• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechMedia

Trump’s Victory Has People Signing up For News Like It’s Going Out of Style

By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 7, 2017, 5:24 PM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

Repeated attacks by President Donald Trump and his administration on what they call the “dishonest media” appear to have had an unexpected—and very welcome—side effect for some media companies, which have seen record numbers of new subscribers and donations.

One of the most widely reported examples of this “Trump bump” is the New York Times, which added more than 250,000 new digital subscribers in the final three months of 2016. That was its best quarterly performance since it launched its online paywall in 2011.

But the Times is just one of the more high-profile media outlets that have seen a boost in sign-ups since the election. The Washington Post has also seen a wave of subscriptions, with a record number of new sign-ups in January, and is said to have passed the 300,000 digital-subscriber mark for the first time.

Some magazines have also seen a dramatic jump in subscriptions. Mother Jones saw the number of donors to the non-profit magazine climb by more than 150% in January compared with the same month the previous year, according to a report by Poynter, and saw a more than 300% increase in new digital sign-ups (Time Inc., which owns Fortune, hasn’t seen a dramatic rise in subscribers since the election, according to a spokesman).

While some of this increase is likely a result of a fund-raising campaign that Mother Jones started last fall, the magazine has also likely benefited from a renewed interest in supporting public-service journalism that seems to have been triggered by Trump. The Atlantic has also reportedly broken records when it comes to subscriptions, with a bump of 200% in January compared with the previous year.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The New Yorker is another beneficiary, according to media analyst Ken Doctor. He says the magazine sold 250,000 new subscriptions between election day and the end of January, more than double the number from the same period a year earlier, and January’s sign-ups rose tripled. The online magazine Slate has seen a jump in sign-ups for its membership plan as well.

Non-profit investigative outlet ProPublica has also seen a significant bump in donations since the election. In January, it got more than $100,000 in recurring pledges, and by early February it had already raised over $600,000—more than it raised in all of the previous year. Flush with cash, it has been hiring writers and expanding its coverage. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark also recently donated $1 million to the organization.

The Times, Post and ProPublica were all mentioned in a late-night rant by comedian John Oliver that appeared to spark some of the interest in digital subscriptions and donations, but these and other outlets say the effect has continued beyond the short-term jump they saw after Oliver’s video.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether this wave of enthusiasm for subscription-based journalism will continue to grow, or whether it is just a short-term boost triggered by Trump’s election. Will it be enough to change the financial fortunes of organizations like the New York Times and ProPublica, or will the effect wear off too soon to make a real difference?

National Public Radio affiliate WNYC is another non-profit that has benefited from this apparent increase in interest in supporting serious journalism. According to Politico, the station just finished a five-day pledge drive that raised $3.45 million—the most money ever raised in a single fundraising drive since NPR was created in the 1970s, and up from $2.1 million last year.

WNYC saw 140% more new members donating in the three months following the election, Doctor says, while the number signing up for recurring donations jumped by 163% over the previous year. And smaller stations such as Oregon Public Broadcasting and Minnesota Public Radio have also seen increases in donations and pledges, the analyst says.

About the Author
By Mathew Ingram
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

MagazineMedia
CoComelon started as a YouTube show for toddlers. It’s now a $3 billion empire that even Disney can’t ignore
By Natalie JarveyDecember 3, 2025
26 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Anthropic Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaks at the "How AI Will Transform Business in the Next 18 Months" panel during INBOUND 2025 Powered by HubSpot at Moscone Center on September 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot)
InvestingAnthropic
Anthropic considers IPO despite warnings that excess liquidity is blowing a bubble in the markets
By Jim EdwardsDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: Angle Health raises $134 million Series B to grow its AI-driven healthcare benefits offerings
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic plows toward an IPO
By Andrew NuscaDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
MagazineFood and drink
A Chinese ice cream chain, powered by super-cheap cones, now has more outlets than McDonald’s
By Theodora YuDecember 3, 2025
3 hours ago
InnovationBrainstorm Design
Video games can teach designers deeper lessons than ‘high score streaks’ and gamification
By Angelica AngDecember 3, 2025
7 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.