government.
- Donald Trump brings with him massive global conflicts of interest and an apparent disregard for the
- traditions and rules aimed at protecting the government from improper influence.
- To combat this coming ethics crisis, CREW will significantly enhance our capabilities to monitor
- conflicts of interest and executive branch ethics, use FOlA to effectively keep tabs on the activities of
- the administration and federal agencies, and take legal action including active litigation to bring about
- accountability when the law is broken.
- CREW is not aiming to imitate Judicial Watch, but rather will establish itself as a credible but
- aggressive nonpartisan watchdog seeking accountability for ethical lapses and improper influence
- in the new administration. We welcome groups like Judicial Watch to join us in holding this
- administration accountable.
- CREW2020 Plan | 25
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- If CREW is successful in causing Trump to behave ethically, it will help protect the country from scandal
- and disastrous policy choices. If Trump does not bow to this pressure, CREW will hold him accountable.
- In the next four years, CREW is focused on achieving the following outcomes:
- Trump will be afflicted by a steady flow of damaging information, new revelations, and an inability
- to avoid conflicts issues. For as long as Trump maintains the ethically untenable position of keeping
- his business empire in the family while serving as president, CREW will relentlessly probe his global
- conflicts of interest and administration ethics problems through aggressive use of research, open
- records requests, legal action, and FOIA litigation.
- The Trump administration will be forced to defend illegal
- conduct in court. CREW will bring about legal accountability for
- executive branch ethical and legal violations through complaints
- ResponSible for and litigation. We will bring significant pressure on investigative
- . agencies and Congress to investigate violations of law and the
- more than 40% constitution, which appear likely to begin on day one of the
- - ‘ ‘ Trump administration, and we will litigate wrongdoing aggressively,
- of the total fines given out by
- the FEC in 2016 and in“ about forcing the administration to defend civil lawsuits, FOIA litigation,
- _ and whistleblower suits.
- all of the fines levied m 2016
- Powerful industries and interest groups will see their influence
- resulting from complaints by , , _
- wane. CREW Will expose and curb the Improper Influence of
- good gwmmn‘ groups powerful industries and interest groups on the administration and
- on both parties in Congress with successful legal complaints and
- litigation to rein in dark money, reckless campaign finance abuses,
- and the misuse of nonprofits by Trump and others.
- Dark money will be a political liability in key states. CREW will
- make the use of dark money, campaign finance violations, and ethics abuses at the state level a major
- issue in key states that will be the focus of massive spending and attention in the lead up to 2018 and
- 2020 elections.
- EXPOSED TRUMP FOUNDATION'S ILLEGAL DONATION T0 FLORIDA
- AG PAM BONDI‘. IGNITING A MAJOR SCANDAL.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- THE CREW PLAN
- CREW has been successful for more than a dozen years using legal complaints and litigation, inedepth
- research and Freedom of Information Act requests, and aggressive communications to shine a light on
- unethical conduct and improper influence. CREW was founded in part to fill the void in accountability
- and ethics enforcement as figures like Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff ran amok in the early 20005.
- In the ensuing years, CREW amassed successes both in exposing and curbing ethics abuses by both
- parties and in pushing to highlight and limit the corrupting influence of money in politics.
- We now face a likely ethics crisis in the incoming Trump administration that is far greater in scale.
- CREW must scale accordingly.
- Here’s how we'll do it:
- NON-STOP WATCHDOGGING
- CREW will quadruple the size of our research staff and more than double the size of our legal team to
- expand our capacity in the following key areas:
- CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND ETHICS VIOLATIONS
- CREW has already been featured in coverage of Trump’s conflicts of interest in every major national
- media outlet, and we worked extensively with the New York Times editorial board to condemn the
- utterly inadequate solutions Trump has proposed. New CREW Governing Board Chair Ambassador
- Norm Eisen and Vice Chair Richard Painter have been the faces of bipartisan outrage over this ethics
- crisis, appearing hundreds of times in major media outlets since the election.
- Going forward, we will comprehensively monitor both the Trump businesses and the actions of
- the administration in order to detect and highlight all of the conflicts of interest that arise between
- Trump's massive global business interests and his actions as president.
- Already, Trump’s Cabinet picks and top advisers present more conflicts of interest and greater potential
- for special interest influence than those of any previous administration. We will monitor and highlight
- conflicts of interest and ethical violations by Cabinet officers, senior White House officials, and other
- senior appointees and influential advisors, including the Trump family members who appear poised to
- take on prominent roles.
- INFLUENCE OF SPECIAL INTERESTS
- CREW will comprehensively monitor the secret influence of powerful special interests on the
- Trump administration, including the heavy presence of executives from powerful industries, as well
- as lobbyists and other representatives of special interests in key administration positions.
- anwzozoplan l 27
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- We will shine a light on the use of money by powerful groups to impact key issues. Our repeated
- complaints in 2015 and 2016 against the National Rifle Association, which consistently hid its political
- spending, and the Center for Medical Progress, a group that lied to the IRS about its agenda to attack
- Planned Parenthood, helped to define the public understanding of those powerful interest groups and
- ensure that their efforts to influence issues and policy were out in the open.
