By: Navin Nayak
American Progress launched ThinkProgress more than a decade ago. Over the years, it grew into a major progressive independent journalistic enterprise. Unfortunately, as with many other news outlets, ThinkProgress faced significant financial challenges in recent years. After spending months trying to find a new publisher, we were sad to announce the closure of ThinkProgress in September 2019. We commend the work ThinkProgress journalists accomplished during ThinkProgress’ tenure.
Over the past few months, CAP and CAP Action have worked with the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), the union that represented ThinkProgress employees, to negotiate a final effects bargaining agreement. We have essentially agreed to all of the union’s requests, including additional severance and concessions above and beyond what was contained in the bargaining agreement. Given ThinkProgress’ legacy as a journalistic enterprise, we agreed to not utilize the ThinkProgress brand for CAP or CAP Action’s programmatic work. In addition, we have agreed to the following terms with the union with respect to ThinkProgress’s digital properties:
- ThinkProgress.org and the @ThinkProgress Twitter account will remain accessible in their current states through at least December 31, 2022.
- ThinkProgress’ Facebook page will be shut down and, following Facebook’s procedures, its followers will be merged into CAP Action’s Facebook page. Those followers will be sent a Facebook notification alerting them to the change, with an option to unfollow if they so choose.
We are pleased to have reached this agreement with the WGAE union and appreciate the cordial and professional manner in which it was negotiated.
For additional questions, please contact Allison Preiss [email protected].