Media mogul trying to crush Australian activist group

Murdoch started his vast media ownership, he owns around 140 national, regional and suburban newspapers and a TV channel, amounting to two thirds of the Australian media market.

This is the best chance you'll ever have to prove Murdoch wrong.

After GetUp members began holding the Murdoch Press to account for their climate denial, we've weathered days of misleading front page attacks in The Australian — including an editorial calling on people not to donate.1

Their aim is clear: Intimidate us into silence by threatening our donations.

If donations really do dry up, our movement will be greatly weakened and the Murdoch Press wins. After that example, few will be willing to stand up to the Murdoch empire.

Or we can prove them utterly wrong with a new wave of support — showing that their bullying attacks only make us stronger.

So we've got a goal of getting 500 new members to join our GetUp Crew, who make a regular weekly donation to support our work. If we hit it, we'll respond to their intimidation with a large bouquet of Orange flowers delivered to Murdoch Press HQ — to show who inspired this new surge of people powered support.

Stand Up to Murdoch today: Join the GetUp Crew by making a small weekly donation to support our work together.

Few have done more harm to the cause of climate action than the Murdoch Press. They drive climate denial and shove our politics to the right. The same can be said on asylum seekers, economic equality and many of the causes we fight for together.

Nothing will change unless we stand up to them. Tens of thousands of GetUp members are answering that call by pressuring major advertisers, like Woolworths, to stop funding Murdoch's climate denial this week.

But it's come at a cost. In recent days The Australian claimed to "expose" things we make publicly available on our website, misread our financial statements, attacked us for paying our staff and called on people not to donate to GetUp.2, 3, 4

If they get their way our funding will dry up, along with our campaign to hold them to account. But if we get stronger in this moment, we can keep heaping pressure on the Murdoch Press to clean up its act by pressuring other big advertisers, driving unsubscribe campaigns and more.

Thanks to GetUp donors there was a billboard in front of Murdoch Press HQ, Woolworths HQ and their stores yesterday, while GetUp members handed out flyers to customers.

And social media was absolutely blowing up! #CleanUpMurdoch trended #2 on Twitter (beating Lady Gaga) and Woolworths phone lines and social channels were filled with calls to disown the Murdoch Press.

This is collective action at its very best — GetUp members at our best.

But in the coming weeks the Murdoch Press will work hand-in-glove with hard right members of parliament to attack our movement in hearings and the front pages. We need the resources to respond legally, in the media and on the ground for the long fight ahead. Because if we don't stand up to Murdoch together — who will?

Thanks for standing strong,

Paul, for the GetUp team

PS - I want to share something personal. Our staff don't like to talk about themselves, because they believe members are the heart of our movement. But our campaigns would not be possible without the dedicated team who work tirelessly to make them happen.

The Australian recently attacked us for paying our staff — at a time when wage theft is rampant among so many big corporations and restaurant chains. We were even taunted with questions about whether we'd reduce staff if our donations fell. It's a sign of how low the Murdoch Press will sink to stamp out any scrutiny or opposition.

Our team members risked their safety and freedom in a midnight voyage to Manus Island refugee concentration camp. They cry in anguish over the state of our climate and the suffering inflicted on those targeted by fraudulent robotdebts. They take these burdens home with them at night and wake up with them in the morning. Many are young. Some are legal, financial, creative or technical experts who could be earning far more working for corporations or big lobby groups.

Our GetUp Crew, who make a regular weekly donation to support our work, are a crucial part of sustaining GetUp's work — including our dedicated staff. It would mean so much to the team to know you had their back in the face of these attacks.

References:
[1] Every dollar you donate to GetUp is a waste of money, The Australian 25 February 2020.
[2] GetUp 'could struggle to cover $7m wage bill', The Australian 25 February 2020.
[3] Bulk of GetUp donations spent on salaries, travel, The Australian 24 February 2020.
[4] 'Secretive' GetUp angers volunteers, The Australian 25 February 2020.
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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations.
Our team acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and work. We wish to pay respect to Elders - past, present and emerging - and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.
Authorised by Paul Oosting, GetUp Ltd, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.