- CREW will diligently monitor FEC and IRS filings of political organizations and campaigns; personal
- financial disclosures required for executive branch officials; responses to our many open records
- requests; and lobbying disclosure reports to shed light on ethics and campaign finance problems
- wherever they occur in the government and the political system.
- CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS
- CREW will keep highlighting congressional ethics violations, like our repeated complaints against Rep.
- Duncan Hunter for personal use of campaign funds, and exposing the influence of powerful interests
- on members. In 2016 we produced an extensive report on special interest funding of new members of
- Congress from both parties. In 2017 and beyond, we will expand on this type of research and ensure
- that congressional influence and corruption remain issues of great public concern.
- CAMPAIGN FINANCE
- The 2018 elections, particularly at the state level, will be hugely important as a potential response
- to and check on the Trump administration. CREW will play a significant role in monitoring campaign
- finance, special interest influence, and ethics in the coming state campaigns.
- CREW will highlight the influence of special interests includingthe Koch brothers, ALEC, corporate
- interests, and others at the state level in order to inform voters ofthe forces attempting to influence them.
- CREW will also continue to effectively expose and attack money in politics abuses including by
- exposing misuse of nonprofits for politics, such as the Trump Foundation’s illegal political contribution
- and campaign activity; obtaining accountability for dark money abuses, such as the FEC fines CREW
- obtained for three Koch brothers-backed dark money groups; and pushing for enforcement of dark
- money rules including in our litigation to get the FEC to enforce the rules against several
- conservative nonprofits.
- WON GROUNDBREAKING DECISION AGAINST FEC FOR
- FAILING TO INVESTIGATE IlLEGAI. POLITICAL SPENDING.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION REQUESTS
- CREW's expanded research and legal teams will dramatically increase its use of Freedom of
- Information Act (FOIA) requests, a powerful tool to uncover information behind secret processes
- and investigations. We will submit FOIA requests to uncover:
- I Conflicts of interest and ethical and legal violations.
- I Improper influence by lobbyists and special interests.
- I Problematic secrecy in policymaking and enforcement (including inappropriate mixing of
- business interests and political considerations in decision—making).
- A steady stream of open records requests will keep constant attention on Trump’s unprecedented
- conflicts of interest, and we will press aggressively for investigation by Congress and law enforcement.
- When our requests are stonewalled, we will use comprehensive and frequent litigation to compel
- openness and responsiveness.
- LEGAL COMPLAINTS AND LITIGATION
- CREW uses cutting—edge litigation to push for accountability. We will use our expanded legal team to
- file complaints and lawsuits in the following areas:
- I Violations of the law and the US Constitution, potentially
- including improper conflicts of interest, "emoluments,"
- foreign corrupt practices, and other violations;
- I Campaign finance violations as they will likely continue
- to emerge in connection with last year's presidential
- election and coming congressional and presidential
- elections;
- I Ethics abuses in Congress and in congressional races in
- key states, where dark money will play a record—setting
- role;
- I Misuse of nonprofits for politics, such as the Donald J.
- Trump Foundation and the foundation's illegal political
- activity.
- In every case, we will highlight abuses to press for investigations, encourage accountability, and take
- out wrongdoers.
- PRO BONO ARMY
- We will enlist an army of pro bono lawyers to help CREW take legal action to hold the new
- administration and others accountable for conflicts of interest, ethics abuses, and violations of law.
- Already, top law firms and talented lawyers across the country, with specialties including civil litigation
- and FOIA, are volunteering to help with this effort.
- CREW will organize this enthusiastic and capable cadre of lawyers to enable us to obtain more
- information about conflicts of interest, influence, and secret government action and to advance more
- legal theories and litigation approaches to ensure accountability for wrongdoing and violations of law
- and the constitution.
- CREW 2020 Plan 29
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 30
- COMMUNICATIONS
- CREW’s communications team has worked effectively to expose ethical violations and money in
- politics abuses, sparking regular stories in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall
- Street Journal, among many others, and partnering with top reporters to move major stories forward.
- In 2017 CREW will triple the size of our communications team, ramping up to spread the word about
- the incoming administration's unprecedented ethics crisis further and wider. We will build on our
- strong print media relations, and expand to become a regular source of information on broadcast and
- cable news and online.
- Additional CREW staff will build a dynamic social media presence and dramatically increase traffic to
- our recently overhauled website.
- We will also significantly expand our outreach to local media, ensuring that our work to shine a bright
- light on improper influence and unethical government reaches people where they live and where they
- get their news.
- EVALUATION
- CREW will constantly monitor the following indicators to know if we’re on track toward our top
- outcomes.
- Trump will be afflicted by a steady flow of damaging information, new revelations, and an inability to avoid
- conflicts issues. The press coverage we drive (both quantity and quality) of Trump’s conflicts of interest
- and other ethics violations will break internal records.
- The Trump administration will be forced to defend illegal conduct in court. The legal and administrative
- complaints CREW brings and the litigation we initiate and join to bring about accountability for
- administration conflicts of interest and ethical violations will result in: voluntary changes in behavior,
- government agency action to enforce the law or require compliance, court-ordered consequences for
- violations, and orders to disclose government information to the public.
- Powerful industries and interest groups will see their influence wane. Our legal complaints and litigation
- will lead to fines and enforcement, abandonment of improper forms of influence and campaign finance
- abuses, court decisions enforcing the law on money in politics, and increased oversight and better rules
- from agencies and Congress.
