A Progressive Media Summit: Should Ope Hope Take the Lead?

Operation Hope
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Since we are worried about acronyms:

Acronyms with JUSTICE

  1. JUST MEDIA Journalists Uniting for Social Transformation and Informed Civic Engagement

  2. JUSTICE SUMMIT Journalism for Universal Social Transformation, Information, Communication, and Equity

Acronyms with FAIR or EQUITY

  1. FAIR PRESS Forward-thinking Advocates for Inclusive Reporting & Progressive Rights in Ethical Social Storytelling

  2. EQUAL MEDIA Empowering Quality Unbiased Advocacy & Liberation in Media, Ethics, Democracy, Information, & Action

Acronyms with VOICE or TRUTH

  1. VOICE: Visionaries for Open Information, Civic Empowerment

  2. TRUTH SUMMIT:“ Transforming Reporting for Universal Transparency & Humanity

Acronyms with SCALE (Scales of Justice Theme)

  1. SCALE MEDIA: Social Change & Advocacy for Liberation through Ethical Media

  2. SCALES: Strategic Communication for Advancing Liberty, Equity, & Social Justice

  3. JAMS: Justice, Action, & Media Summit

  4. FIRM: Fairness, Integrity, & Responsible Media

  5. VIBE: Voices for Inclusive & Balanced Ethics

  6. PACT: Progressive Advocacy & Communication for Truth

  7. BEAM: Balanced Ethical Advocacy in Media

  8. LENS: Liberation, Equity, & News Summit

  9. FACT: Fairness, Accountability, & Credible Truth

  10. SAGE: Social Advocacy for Global Ethics

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Loving the energy in this thread! As we refine the vision for this summit, I wanted to offer a thought on what we mean by “progressive” in this context—especially to make sure we’re not unintentionally narrowing the scope too much.

What “Progressive” Means Here:

For the purposes of this summit, progressive refers to:

  • Independent media committed to truth, accountability, and systemic change.
  • Outlets that challenge corporate influence, government corruption, and status quo narratives.
  • Media that prioritizes economic justice, civil rights, democracy, and people-centered solutions.
  • A diverse range of perspectives that include leftist, populist, and independent voices advocating for policies that benefit the many over the few.

Why This Isn’t Just for “Progressives”

  • This isn’t about ideological purity or party labels. Independent, anti-establishment, and populist outletsthat challenge concentrated power and corporate influence should be part of the conversation.
  • The goal is to strengthen independent media ecosystems that push back against mainstream narratives and hold power accountable—regardless of how they self-identify.
  • Journalistic integrity, a commitment to facts, and good-faith discourse are key. This is about building bridges where possible, not gatekeeping.

Just putting this out there as a framing idea—we want a name and a vision that reflect the broad, independent media coalition we’re trying to build. Looking forward to seeing where this conversation goes!

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:heart:

Yet…

FACT could also be:
Fairness, Accountability, Credibility, and Transparency

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I’m a bit partial to Voices of Justice Summit.

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It does sound pretty bad-ass. Plus, it would have this benefit:

Cenk Uygur would NOT want to miss an event named Voices of Justice.

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Hey Doc… How about the scales of justice turned into a microphone? I think this just might be it…

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Oooh I like it!

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That’s really cool (all of it); I love it!

Unfortunately, given the path The TYT Network is steamrolling down, taking Progressive out of the title is probably necessary, which really gets me thinking.

It’s progressively (no pun intended :wink:) getting harder not to bow out of all of the Populism idea pushing and Progressive politics backpedaling that TYT and everything associated with it is forcing. I’m all for alliances, but I can’t pretend that Populist ideas mean more to me than Progressive politics. I feel like I’m throwing people under the bus by being strongly discouraged from fighting and advocating for what I really want to get a few more people on our side. It feels disingenuous. I want to fight for everyone, not just the majority, even if it’s an uphill battle. And I don’t want to be consistently insulted for believing that being woke and advocating for DEIA and CRT is not just the right thing to do but also the right way to go. Regardless of what may be said, this is clearly what’s happening. This is just another reminder.

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I hear you. To me, replacing ‘progressive’ with ‘justice’ isn’t a big deal because I consider justice to be a lefty buzzword, and something that is at the very core of progressive politics (see Justice is Coming, by Cenk Uygur).

But believe me, no matter what we call it, this will be a summit of Progressive media, with a capital ‘P’. No Charlie Kirks and no Joe Rogans. I think it’s clear from last night’s meeting that the focus of Ope Hope for now is going to be the Populist Plank, but also that we shouldn’t be discouraged from doing other projects we’re passionate about on our own. And really, I don’t think TYT or any other particular lefty media outlet’s resources should be used for this, since the idea is to get them to all pitch in and work together.

So if you don’t really feel that comfortable working on the Populist Plank, maybe you’d like to help in this effort instead? So far Maggie, Tony and I have been the most involved in making it happen, but if you and Eagle are definitely on board too, then please let me know! We can all reach out to other people that might want to help, too. I feel like this doesn’t need to be, and probably shouldn’t be an Ope Hope operation, although ironically, if it happened it would give a lot of people that needed it right now hope.

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I would help however I can…

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I know today’s politics can be very discouraging as I felt like throwing in the towel after the last election.
Progressive and popular ideologies share several similarities, particularly in their focus on societal improvement, mass appeal, and responsiveness to public concerns. Here are some key areas of overlap:

  1. Emphasis on Social Change

Progressive Ideology: Advocates for reforms to address inequality, expand civil rights, and improve social welfare.

Popular Ideology: Often aligns with societal demands for change, especially when the majority supports reforms (e.g., labor rights, healthcare access).

  1. Mass Appeal & Mobilization

Progressive: Seeks to build grassroots movements for change through activism and policy reform.

Popular: Resonates with the general public, gaining widespread support and sometimes leading to major political shifts.

  1. Economic Fairness

Progressive: Supports economic policies that reduce inequality, such as higher minimum wages, progressive taxation, and social safety nets.

Popular: Economic justice is often a unifying concern, making policies like wage increases widely accepted.

  1. Government Role in Society

Progressive: Advocates for an active government in regulating industries, protecting rights, and providing public services.

Popular: When economic or social issues reach a crisis, popular movements often call for government intervention (e.g., stimulus checks, affordable housing initiatives).

  1. Anti-Elitism & Systemic Reform

Progressive: Criticizes corporate influence and systemic injustices, pushing for institutional changes.

Popular: Often challenges elites and the status quo, demanding policies that benefit the majority over the privileged few.

Key Differences

Progressive ideologies are often rooted in long-term systemic reform, sometimes ahead of mainstream opinion.

Popular ideologies can be more fluid, shifting with public sentiment and political.

I hate to see good people like you in this state of mind. Please remember this movement needs people like you so please don’t give up.

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Yeah, I like that. Let me know how I can help. Thank you!

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Thank you, that is very kind of you to say. This is excellent information and makes sense. I’m good, so long as I’m not drinking Southern Comfort and Cola, so to speak, with racists, bigots, etc., you know? Matt Gaetz and Charlie Kirk have been mentioned as potentially promoting and participating in the Populist Plank. I’m like, WTAF?!

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I agree and you are so very welcome. Everyone needs someone to lean on every now and then. Above all we are only human which should be the only race, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole…

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So… let’s make progressive populist.

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Most interest do align… so why not? I just caution whom you invite to get involved to endorse… if we could get Bernie and company involved I’d be ecstatic!!!

Voices for Justice I see as for the good of all but we want it to gain positive traction with the right people spearheading it.

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