The media industry is in crisis. Are worker-owned cooperatives the way out?

The media industry has never been the most stable place to work; its history has been characterized by booms and busts. But rounds of mass layoffs and corporate consolidations signal a need for a structural reset. Can worker-owned cooperatives stop this race to the bottom, and empower media workers to build a resilient, revitalized, justice-oriented industry? Where do unions fit in?

In the last few years alone, the shuttering and reorganization of media companies has led to a dazzling array of new media cooperatives that center both media workers and mission. These include Defector, Hell Gate, and many more.  

This hybrid conversation and workshop on June 18, 2024 included existing media cooperatives’ worker-owners, as well as organizers, educators, and advocates from the Democracy at Work Institute, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, Writers Guild of America East, and National Writers Union – Freelance Solidarity Project. We discussed the challenges and possibilities of the coop model and envisioned a sustainable and just future for the media industry.

The panel was moderated by Rebecca Lurie of the US Federation of Worker Coops Union Coop Council. The panelists were Jasper Wang of Defector Media, Angad Singh Bhalla of Time of Day Media, Stacey Molski of Maximum Fun, and Esther Wang of Hell Gate.