- Dark money will be a political liability in key states. CREW will generate state and local media coverage of
- ethics abuses and improper influence in selected states. Our legal complaints and lawsuits responding
- to state abuses will produce concrete results. And key local officials and groups will draw attention to
- ethics and influence issues.
- Private 8: Confidential
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- a Only group
- i to win a mailer court victory
- over the FEC in 2016
- CREW is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization. CREW's 2017 budget is $5.8 million which will double
- ’ its size from 2016. The reason for this expansion is the enormous demands that will be placed on this
- organization this year. Judicial Watch which is CREW's analog in the Conservative movement has been
- spending an average of almost $20 million a year since 2012 when President Obama was re-elected.
- In 2017 CREW is planning to expand to a staff of at least 38. We will more than double the size of
- our legal team, and add to our research and communications shop (including web and social media).
- We will also expand our administrative and paralegal capabilities. The increased budget will also
- , cover outside legal services, web and social media services, and research and investigative resources.
- Our expanded staff will allow for a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act team with litigators,
- researchers, a coordinator and a paralegal; an executive branch ethics team with dedicated lawyers,
- a business researcher, and an executive branch researcher; a state team with a dedicated counsel
- and specialized researchers; as well as expanded capacity in all aspects of the office, crucially
- , including litigation.
- SENIOR ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- Noah Bookbinder, Executive Director. Following an extensive national search, CREW hired Noah
- i as Executive Director in March of 2015. Noah formerly served as a federal prosecutor in the Justice
- Department’s Public Integrity Section and as Chief Counsel for Criminal Justice of the US Senate
- * Judiciary Committee. Before joining CREW in 2015, he served as Director of the US Sentencing
- Commission’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, where he helped guide the commission on
- important policy decisions including its 2014 reduction of federal drug sentences. In his position
- as Chief Counsel for Criminal Justice of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he advised Chairman
- Patrick Leahy on a range of criminal justice issues including violent crime prevention, fraud, public
- * corruption, and criminal justice reform, and helped manage communications during the confirmation
- hearings of US Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. He has also served as
- a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, DC, and as an adjunct professor at both
- Howard University and George Washington University Law Schools. Noah is a graduate of
- Yale University and Stanford Law School.
- FORCED THE EEC TO IMPOSE LARGEST FINE OF THE POST-CITIZENS
- , UNITED ERA ON THREE KOCH-BACKED DARK MONEY GROUPS.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Adam Rappaport, Chief Counsel and Assistant Director. Adam has worked at CREW since 2009 and
- recently was promoted to Chief Counsel and Assistant Director. Prior to joining CREW, Adam practiced
- law at Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schulz, L.L.P., where he represented members of the news media in
- seeking access to government records and proceedings and defended them in defamation cases.
- Before that, Adam served as a law clerk to Judge David G. Trager
- of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
- Adam covered Congress for National Journal’s CongressDaily and
- 21 complaints the States News Service before attending law school. He received
- his JD. with honors from the University of Chicago and his B.A.
- filed “n 2015 and 2016 with the from Wesleyan University.
- IRS. {live EEC. and [M mm . . . .
- ii i , P . '
- d “I , eaga'nsi ‘ Jennifer Ahearn olicy Counsel Jennifer has been CREW 5 Policy
- . _ _ Counsel since 2015. Prior to joining CREW, Jennifer worked in
- “kg“ walk“ my“ m the Office of General Counsel of the United States Sentencing
- “ MW Commission, where she led teams of lawyers and researchers
- advisingthe bipartisan Commission on issues like drug policy and
- ... human rights abuses, and advised the Commission's federal judges
- and judicial employees on complying with the Code of Judicial
- Conduct. Before that, Jennifer served as a law clerk to Judge Thomas B. Russell of the US District Court
- for the Western District of Kentucky. Jennifer received her JD. and LL.M. degrees from Duke Law and
- her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
- Matt Corley, Research Director. Matt is the Research Director at CREW, where he has worked since
- 2012. Before joining the CREW team, Matt worked as an Assistant Editor at the Center for American
- Progress, where he wrote for ThinkProgress and The Progress Report. Matt received his B.A. from
- Ithaca College and earned an MA. in Political Science from George Washington University.
- Jordan Libowitz, Communications Director. Jordan has served as CREW’s Communications Director
- since 2015. A native of Philadelphia, Jordan previously worked on campaigns from Pennsylvania to
- Alaska. Prior to joining CREW, he ran a communications consulting firm specializing in nonprofits.
- Jordan received his BA. from the Johns Hopkins University.
- Stuart McPhail, Litigation Counsel. Stuart has served as CREW’s Litigation Counsel since 2015.
- Prior to joining CREW, Stuart worked as a litigation associate with Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP
- and, before that, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP. Stuart clerked with Judge Fortunato
- Benavides of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and with Judge Maxine Chesney of the US
- District Court for the Northern District of California. Stuart received his JD. from Columbia Law and his
- B.A. and 8.5. from the University of Maryland.
