Fox 9, Fox News, Trump campaign blow dog whistle on MN Freedom Fund

On Monday, Fox 9 aired a seven-minute story by reporter Tom Lyden, a dramatic segment it termed an “investigation.”

Unlike many stories where that term’s used, the subject of Lyden’s story is not trying to hide what it’s doing. The Minnesota Freedom Fund is a bail fund. It puts up the money for people held in jail pending criminal trial or an immigration hearing. 

Established in 2016, the nonprofit was accustomed to a certain level of fundraising and budgeting, raising six figures annually which it typically allotted by the thousands. Then George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers, thousands of people flooded the streets in protest, and the Minnesota Freedom Fund became the go-to resource to get arrested demonstrators out of jail.

At some point, celebrity Twitter caught hold of this notion. Lil Nas X, Janelle Monae, Chrissy Teigen, Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, and Don Cheadle donated, among many others, and urged millions of followers to join them. Continue reading.