We founded the Progressive Media Project in 1993 to diversify and democratize our nation’s op-ed pages. We train activists and staff from nonprofit social justice organizations to write op-eds, and we edit and distribute op-eds to newspapers around the country, with an emphasis on lifting up voices that are underrepresented in the mainstream media.
“It is tough to grab a toehold in traditional media. Even for someone like me, a professional author, veteran public school teacher and long-standing political rabble-rouser. The Progressive’s editors were kind and receptive with each pitch I sent, giving me the chutzpah to keep on sending. When one of my ideas clicked and The Progressive Media Project picked it up, boom! My op-ed was picked up by small national publications, then huge national publications, and finally, an international publication. As an activist, I count my op-ed’s having reached more than two million readers among my greatest accomplishments.”
—Cyndy Etler, A Teacher’s View of the Kids on our Doorstep
- Op-ed writing is not difficult to learn, and is a highly effective way to persuade, motivate, and push for change—even for underfunded and overworked activists and nonprofit staff;
- Op-ed writing is an extremely efficient and productive way to build media competence, strengthen organizational capacity and promote social change;
- Op-eds are read by both the general public and policy makers;
- A well-written and strategically placed op-ed can reach millions of American readers simultaneously, in small rural and large urban markets;
- Op-eds provide issue visibility for people suffering from mainstream media neglect and democratize news content for the general public;
- Op-eds are used as authoritative content by policy-makers, issue analysts, other media, think tanks, educational institutions, advocacy and nonprofit organizations, ethnic and niche media outlets, and foundations;
- Our op-eds are regularly picked up by some of the world's largest mainstream news sites, including the New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, and news aggregators like Real Clear News and World News.
We hold multiple op-ed writing workshops each year, sharing tools to empower participants to write strong op-eds and to best communicate their messages.
The Progressive Media Project distributes most of its op-eds through the McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. We track placements in newspapers, handle reprints (online and print media), field reader responses and media follow up (tv/radio interview requests, etc.) and provide ongoing editorial support for participants.