Steve Ballmer rolls out PSA videos on 2024 issues
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Steve Ballmer, the billionaire former Microsoft CEO and L.A. Clippers owner, might be on your TV screen soon, talking about immigration, health or the federal budget.
Why it matters: "It's a really important thing for people to think independently," Ballmer tells Axios. "But some people are not getting enough information, and some people are getting overwhelmed."
Catch up quick: In 2017, Ballmer launched a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization called USAFacts, which presents government data in a more digestible way. Starting Aug. 1, USAFacts is coming out with a series of 15-minute PSA videos, called "Just the Facts," to equip people with the big data points on the big issues.
- The first installments focus on immigration and the budget. They're live on USAFacts' YouTube channel and will air on Fox News Network and local Fox affiliates Thursday night. NewsNation will also pick up future PSAs. And a range of channels, including CNN, ESPN, HGTV, Fox Sports 1, TNT, and Hallmark, will air ads for the videos.
- Ballmer, who funds USAFacts entirely independently, invested tens of millions of dollars into the campaign.
Zoom in: The videos feature Ballmer going through key data points without sharing his own opinions or any political arguments from the right or the left.
- For example, in the immigration PSA, he breaks down the total populations of authorized and unauthorized immigrants and explains various paths to citizenship.
Between the lines: Ballmer says the videos take data straight from government sources and deliver the facts as neutrally as possible to earn trust at a time when misinformation and disinformation abound.
- "We want to take objective facts from the past and have that information to inform intelligent discourse."
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect that the PSAs will air on Thursday evening, not morning.
