More Perfect Union (media organization)

For other uses, see A More Perfect Union.
More Perfect Union
FormationFebruary 2021
TypeNonprofit
EIN: 85-3189807
Executive Director
Faiz Shakir
Websiteperfectunion.us

More Perfect Union is a progressive non-profit news media organization founded in February 2021 by Faiz Shakir. The outlet, named after a phrase in the U.S. Constitution, specializes in video reporting and opinion coverage about the American labor movement, economic policy, and corporate accountability.[1][2]

In August 2021, More Perfect Union won the Sidney Award for outstanding investigative journalism.[3]

Snack company strikes

In August 2021, More Perfect Union won the Sidney Award for its coverage of the Frito-Lay strike. "MPU was the first national outlet to cover the strike," the Sidney Hillman Foundation wrote in awarding the prize. "They published dispatches from the ground over a three-week period which collectively generated over 4 million views and spurred follow-on coverage by outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and NPR... After a three-week strike, Frito's Topeka plant struck an agreement to end the forced 7-day workweeks and so-called 'suicide shifts', which gave workers only 8 hours of break between shifts.[3][4]

Also in August 2021, More Perfect Union confirmed with actor Danny DeVito that he had been stripped of his verified status on Twitter after he tweeted a message of solidarity to striking Nabisco workers: "NO CONTRACT NO SNACKS."[5] The news spread widely and contributed to DeVito and his rallying cry becoming popular labor memes.[6]

The Class Room

In November 2021, More Perfect Union launched an explainer series called "The Class Room". It is "aimed at providing a left-wing answer to PragerU, a YouTube titan of right-wing ideology," the New York Times reported.[1]

More Perfect Union says it receives funding from various donors, including from George Soros' Open Society Foundations, but does not take money from labor unions.[1]

In 2023, "The Class Room" was awarded the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Smith, Ben (8 November 2021). "Why the Media Loves Labor Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2021. More Perfect Union, a video-centric outlet that has a staff of 24 and backing from George Soros's Open Society Foundation, among other donors, does not take money from labor unions, Mr. Shakir said.
  2. ^ Conley, Julia (9 December 2021). ""History made!" Buffalo Starbucks workers vote to form chain's first union in U.S." Salon. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b "More Perfect Union wins August Sidney for Agenda-Setting Coverage of Topeka Frito-Lay Strike". Hillman Foundation. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. ^ "Striking To End 'Suicide Shifts,' Frito-Lay Workers Ask People To Drop The Doritos". NPR. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  5. ^ Smith, Ryan (2021-08-20). "Danny DeVito gets Twitter verification back after abrupt loss of status sparks outrage". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  6. ^ Stevens, Ashlie D. (2021-08-31). "No contracts, no snacks: Everything you need to know about the Nabisco strike". Salon. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  7. ^ "The Class Room". 17 April 2023.