- FORCED DISCLOSURE OF MVSTEMOUS $1 HIHION
- CORPORATE DONATION TO A NJ DEMOCRATIC SUPER PAC.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Shoreblue
- est. 2016
- The Antidote to Breitbart
- Emboldening the Opposition, Empowering the Grassroots
- Shareblue will take back social media for Democrats.
- We will delegitimize Donald Trump's presidency by
- emboldening the opposition and empowering the majority
- of Americans who oppose him. Shareblue will be the
- dynamic nucleus of a multi-platform media company
- that informs, engages, and arms Americans to fight.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
- Progressive media platforms are not positioned for this fight. They influence mainstream media and
- political elites, but do not reach people where they are. They advocate for progressive issues, but avoid
- partisan combat.
- The Trump campaign spoke directly to voters—and not just through Donald Trump's Twitter feed.
- It used Facebook, and racist and misogynistic (often fake) news sites with massive followings, to take
- both his vitriol and his lies straight to the people.
- Emboldened by Trump’s victory, this messaging apparatus, led by Breitbart, will only become more
- dangerous in the next four years.
- Progressives need a media outlet with the power, influence, and reach to combat Trump and the media
- ecosystem he has emboldened.
- Shareblue will become that outlet by differentiating itself in four key ways:
- Willingness to engage in partisan combat. We are not waiting to see what Trump does in office.
- We do not give him the benefit of the doubt. He has told us what he wants to do to our country and
- we believe him. We dedicate every day to calling out Trump and all who cooperate with him (including
- Democrats who capitulate to this administration), and bolstering those who most effectively oppose
- him (including Republicans who rebel against his rule). We are bold, full throated, and we are not
- backing down. Authoritarianism, kleptocracy, cooptation by Russia, and white supremacy are well
- within our sights, and we must fight back.
- Connection to grassroots. Shareblue does not rely on mainstream journalists to advance our message.
- We take it straight to our more than one million followers, who share it widely with their networks.
- Some groups created duringthe 2016 campaign appeared inauthentic and were avoided by grassroots
- users. In contrast, engagement with Shareblue content soared, and our following continues to grow.
- Facebook native. Shareblue is a Facebook community first and foremost. We do not need to adapt to
- a new environment; we're already where we need to be. Our team, and our audience, lives on social
- media. With some of the highest interaction rates of any mainstream or progressive political media
- site on Facebook and Twitter, we know what works on social and what doesn’t.
- Emotionally resonant. Messaging based solely on facts doesn’t resonate with a broad audience.
- Connection and engagement on a personal and emotional levelispecifically hope, happiness, or
- angeridrive success. Depression is a disincentive to shares and anything milquetoast is toxic to
- our position. Shareblue creates fact-based content that connects with our audience on a visceral,
- emotional level.
- Shareblue 2020 Plan | 33
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Over 1 million
- rum MM!
- Shareblue is a digital attacker.
- in year one, we’ve begun to take back social media for Democrats by creating some of the most widely
- shared content of the election cycle.
- Going forward, we’ll take share from like-minded but combat—averse digital competitors. Our relentless
- coverage of Trump models how to put him and his collaborators on the defensive, and keep his popularity
- low. By rewarding the fighters and nourishing the grassroots, Shareblue galvanizes the resistance to
- Trump and bolsters the morale of the majority of Americans who didn’t vote for him. And we won't
- hesitate to call out Democrats who equivocate on Trump’s dangerous policies or surrender to his
- bullying tactics.
- Further, we'll take share from corporate media, who are—in the short time since the election—more
- concerned about losing access to Trump than covering him aggressively. If the mainstream media fails
- to hold Trump to account, increasingly frustrated Americans will turn elsewhere for news and opinion.
- To compete with Breitbart and the right-wing media infrastructure that will do Trump's bidding,
- Shareblue must scale up from a Facebook native news site to a diversified media company, operating
- across platforms with varied and everegrowing content offerings and products.
- Shareblue’s aggressive strategy is to grow our audience, maximize impact, and scale to reach our
- potential as a profitable media company.
- GROW AUDIENCE
- Every data point demonstrates that Shareblue is growing its audience. Since July 1, there were
- 162 million unique viewers of our content, a 50% increase from the first six months of 2016.
- Daily average impressions have doubled since the first half of 2016.
- Yet.
- Every moment that we are not optimizing our audience behavior or building our databases is a loss
- that’s greatly compounded over time. Like a 401 K, the earlier we contribute to it, the greater the returns.
- DROVE NARRATIVE-SHIFTING. NATIONALLY TREKDING HASHTAGS:
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Building on our highly engaged core, Shareblue will hyper—target active Democratic voters and Trump
- opponents who are likely to share our content and engage others. To reach the largest and most influential
- audience as quickly as possible, we will employ predictive analytics—a capacity we have in-house.
- Reaching our potential audience, however, will require expanding beyond Facebook. While our
- Facebook presence is our greatest strength, it is also a vulnerability: We should not be wholly
- dependent on a third party platform. It Facebook makes changes to its algorithm, Shareblue's
- audience could drop precipitously.
- Shareblue must arm itself against the whims of Facebook's algorithm by building our presence on other
- social platforms, and developing destination traffic for the site. We’ll do this by expanding our content
- offerings to drive habitual viewing, superserving our most engaged users, and maximizing earned media
- to build the Shareblue brand.
