Corporate profiteers destroyed journalism. Worker-owned media can save it.

Key takeaways

Worker-led, cooperative media initiatives are a powerful response to the decline of traditional local journalism.
Community support and democratic practices are essential for the success and sustainability of worker-owned news outlets.
The strike at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed systemic issues in corporate-controlled journalism, emphasizing the need for independent, community-oriented media.
Creating a media organization that is transparent, ethical, and connected to its community can help rebuild trust and serve the interests of working-class people.
Replicating models of worker co-ops in journalism can help sustain local news, preserve community stories, and resist corporate and billionaire influence.

Summary

The Birth of Pittsburgh Progress: A Worker-Owned Cooperative Media Outlet

This section discusses the establishment of Pittsburgh Progress, a worker-owned cooperative news organization formed by striking workers from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After over three years on strike and the unexpected closure of their former employer, these journalism workers, supported by the community, decided to create a new, democratized media platform that respects and amplifies the stories of working-class people. The narrative traces their motivations driven by the layoffs, the closure of the Post-Gazette, and the desire to build a sustainable, community-focused news source that counters corporate and billionaire influence in journalism.

Lessons from the Strike and the Vision for Democratic Journalism

This section covers insights gleaned from the long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, including the importance of community support, union solidarity, and the realization that workers must often organize independently to preserve their livelihoods and voice. The interviewees reflect on how the strike uncovered systemic failures, such as media coverage biases and the erosion of local journalism's role as a community cornerstone. They emphasize their goal of creating a newsroom that operates transparently, democratically, and ethically, prioritizing community needs over corporate profits, and fostering a model of journalism that can be replicated in other cities.

Building a Community-Centered News Platform: Challenges and Goals

This part describes the ongoing process of launching Pittsburgh Progress, including logistical hurdles such as establishing business plans, legal incorporation, building a digital presence, and recruiting talent. The founders express their commitment to offering relevant coverage, such as stories on local nurses’ strikes, LGBTQ community spaces, historical labor movements, and local sports—stories significant to Pittsburgh’s working-class identity. The organization aims to engage the community directly, inviting audience participation and support, and to serve as an example of how worker-led media can fill the void left by declining traditional newspapers.

Show notes

When workers at the historic Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper hit the picket line in October of 2022, they had no idea that they would be on strike for over three years—or that the strike would end with new owners taking over the paper and most strikers losing their jobs. But now, a new chapter is being written in their epic story. This week, workers and community supporters launched the Pittsburgh Progress, "a cooperative news organization, owned and democratically run by its workers and members… dedicated to looking out for, and telling the stories of, the working-class people who form the heart and soul of our diverse communities." In this episode of Working People, we discuss the birth of the Pittsburgh Progress, and what it means for working people in and beyond Pittsburgh, with Steve Mellon and Natalie Duleba, both former strikers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and both founding worker-members of the newly launched Pittsburgh Progress.

Additional links/info:

Pittsburgh Progress website, Facebook page, Bluesky page, and Instagram
Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Progress, "This new media cooperative invites the community to join us on our journey of creation"
Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "The longest-running strike in the US is over—and the workers won"
Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "They won their strike fair and square. Now their rich bosses are closing up shop"
Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Venetoulis Institute 'saves' the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by purging union members who went on strike"

Featured Music:

Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor