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A new report has indicated the allies and conservative operatives of the U.S President Donald Trump are working to secure funds. They will use these funds to target journalists and newspapers reporting critical information regarding the president ahead of the 2020 election. The network is considering to ramp up a project, targeting the people producing the news. The report says it is a 3-page fundraising pitch. The operation involves investigating reporters and editors then disseminating any seemingly compromising material to friendly media outlets such as Breitbart. Axios reported that those working on the project are hoping to raise more than $2 million to formalize their efforts.

The fundraising pitch reportedly names “CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, all broadcast networks, and all others that routinely incorporate bias and misinformation into their coverage as primary targets. The pitch reportedly continues, “We will also track the reporters and editors of these organizations”. The group claimed to have hundreds of dossiers targeting people at many of the biggest publications in the United States. It has already released some of those regarding reporters and editors at outlets like Washington Post, CNN, and the New York Times. Moreover, the business of monitoring and reporting on other journalists and publications is nothing new.

Some liberal groups such as Media Matters regularly publicize allegations of bias among prominent outlets like Fox News. It was seemingly threatening attempts to target specific individuals appears to be unprecedented. Trump has long derided well-known journalists, newspapers and the facts they report as part of a Fake News conspiracy designed to undermine his presidency. It is noteworthy that most of the specific reports he has attacked have turned out to be completely accurate, later verified by his own administration officials or follow-up reporting. The New York Times pointed out the mere reporting of its existence could be part of the conservative group’s intimidation efforts towards journalists covering the White House.