- MAXIMIZE IMPACT
- In the 2016 campaign, American Bridge and Correct the Record relied on the mainstream media to
- get messaging and opposition research out, instead of going to the grassroots directly. Once they
- debunked a major story or hit (e.g., Clinton Cash, the New York Times bestseller that baselessly attacked
- the Clinton Foundation’s donations and finances), they weren't able to disseminate information to
- the grassroots.
- Shareblue is positioned to frame opposition research from American Bridge and other progressive groups,
- as well as leaks and intel from Democrats on House and Senate committees, in our signature punchy,
- emotive style—and disseminate it directly to our followers in a daily online persuasion campaign.
- The right has done this effectively (though deceptively) for years. They have brought down progressive
- organizations and damaged Democrats. In addition, there has been an influx of Republican campaigns
- and candidates citing bogus news stories from online smear merchants such as the Washington Free
- Beacon or Breitbart in political ads and communication.
- Now, we can use our own social media platform to both
- weaponize oppo research and perfect its delivery system to
- expose Trump allies and collaborators, and to damage Trump.
- We will aim to have our factual news stories repeated in
- Democratic communications and paid political ads.
- Shareblue’s leadership team has spent the last decade working
- to build various parts of the national progressive infrastructure.
- We have worked with the White House and Capitol Hill,
- on presidential campaigns and with virtually every major
- progressive advocacy group. We will leverage unprecedented access to decision-makers at every level
- of the Democratic establishment and progressive movement to break news and tangibly damage the
- Trump administration.
- SCALE AS A MEDIA COMPANY
- Shareblue occupies a unique place in the media landscape. As this primary platform grows in audience
- and impact, we’ll leverage these assets appropriately to establish a powerful brand, generate revenue,
- and drive to financial sustainability. Reaching these goals is critical for talent recruitment.
- Shareblue 2020 Plan 35
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- We’ll burnish the Shareblue brand by expanding our presence on TV, increasing earned media, and with
- greater and more targeted outreach to influencers in media and politics.
- We'll diversity content products to include email newsletters, podcasts, and discrete editorial and video
- verticals, all of which can be sponsored by strategic partners.
- We’ll expand on mobile platforms via apps.
- Young enterprising media outlets historically thrive when in the opposition (think Talking Points
- Memo and Daily Kos in the George W. Bush years). Now is the time to build Shareblue’s audience
- and influence.
- In the next four years, Shareblue is focused on achieving the following outcomes:
- Shareblue becomes the go-to news outlet for grassroots Trump opponents.
- Shareblue becomes the de facto news outlet for opposition leaders.
- Trump allies are forced to step down or change course due to news we push.
- Under pressure from Shareblue, Democrats take more aggressive positions against Trump.
- Achieve financial sustainability while diversifying content offerings and platforms.
- Top editorial and writing talent leave competitors to join Shareblue.
- CREATED THE MOST SHARED POSITIVE
- CONTENT OF HILLARY CLINTON'S CANDIDACY.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- THE SHAREBLUE PLAN
- In its first year, Shareblue proved it could engage millions of people with its content, impact
- the national conversation, and be a credible and valuable platform for Democratic allies and the
- progressive grassroots.
- But at such an urgent, alarming time in our national politics, being good isn’t enough. We must become
- the antidote to Breitbart.
- Going forward, and to drive to our top outcomes, Shareblue must expand its editorial capacity;
- broaden and deepen its outreach to allies; upgrade our technology; and get on the path to
- sustainability as a business.
- This is how we’ll do it:
- CONTENT
- EXPAND EDITORIAL
- Shareblue content is highly successful: Articles are often shared more than 10,000 times, and our
- average daily impressions are 2.1 million. Coming into 2017, we are publishing more content, more
- often, and under more bylines than at any point in our brief history. With an increase in production,
- our audience is growing: Users saw Shareblue posts 323 million times since July 1, a 50% increase
- from the first six months of 2016.
- We must expand our editorial capacity, and recruit more full-time writers,
- beat reporters, and editors who create, deliver, and promote content up to
- our high standards and in Shareblue's signature style.
- Across a noisy, disorienting, and fractured digital landscape, Shareblue’s
- steady, resolute voice is urgently needed.
- OUR EDITORIAL PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
- I Calling out all signs of authoritarianism and kleptocracy. Championing voices who have been
- right to warn us.
- I Nonstop coverage of the influence of Vladimir Putin and Russia on Trump and his
- administration.
- I Exposing Trump as a weak, think—skinned "loser" vulnerable to goading.
- I Relentlessly beating the drum that he has no mandate, lost the popular vote, and is the
- least popular president-elect in modern American history.
- I Exposing the insidious role of Mike Pence, who is replicating the right—wing governance
- ideology he inflicted on Indiana.
- I Demystifying Trump's "conflicts of interest" and calling them what they are:
- Subversions of the nation's interests.
- Shareblue 2020 Plan
- 37
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 38
- I Spotlighting the Trump administration's vast ties to white nationalists and the ways in which
- they explicitly empower white supremacy.
- I Tracking and fighting back against odious GOP legislation in Congress.
- I Following SCOTUS nominations/appointments/major cases.
- I Morale—boosting coverage of the grassroots opposition and resistance efforts outside
- the Beltway.
- I Positive coverage of Democrats who boldly call out Trump and aggressively work against him.
