WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 3, 2026) — Today, on World Press Freedom Day, Greenpeace activists challenged the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” made famous by the Washington Post, with a lit up message at their front door: “Democracy Dies by Billionaires.” The action comes on a day meant to celebrate an unrestricted and independent press, at an institution now almost entirely owned or controlled by the ultra-wealthy.
“There is a deep irony in a news outlet parading a slogan born from First Amendment battles while its billionaire owner oversees a decline in the very coverage that holds him and his peers accountable,” said Greenpeace USA Climate Director Amy Moas, Ph.D. “The Washington Post is not alone: today, every major news outlet is either in the hands of a billionaire family, or is poised to be. The result is climate coverage is disappearing, labor stories are getting buried, and investigations into abuse of wealth and power are drying up.
“The Washington Post’s own slogan says it plainly: Democracy dies in darkness. What it doesn’t say is that billionaires are the ones turning off the lights.”
We call on the legacy Washington paper to pick up their “Post” and shine a light once again for Americans through restaffing the climate, environment and energy departments. What’s more, we call on media owners, publishers, and the broader public to reckon with the crisis of billionaire media consolidation.
More photos can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library here.
Media Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press secretary, [email protected], +1 703-554-4842
Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected]
Greenpeace USA (inc.) is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
