According to the California division of corporations TYT is a private C-Corp incorporated in Delaware. They are a for-profit company. As all their viewers know, they’re always asking for donations.
Part of being transparent and accountable is providing GAAP compliant financial statements. The owners of this company have access to its books but why shouldn’t the donors have access as well? They want our money. We should know EXACTLY how its being spent.
TYT should produce financial statements so we can all see how the money is being spent.
I kinda get what you’re saying, and think that’s a mighty slippery slope. Personally, I don’t care enough to know. Besides, for the little I contribute, I’m definitely getting the better end of the bargain.
I hear ya… and I get that it would probably bring a lot of unwanted criticism. But we can’t deny TYT is politically irrelevant. They have no power and have been in the game going on 20 years now. Someone needs to hold them accountable.
And to think that the funding of the Revolution is not free?! Call me cynical and jaded (which, of course, I am), but the fundamental issue here is that we live in a Capitalist System; therefore, none of us are allowed to participate in such unless we pay for it, and, no, our tax dollars are not enough to include us. I remember Noam Chomsky talking about him growing up as a child and how people would surround the local newsstand and debate the latest news. He did not elaborate on how many people actually purchased newspapers from the newsstand, itself, there, but I suspect that there were a few of them hanging around getting second hand information without paying a cent of their hard earned money in order to receive such. The saying that “the Revolution will not be televised” means that any serious movement or debate is likely happening without those paid to provide us news participating in such, let alone anyone else in the Status Quo. TYT, like others, wants us to buy into the concept that they can influence the system by being a part of the very system that they seek to change. They might be right. Then again, they might be wrong too. They can ask for all the money that they want from me, but the basic membership of $4.99 a month is all they are going to get from me. If they can’t survive on that, well, bye-bye and off I go to another similar venture, until they do the same. Eventually, this is all going to fall apart anyway. It’s pretty clear to me that Global Warming has already tipped in a direction that there is no returning from until Mother Earth eradicates the pests living on it in the form of human beings. Studs Terkel used to say that “the last thing that should go is hope” and so I will practice such. However, two wrongs don’t make a right and voting for the lesser of Evils is still Evil! Likewise, paying for news and influence is still Pure Capitalism, whether you end up holding them accountable or not.
This all seems unhelpfully pessimistic, which is kinda like the opposite of how I generally see things–I believe there is hope for this planet and for humanity and TYT can be a big part of that. It seems to me that taking drastically pessimistic stances and making statements about us and the world from this premise merely perpetuates a common feeling of hopelessness that breeds paralysis and stagnation, which results in the opposite of the ultimate goal of positive and sustainable change. Assuming that is one’s ultimate goal. I just don’t think anything good will come of such fear-mongering platitudes, which we saw yet another example of last November. To make blanket statements that capitalism is entirely evil, the Earth is essentially fucked up beyond all repair, and TYT is inherently incapable of creating change, to me, is a lazy copout. What has it achieved besides causing a majority of people to turn away from any kind of meaningful political discourse and creating more and more people who blindly believe in climate change deniers? If we want things to get better we not only have to get people to understand that things can get better, but we also have to show them how this is possible. I completely understand that this can all be overwhelming at times, so it becomes exceedingly important to take time for self-care and vent every now and then in safe spaces. I also have a strongly held belief that crabby pants flatter no one, so they should be worn sparingly.
I just think accountability is important. As an organization, when you’re asking people for donations they should have an assurance, beyond verbal promises, of ethical financial management. If I find out Cenk is living in a multimillion dollar mansion I’d be very unhappy and would probably see him as a fraud.
I totally see where everyone is coming from. It might be different because my taxes are automatically taken but when i am given the choice to put cash into a good cause it seems a given. If you play a sport, we cant argue with the ref on how points are scored. Its just a shame we are born into these rules but we cant blame TYT for playing the game.
This is copy pasted from (maybe) a quote of Mr Martin Luthor King. Not sure but in a sense explains what i mean.
A revolution of values
“…we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing‐oriented” society to a “person‐oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered…True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice, which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth…A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” —“Beyond Vietnam” (April 1967)
Reading through this thread, I think there’s a solid middle ground TYT could take to address concerns about accountability. What if they put out an annual impact report? It could show:
Where the money goes: A breakdown of how donations and memberships are used—production, advocacy campaigns, tech upgrades, you name it.
What’s been accomplished: Metrics like audience growth, partnerships, and any progress on the progressive issues TYT fights for.
Big-picture investments: A look at how TYT is setting itself up for long-term success, like hiring, improving tech, or building new platforms.
This wouldn’t just help answer questions—it could also showcase all the good TYT is doing and how donations are helping them grow. Plus, it might even energize people to feel more connected to the mission.
Does this feel like a good step to anyone else? I’d love to hear thoughts!
Very cool. To play devils advocate, theyd have to pay/hire someone to do such a thing and i can imagine TYT doing so much more if they were bajillionairs. Maybe a volunteer under some sort of contract, or even a small side channel on youtube dedicated to this report (basically volunteer but they can take any small profits for doing the vids)
TYT is a PRIVATE Corporation/Business and we are supporters not Stockholders. They do not need to say anything more than what they already have when it comes to their finances at TYT.
They are asking for donations from the public at large. If they want our money there should be some legit assurance the money is spent properly — private corporation or not. It’s called social responsibility, ethics, and integrity.
Do you ask the same from you local deli/market when you go get a pound of ground beef to make some chili or some hamburgers? TYT is no different than that little mom & pop shop. You are giving TYT $4.99/month to watch them and get some extra content like the Bonus Episode not to tell them what they can do with that $4.99
As mggbwmn8 said, the local deli isn’t asking for donations. Yes, they are a private company but I’m also a private individual. If they want my money it is completely reasonable for me to make some demands in exchange. That’s the nature of transactions in the good ol’ free market.