- Pressure on Democrats who consider giving him cover.
- I Media criticism exposing mainstream journalists who normalize Trump, and championing
- those who hold him accountable.
- I Fighting outrage fatigue.
- AGGREGATE
- With increased editorial capacity, Shareblue will expand our daily production by aggregating content.
- We will do this in two ways:
- I An aggregation editor will look for content from across the internet, which informs and inspires
- our readers, and tracks with our editorial priorities.
- I Build a proprietary algorithm that is specifically designed to amplify negative content for Trump
- and deliver positive content to bolster the resistance. Further, by pulling the most widely shared
- progressive content from the top 1,000 social media accounts, Shareblue's algorithm will not
- only aggregate, but drive news and opinion.
- MORE VIDEO
- While traditional 30—second TV spots were important in the
- 2016 campaigns, online videos regularly garnered attention and
- airtime from media outlets, and were shared across millions of
- screens in social networks. Trump's web videos were not highly
- produced, but were easily shared across Trump’s social media
- platforms, which garnered large numbers of views and allowed
- him to target specific groups.
- Shareblue's anti—Trump videos, optimized for mobile viewing
- and sharing, were viewed over 20 million times during the
- 2016 campaign. Democrats often struggle to convey facts in
- ways that can be easily understood. Shareblue specializes in
- simplifying stories, facts, and data through videos, memes, and other highly shareable visual content.
- In addition to our own rapid response videos (pairing TV clips with a strong message), Shareblue
- will also amplify grassroots, authentic video content (e.g., Pantsuit Flash Mobs that first appeared in
- New York during the campaign). These videos boost opposition morale, are widely shared, and garner
- positive media coverage. Through partnerships and joint ventures with grassroots organizations,
- Shareblue will ramp up its video production to maximize impact and grow our audience.
- As we expand across social platforms, our approach to visual content will be tailored to each.
- For example, on lnstagram Shareblue will produce a daily image—a chart, graph, photograph or gif—
- which tells a specific story that aligns with our editorial focus.
- Private 8: Confidential
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- INVEST IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
- The Trump administration needs to be investigated. Since 2006, The American Independent has
- shined a national spotlight on important stories—or offered rebuttals of accepted narratives—that the
- corporate news media leave in the shadows. The American Independent searches for and exposes the
- underreported activities of conservatives, arming the public with the truths needed to hold individuals
- and groups responsible for actions or policies that run counter to the progressive agenda.
- With the election of Trump and its implications for a free press, The American lndependent's work .
- is more important than ever. In 2017, working with Shareblue, The American Independent will award
- grants to top investigative journalists to cover, expose, and damage the Trump administration and
- its allies.
- A few examples of The American lndependent’s victories exposing the conservative nexus of power
- in Washington include:
- I “Company Town", a documentary film that tells the story of Crossett, Arkansas, pop.
- 5,500, a town literally poisoned by the greed of paper-processing company Georgia—
- Pacific, a Koch Industries subsidiary. "Company Town” premiered on June 7, 2016 at the
- Los Angeles Film Festival to a sold out crowd and was one of a few select films invited for
- a second screening. Huffington Post called it an "important film" that ”exposes the horrific
- environmental impact that Georgia—Pacific, a Koch Industries—owned company, has had
- on the tightly—knit Arkansas community."
- I A 2014 Rolling Stone profile of the rise of Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of
- America, which earned 570,000 unique visitors and three million page views and led to follow-
- up articles in the New York Daily News (“Gun Owners of America director would be ’kind of
- glad' if lawmakers feared violence from his organization”) and Roll Call ("Maloney Calls for
- Investigation Into Threats From Pro—Gun Leader Larry Pratt”)
- I Delegitimizing Mark Regnerus's 2012 study accusing same-sex parents of being inferior to
- their straight counterparts. Subsequent attempts to use Regnerus’s study in the Supreme Court
- and in state battles failed—because The American lndependent’s reporting had destroyed
- its credibility.
- THE GO-TO DESTINATION FOR POLLING AND PREDICTIVE MODELING
- People don’t answer polls anymore. Response rates are down to 15% or less. That damages the
- quality of polls and we saw the results in 2016. As polling faces a response bias crisis, models that
- use alternative inputs will become more important in future elections.
- LED THE CHARGE IN CALLING OUT SEXISM IN THE 2016 CAMPAIGN.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Benchmark Politics is the only predictive model to include county—level demographic, economic, and
- polling data to make accurate predictions about elections. This local-level focus will make it possible
- for Benchmark to not only predict 2018 Senate races, but also House races. As Democrats work
- aggressively to pick up seats in the mid-terms and defeat Trump in 2020, Shareblue will become the
- most accurate and trustworthy destination for polling and predictive modeling.
- Heralded as the "next Nate Silver," Anthony Reed is the founder of Benchmark Politics and Shareblue’s
- exclusive polling and predictive modeling expert. Notably, Benchmark Politics was the most accurate
- election forecaster in the Democratic primaries—beating even Nate Silver.
- Shareblue will utilize this data and modeling expertise to ensure maximum impact of our editorial
- mission. With these added capacities, we will be able to test which messages and content are most
- effective. Trump was deftly able to change the conversation when it wasn’t favorable to his terms.
