Hello, Friends of The Markup:
We launched The Markup only two months ago with a talented newsroom. Overnight, our work became even more vital as our world and yours became mediated by technology: video calls, grocery delivery apps, and homeschooling websites.
Our small newsroom responded immediately. We created a COVID-19 reporting squad and its reporting, as well as our other investigations, have already had significant impact:
- Because of our inquiry, Facebook no longer allows advertisers to target 78 million users interested in “pseudoscience.”
- The Markup was the first to identify how blind and low-vision users are being poorly served by nearly all fifty state government COVID-19 websites, which contained text that violates federal standards for accessibility. Iowa has already updated its website in response to our reporting.
- We also found sharp contrasts between states’ coronavirus testing protocols. This came from sending public records requests to all fifty states and Washington, D.C.
- And as we’ll be reporting later today, Allstate policyholders in Texas filed a lawsuit against Allstate alleging discriminatory conduct after our reporting revealed that the insurer was using a secret algorithm to calculate auto insurance prices for each customer based on their likelihood of shopping for cheaper rates.
If you value the work we’re doing, will you donate today?
We’re reaching out to you today as part of #GivingTuesdayNow—a national fundraising campaign for nonprofits in response to the COVID-19 crisis. With your help, we can continue to report on technology companies at a time when their power seems unfettered.
We hope to reach 50 new donors by the end of the day today. Can we count on you to help us reach our goal? Any gift, no matter how big or small, can make a huge difference to our fledgling organization.
My thanks,
Nabiha Syed
President
The Markup