This week, The Huffington Post launched a crowdfunding campaign for groups that represent people Donald Trump has insulted.
“Join us in supporting these organizations, which represent communities that have been maligned and attacked by Donald Trump over the course of this election, and which are working tirelessly on issues of justice and equality for all Americans,” the page reads as statements by Trump type across the screen.
The Huffington Post isn’t opaque about how it views Trump. In January, the organization started adding an editor’s note at the bottom of stories about him. It reads:
Note to our readers: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist, birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
Still, it’s worth asking: Are there any concerns about appearing fair with the new campaign?
“We aren’t concerned,” said Jessica Prois, the executive editor of HuffPost Impact, via email. “The widget was launched by HuffPost Impact, which raises awareness and funds for people and groups who experience injustices. The section serves the purpose of providing readers with a way to take action after reading news.”
HuffPost Impact launched in 2009 and includes a widget that gives people a way to turn what they’ve read into action. They’ve raised money for people in Flint, Syria and Orlando. The Huffington Post is working with CrowdRise, which vetted the nonprofit groups the money will go to. The widget launched in Impact, and it’s slowly being rolled out into other sections to see how it does.
Teaders have written in to suggest other groups that should be added to the “Can’t Trump Us” campaign, including people with disabilities. The groups that are part of the campaign represent people who are “unequivocally undeserving to be the subject of attacks,” Prois said.
“Can’t Trump Us” offers a way to support some of the groups that work for those people.
“These are groups that fight against the very stereotypes that Trump upholds,” Prois said. “For those reasons, these nonprofits’ jobs are being made all the more difficult this election season.”
