Breaking Out of the Media Status Quo
Credit: Breakthrough News
Alternative journalism outlet gives voice to labor movement, and isn’t afraid to voice its own revolutionary ideas
Picture this; instead of pretending that journalism is completely objective and immune to deep-rooted biases, or that all sides, opinions and arguments deserve equal exposure, someone built a platform to report on issues, rigorously and factually, but without the aforementioned pretenses? What if they did it with the goal of exposing injustices, inspiring advocacy and begetting better social conditions for the most oppressed in society?
These were the questions the founders of BreakThrough News, an independent media outlet that tags itself as “the media arm of the movement,” asked themselves at the outset of their venture. Their answer? To ignore the notion that all journalism must be, or at least call itself, objective and instead build a news outlet explicitly guided by socialist politics and progressive values.
“People see that the system is stacked against them in every single way”
Paseo Podcast spoke with Monica Cruz, one of BreakThrough’s labor reporters - and a Boriqua whose family lineage traces back to Fajardo, PR - on her experience as an organizer, the PRO Act as a revolutionary bill that would transform workers’ rights and why she rejects mainstream media.
When she isn’t organizing with workers, Cruz sets her focus to telling the stories of their fights.
“People see that the system is stacked against them in every single way,” Cruz said. “People know their bosses are making millions of dollars… People are pissed and are tired of management just treating them like they’re dumb and like they’re less than human.”
Hear more about Cruz’s affinity for Marx, Breakthrough’s mission and, of course, discussions about Puerto Rican culinary delicacies on this week's episode of Paseo Podcast.
What else you’ll hear in this episode:
According to Cruz, unions in New York City were inspired by, and took notes of the techniques used by, the Chicago Teachers Union strike of 2019.
The PRO Act, proposed legislation to reform the United States labor laws, would make law a number of measures, like the ability to fine companies found to be engaging in union-busting and paving the way for independent contractors to unionize.
Cruz shares her favorite spot to grab Puerto Rican food in uptown-Bronx.