Building Progressive Media

General Discussion
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Dean Obeidallah interviewed Angelo Carusone on building messaging apparatus to defeat GOP, corporate media self-censors and more.

Here’s what I’ve distilled from the video:

1. Right-Wing Media Dominance
The right-wing media ecosystem is massive, spanning talk radio, YouTube, and podcasts. With ~360M subscribers (vs. ~160M for left-leaning creators), its success is driven by long-term investment, a blend of culture and politics, and an incubator model that funds many creators, knowing some will succeed (e.g., Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro).

2. The Young Turks (TYT): A Progressive Success
TYT is the largest progressive digital platform, proving progressive media can succeed. However, TYT operates largely without institutional support due to its critique of establishment Democrats. Its success highlights the potential of progressive media with proper investment.

3. Challenges for Left-Wing Media
Progressive media faces:

  • Limited funding: Democrats prioritize ineffective ad spending over building infrastructure.
  • Fragmentation: Creators like David Pakman and Brian Tyler Cohen lack support.
  • Cultural misalignment: The left focuses narrowly on politics, while the right incorporates cultural engagement.

4. Action Steps for Progressives
To build a sustainable media ecosystem, progressives must:

  • Invest in creators: Fund platforms like TYT and 100+ smaller creators, accepting high failure rates.
  • Shift ad budgets: Redirect a portion of ad spending to audience-building.
  • Engage new platforms: Expand into YouTube, podcasts, and viral content to reach broader audiences.
  • Protect civic spaces: Counteract the shrinking public discourse under authoritarian threats.

5. Why TYT Matters
TYT’s audience-first approach and cultural relevance offer a blueprint for growth, demonstrating that progressive media can thrive with sustained investment.

Conclusion
Progressives must prioritize long-term media investment to compete with the right’s decades of infrastructure-building. TYT is proof of concept, but progressives need broader support to shape cultural and political landscapes before authoritarianism erodes democracy further.

Imagine if the DNC actually threw funding to TYT?

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That makes complete sense (thanks for putting the video on here). A few weeks ago, I was watching a podcast where Jillian Michaels was interviewing Ana, and Jillian said that left-wing people hardly ever say yes to going on her show and right-wing people hardly ever say no. And that’s true for the other podcasters she knows as well. Tina Nguyen wrote a book called, The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (And How I Got Out), which talks about her experience being essentially groomed by the Right to be a journalistic mouthpiece for them. I love it when a book’s title is so frank. That reminds me, I heard about this book like a year ago and wanted to read it–ooooh, TYT Book Club idea!

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I’d like the news to report the actual condition of the country. For example, just like CNBC shows real time market data, I’d like to see real time numbers on the number of people who died from treatable illnesses, number of people who died from dirty air and dirty water, average lifespan of the US as compared to other countries, stories on Washington corruption, etc… data that is actually telling us the true welfare status of the country. TYT doesn’t do a good job of this. They’re too stuck on the hype news to get clicks.

I’d rather see a broke journalist on youtube doing a decent news program which actually tells me the welfare status of the country than seeing a well funded group of professionals telling me what Trump says every day.

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I totally get the appeal of finding that “broke journalist on YouTube” who delivers raw, honest reporting on the country’s welfare status. Sometimes, smaller, independent creators feel closer to the truth because they’re not trying to cater to a massive audience or corporate interests.

Your point makes me wonder: who’s already doing this well? I know there are some independent journalists and creators out there focusing on data-driven reporting, though they might not have the reach they deserve. Do you have any in mind who are already covering the kind of metrics you’d like to see—healthcare failures, pollution deaths, lifespan stats, and so on? If so, it might be worth sharing their work here. We could help amplify their voices and maybe even learn something that could inform TYT’s coverage (or at least our critique of it).

I’d also love to hear more about what you’d prioritize in a news program like this. Do you think it’s more about the data itself, the way it’s presented, or the broader narrative it builds?

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I don’t know of anyone doing this on youtube or anyone else. There are some independent progressive leaning channels but I don’t think they do this to the level it needs to be done.

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Have you thought about starting one?

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I think you should @mggbwmn8, you’d be amazing!

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Since this topic came out I have given a lot of thought about the challenges of growing progressive media, so here goes. I haven’t really done any research on the topic, so this is opinion, and raw analysis limited to what I currently know of media and culture.

Growing media in any meaningful way will require that existing progressive media will have to support new and smaller progressive voices in a substantial way, which is going to be extremely problematic and challenging in several ways.

Primarily, it is going to be difficult for existing progressive media to separate the wheat from the chaff (the genuine from the fraudulent), and I would not be surprised if this is one of the reasons existing progressive media currently does not support many other new and smaller progressive voices.

There are also a wide diversity and array of ideas and opinions among progressive and liberal voices, including many conflicting ideologies that existing progressive media would likely consider would diminish their brands if they supported them.

Furthermore, I would not be surprised if existing progressive media believed that supporting other progressive media would dilute their audience.

There are likely other reasons that existing progressive media would not support new and smaller progressive voices, but I haven’t any good idea as to what those are.

