Founded in 2002, Daily Kos is a digital media platform for news you can do something about. Our staff writers share the latest stories and analysis to inform readers about hard-hitting issues that matter to progressives, and our activism team provides tools like petitions, letter writing campaigns, and information about organized protests to empower our readers to take action.
We also have a community platform that gives anyone the opportunity to write about what matters to them. High-profile public figures like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, former President Jimmy Carter, and future President Barack Obama are among the tens of thousands of community members—candidates, activists, and citizens—who use our platform to write, connect, and amplify important issues.
In addition to our news and activism, the Daily Kos Elections team provides detailed analysis of congressional elections, state, and local office races year-round. They also lead our endorsement efforts, raising millions of dollars for progressive candidates in races all over the country. Our related nonpartisan polling firm, Civiqs, conducts public opinion research by polling a nationally representative online survey panel on a daily basis.
Daily Kos is an independent media organization owned by Kos Media, LLC, which also owns the polling and survey firm Civiqs and nothing else. Daily Kos is funded by reader contributions, advertising, and email list-building for Democratic political campaigns and allied progressive organizations. There are no corporate overlords, and no outside person or group has any influence on our editorial decisions. We are accountable only to our readers.
Daily Kos was founded in 2002 by Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (aka “kos”), an immigrant, Army veteran, journalist, and J.D. who retains control of the LLC.
Daily Kos is a progressive news site that fights for democracy by giving our audience information and resources to win elections and impact government.
Our voice:
Our voice is strong, authoritative, confident, and informative yet strikes an emotional chord. We need people to feel something when they read, motivating them to take action. We write with passion, fierceness, joy, humor, and urgency. Our language is accessible, conversational, colloquial, and jargon-free.
People should be able to read a story, source unknown, and think, “That must be from Daily Kos!”
Our coverage:
Our coverage is assiduously factual, ethical, and unapologetically progressive—there’s never a need to “both sides” the truth. Still, everything we write is based in reality, which means that we do not hesitate to report when the news does not favor our preferred party or positions. We don’t contort facts to fit preconceived narratives or biases.
Daily Kos offers unique insights and angles you won’t find anywhere else. We amplify what we think is important, with the proper context—not just what is happening (which myriad other outlets do), but how it’s happening and why people should care. We give you news you can do something about.
We prioritize original-source material, whether from interviews, social media, video, studies, reports, and research rather than aggregating other outlets’ work. We add value to the conversation, connecting the dots, highlighting the buried ledes, and driving progressive solutions.
We work to elect more and better Democrats and provide information, tools, and inspiration to turn readers into activists.
Our wheelhouse:
Certain stories have always been central to Daily Kos’ mission and identity. It’s what we do best, it’s what our audience expects from us, and it’s what Daily Kos will preferentially dedicate its time and resources to covering:
Daily Kos has always published stories on a wide range of topics—from elections to book reviews to space exploration to personal essays. We encourage our staff writers to write about outside interests only if their core beats are fully covered.
How did Daily Kos get its name?
“Kos” (rhymes with “dose”) is the name founder Markos Moulitsas originally used when he started this as a one-man blogging operation back in 2002. It was his nickname while serving in the U.S. Army.
I have a story I want to publish at Daily Kos. How can I submit it?
Anyone is welcome to sign up for a free account and post to our community platform. Publishing your stories with our community is an excellent way to share your message with an engaged audience of millions.
How do I post a comment?
We have robust and lively conversations in the comments of our stories. Sign up for a free account and join the discussion.
Does signing petitions make a difference?
Absolutely. Putting public pressure on elected officials with petitions, letters, phone calls, texts, and other means are important tools in our democracy. We regularly deliver petitions to elected officials’ offices. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) to see where your petition signatures go!
I’m a candidate running for office. How can I learn more about Daily Kos endorsements?
Our political director, David Nir, wrote a handy guide for how our program works here. Additionally, hundreds of progressive candidates we haven’t endorsed have posted to our platform and engaged with our audience to raise awareness of their campaigns with great success, and campaigns interested in engaging with the Daily Kos community directly are encouraged to post on the site, regardless of whether we endorse them.
Sign up for a Daily Kos account, so you can comment and write on our site.
Sign up for our email list, so you can receive our stories and actions in our inbox.
Sign up for the Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest, so you can get the most up-to-date data and analysis on elections news in your inbox every morning.
Donate. Daily Kos relies on reader donations to keep us going.
Daily Kos Greatest Hits. Read about some of our big moments over the years.