- Therefore, we must be able to test in real time what is most damaging to him and his administration
- and then relentlessly pursue those angles and storylines.
- Shareblue’s allies know that our content gets shared widely, and they know that there is no other
- resource like us in the progressive infrastructure. The more Democratic and progressive organizations
- get to know us, and see our results, the more often they come to Shareblue with quality story ideas and
- exclusive content, and the more they share it with their networks.
- But there’s much more work to do. To become the de facto news outlet ofthe opposition in the Trump
- era, we must invest significantly in marketing ourselves to the infrastructure and movement we exist
- to champion.
- Shareblue will widen its outreach by developing strategic partnerships with Democratic allies, influencers,
- and progressive groups; we will be the goito platform to amplify their campaigns and initiatives.
- Shareblue will expand our reach on the Hill to solidify our relationships and influence within the
- Democratic Party. Looking to 2018, Shareblue’s social media platform will be increasingly critical to
- party messaging.
- As Shareblue becomes the leading source of news of the opposition, we'll regularly recruit Democratic
- officials, progressive leaders, and grassroots organizers to write op—eds for the site.
- Shareblue editors and writers will do more appearances on TV and radio. Strengthening Shareblue's
- brand in the media is essential to our growth strategy.
- EXPOSED WHITE NATIONALISM, AS IRUMP‘S POLITICAL STRITEGV.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- TECHNOLOGY
- As a digital media company, Shareblue needs to be in the vanguard of new technology for both its
- operations and in how we deliver our content to our audience.
- In 2017, Shareblue will explore a move to Medium, which would reduce costs, eliminate the need for
- server space, and shift responsibility to dealing with DDoS attacks elsewhere. Medium also provides
- a new and powerful channel for promoting our daily content.
- It is well documented that the Trump campaign’s digital team outperformed Democrats at every level.
- We must comprehensively understand the behavior of our audience, and use that data to hyper-target
- and expand it.
- We’ll do this in several ways:
- I We'll start with our Facebook audience. Once we
- understand the behavior of our most valuable users
- (within and beyond Facebook) in greater detail, we can
- develop online look—alike models.
- I Analyze the site: With regression models we can look at
- traffic sources; a social media analysis will reveal how
- well certain types of articles do when posted in various
- media sources; releasing particular articles in a controlled
- fashion will test time of day engagement levels, social
- media source, and topic.
- I We will be able to learn which platforms and ad types are most effective at building
- membership, driving views on content, driving amplifiers to share content, etc.
- I With a clearer sense of who our users are, we'll make better strategic decisions on
- monetizing options, the tools to do so, and build the foundation for a potentially valuable
- and marketable dataset.
- REVENUE
- Impact and monetization are not mutually exclusive at Shareblue.
- In the second half of 2017 we will move the focus to monetization with the goal of bringing in revenue in
- Q2 of 2018. Our strategies stem from our core competency: The ability to market content effectively in
- social media channels.
- Sponsored content. Sponsored content is fueling the explosive growth of digital media platforms. These
- articles would be specifically written to promote businesses and organizations that fit our audience.
- This would primarily be a lead generation business paid through a CPA model. And we'll
- go beyond articles, and partner with progressive allies like EMILY'S List to produce video content.
- Sponsored verticals. Shareblue can create verticals that can be sold to businesses and organizations
- that align with our editorial priorities, e.g., labor, environmental organizations, anti—corruption advocates.
- Shareblue Premium. Subscribers pay for exclusive content, daily newsletter or other product.
- Think TPM Prime or Slate Plus.
- Marketable dataset. Once we know our audience better, we will have the option of marketing this data
- to allies to help them grow their audience and impact as well. Shareblue will always safeguard the
- privacy of its readers.
- Shareblue 2020 Plan | 41
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- 42
- Proprietary technology/premium experience. Subscribers pay a fee to participate in a Twitter-like
- environment for the opposition, free from conservative trolls and harassment. A powerful way of
- merging our connection to the grassroots with our platform.
- Email leads. Monetizing traffic through sponsored actions, whereby a third party pays to place a petition
- on our site and then pays per email ($100—$200) forthe output. We get to add these email lists to our
- database as well. Since Changeorg shifted from only serving the left, there is a gap in the progressive
- landscape for email list generation.
- Progressive products. In an increasingly high tech world, people seek things they can touch and feel. We
- could market products that align with our editorial mission and capture the emotion of the resistance.
- All potential products could be market—tested through our Facebook community.
- Event marketing. As Shareblue’s reach and impact increase, so too will the opportunity to
- extend the power of our brand. We'll develop event programming in major markets that features
- Shareblue editors, writers, and contributors, and generate revenue from paid sponsorships and/or
- consumer sales.
- EVALUATION
- Shareblue will constantly monitor the following indicators to know if we're on track toward our
- top outcomes.
- Shareblue becomes the go-to news outlet for grassroots Trump opponents. Facebook engagement with
- our content doubles each year. Sharebluecom traffic also doubles each year. Twitter following increases
- 25% per year.
- Shareblue becomes the de facto news outlet for opposition leaders. Democratic offices, campaigns, and
- progressive organizations will routinely pitch us stories, funnel us information, and share our content,
- and we’ll measure ally engagement. Shareblue content will be used in paid political ads in television
- and digital mediums.