What you are talking about would require at minimum a small handful of people to get together to create something like AP (Associated Press) or Reuters, and without financial support, this would be a difficult uphill battle.

As much as I hate UNPAID work, we (as a community) are probably best off supporting existing progressive media such as TYT or anyone who will have our support. From what I can tell, TYT would really be something else if they tapped into even 5% of the support from this forum community. But, they don’t.

I think Cenk might be doing a disservice to the progressive community, because he is in a position to tap into this untouched resource to form something like a progressive version of AP or Reuters. However it is understandable if he does not want to, as such would likely be a substantial gamble.

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Yes, I have thought and am thinking about it. It would be a hell of a lot easier if the existing progressive media would use their already existing infrastructure so I’m not reinventing the wheel. Maybe the TYT people here would hear me and make it happen.

Also, I have to ask myself: Will people actually want to watch a newscast where they’re constantly reminded about how much this country sucks? That’s not good TV lol, and as much as we need information heavy news, in order for the eyes to stay on it more than 5 minutes, it has to be somewhat entertaining.

Plus, I think we need to be more involved on a state by state strategy. We can use the states’ rights as an advantage if we exploit the hypocrisy of the right wing in these communities. News media needs to be more local while giving a macro context.

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@vanidackp and @sciguy24

Progressive media shouldn’t fear collaboration - diversity of voices strengthens our message. A “Progressive Media Collective” led by TYT could support emerging voices while maintaining quality standards.

Your points about state-level focus and connecting local stories to national issues are crucial. This approach could expose local hypocrisies while building a more relatable narrative. We need to balance hard facts with engaging formats - whether through humor, storytelling, or short-form content.

While creating a progressive version of AP/Reuters faces financial challenges, solutions exist through subscriptions, grants, or crowdfunding. TYT could (and SHOULD!) leverage this forum’s collaborative potential to drive such initiatives. (@cenkuygur, are you listening/reading?)

The Bricoleur newsletter aims to showcase exactly these kinds of community-driven solutions - highlighting how local innovations can spark systemic change. Would either of you be interested in collaborating to share success stories from your areas?

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Something I have been seeing lately on YouTube are Leftist channels joining together and doing a weekly show to talk about the big stories of the week. Leftist Mafia is probably one that everyone has seen like this. I’d like to see Cenk & TYT team up with a couple other channels like maybe Emma Vigeland from Majority Report and Kyle Kulinski from Secular Talk, to do a monthly/weekly show that is just the 3 of them bullshitting about the current news with a guest every episode. And I think the key would be to chose issues & stories that they do not agree on so that people can see that it is OK to disagree on things as long as we strive to understand each others perspectives. The constant fighting on the “Left” is going to just keep the MAGAts in power. We MUST learn to work together

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I love this idea of promoting diverse perspectives to show that disagreement can coexist with unity. A collaborative show featuring TYT, Emma Vigeland, Kyle Kulinski, and others could model constructive discourse and encourage curiosity over hostility, directly addressing the divisive energy that fuels the MAGA movement.

A relaxed, couch-style format would make the discussions more relatable and inviting, while passionate debates would keep viewers engaged. Incorporating viewer topic suggestions and rotating hosts would deepen audience involvement and reinforce TYT’s member-driven ethos.

Bringing in right-leaning economic populists and activist guests could foster meaningful dialogue on shared interests, such as corporate corruption and higher wages, while challenging polarization. This kind of cross-party exchange could inspire viewers to find common ground in today’s divided landscape.

Let’s pitch this idea to TYT, Emma, and Kyle—together, we could transform progressive media into a more inclusive and impactful platform!

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I just had an idea for a game show too but I need to stew on it.

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The thing that I think could possibly derail this is that all 3 channels would carry the show. So if it was Cenk, Kyle, & Emma; then it would air on TYT’s, Secular Talk’s, and Majority Report’s channels. I also thought that it could be a 2 hr + show and for the last 30 mins they could take audience questions. Do 1 question from each channel for 10 mins each to end the show

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I love where this idea is heading, and your suggestion about audience questions got me thinking—what if we added a game show-style element to make the show even more dynamic? It could make the discussions more engaging while still addressing serious topics. Here are a few ideas that I stewed on:

  1. Rapid Fire Trivia: The hosts (and maybe guests!) could answer quick trivia questions on policies, history, or current events. Viewers could also participate in live polls to predict who gets the most right.
  2. Role-Playing Scenarios: The hosts act out political dilemmas, like “You’re a senator facing a filibuster—what’s your move?” or “You’re a mayor dealing with a housing crisis—how do you respond?” It could bring some creativity and realism to the conversation.
  3. Policy Pitch: Teams pitch collaborative solutions to major issues, like affordable housing or wage inequality. The audience votes on the best pitch, giving them a chance to directly shape the discussion.
  4. Ethical Dilemmas: The hosts tackle moral quandaries based on real-world political scenarios, like whistleblowing or campaign finance ethics. It could spark some really deep, thoughtful debates.

These elements could work seamlessly with your idea of a longer-format show, especially if the audience gets involved through polls and question submissions. What do you think? Could something like this fit into the collaboration you’re envisioning?

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