- Trump allies are forced to step down or change course due to news we push. lntel and oppo given to us
- exclusively will become higher quality, with higher potential for impact, as our credibility and footprint
- grows.
- Under pressure from Shareblue, Democrats take more aggressive positions against Trump. Democrats will
- echo the aggressive, emotive messaging Shareblue models and take action accordingly.
- Achieve financial sustainability while diversifying content offerings and platforms. Set and meet revenue
- targets each fiscal year as editorial and reach expand. Find capital investors in Shareblue’s new and
- expanding business.
- Top editorial and writing talent leave competitors to join Shareblue. High quality, seasoned editors and
- writers at competing outlets increasingly follow Shareblue social media accounts, share our content,
- and repeat our messaging—until they realize Shareblue would make a better home.
- Private 8; Confidential
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Shareblue is an LLC which has a 2017 budget currently set at $2 million, which covers 18 total staff,
- m including six full—time content producers.
- Our top priority is expanding editorial capacity, and, accordingly, Shareblue's budget is biased towards
- content creation. This year, we'll bring on an executive editor, two writers/reporters, a production
- W editor, and increase our freelance writers budget by 50%. Alongside our editorial expansion, we'll
- begin to re-build our video content program with a part—time producer, and optimize our social media
- presence with a digital manager.
- 7, With an increase in the budget to $3 million, Shareblue will be able to make necessary investments in
- 2017. An expanded technology team allows for a digital director to develop and execute social media
- *7 and web growth strategies, along with a full—time developer and a designer.
- ,, We’ll continue to expand our editorial capacity with two dedicated reporters (one for the progressive
- beat, and one for ethics/legal), and a full—time video department of two. And we’ll be able to compete
- 7* for top editorial talent. A product marketing manager will drive revenue through content sponsorships,
- email list monetization, and subscriber—model experimentation.
- Shareblue operates with a small but dedicated team, each of whom believes progressive values are
- worth fighting for every day. We’re passionate about producing the highest quality content to inform,
- .7 engage, and fire up our audience. And like our audience, we live on social media.
- On the content creation side of Shareblue, the editor-invchief works closely with her deputy editor, two
- senior writers, our exclusive polling and data strategist, and oversees a group of five freelance writers.
- A director of outreach and IT manager round out the operations team.
- 7 ' SELECTED BIOS
- Will Lippincott, Chief Operating Officer. Will began his media career in 1994 at The New Yorker,
- where he worked in advertising sales. From 1998 to early 2001 Will was publisher of The New Republic
- and led its re-launch before becoming publisher and business development director of BoozAllen's
- strategy+business quarterly. At both brands, Will was responsible for business operations, including
- advertising sales and consumer marketing, and for the development and execution of online content
- and revenue strategies. In 2004, Will co-founded Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (LMQ), a full-service
- EXHDUED IKE MYTH THAT THERE WAS ”H0 ENTHUSIASH" FOR HILLARY.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- literary agency that now represents more than 300 authors and estates. As an agent and talent
- manager, he developed a rigorous approach to securing publishing deals for prize-winningjournalists
- and thought leaders whose ideas are catalysts for change in Culture, politics, and business. Will has
- been a board member of Media Matters for America since its founding in 2004, and has served on
- the boards of American Bridge Zis‘Century and The American Independent.
- Katie Paris, Senior Executive Adviser. Katie is a veteran of progressive infrastructure organizations
- and Democratic campaigns. She has worked with Shareblue since David Brock took it over in late 2015.
- Katie also serves as an adviser to Media Matters, which she helped launch as its first Research Director
- in 2004. Katie also helped launch Faith in Public Life, a Dvaased strategy center that advances faith as
- a powerful force for progressive causes. When she’s not doing politics, she helps inspire social sector
- leaders to build great organizations for greater impact through the Leap of Reason initiative.
- Melissa McEwan, Editor-in-Chief. Melissa is a leading feminist writer who has spent more than a
- decade in progressive advocacy, having founded the political and cultural biog Shakesville in 2004.
- She has been with Shareblue since February of 2016. Melissa's work has appeared in a number of
- publications, ranging from Geez Magazine to The Guardian. She has long valued building relationships
- with other writers in the social justice sphere, and loves to mentor fledgling feminist writers, from
- building an audience to navigating the challenges of social media.
- Anthony Reed, Polling and Data Strategist. Heralded as the “next Nate Silver,” Anthony is
- Shareblue's exclusive polling and predictive modeling expert. He is the founder of Benchmark
- Politics, which was the most accurate election forecaster in the Democratic primaries (beating
- even Nate Silver). The Benchmark model uses advanced statistical techniques based on county»level
- data Anthony developed to successfully lower the murder rate in Baton Rouge, reduce mass incarceration
- in Louisiana, and improve student success in public universities.
- Tommy Christopher, Senior Political Writer. Tommy is a liberal commentator and journalist with
- an extensive reporting background. He began his journalism career covering the 2008 presidential
- campaign for AOL, then went on to cover the White House for six years with PoliticsDaily, Mediaite,
- and The Daily Banter. Before enteringjournalism, Christopher was a health insurance consultant with
- extensive expertise in the field.
- 44 I Private&Confidential
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
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