ThinkProgress

ThinkProgress
ThinkProgresslogo2011.jpg
URL http://www.thinkprogress.org
Commercial? No
Type of site Political blog
Available language(s) English
Content license Proprietary
Owner Center for American Progress Action Fund
Created by Various, edited by Faiz Shakir
Launched 2004
Current status Active

ThinkProgress is an American political blog formerly edited by Faiz Shakir that "provide[s] a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies".[1] It is an outlet of the Center for American Progress.

Sections

Since a 2011 re-design, the blog operates a number of sections:

  1. Climate
  2. Economy
  3. Health
  4. Justice
  5. LGBT
  6. Security

Contributors

The blog was edited by Faiz Shakir until May 2012, when it was announced that he would leave to join Nancy Pelosi's team as Director of New Media.[2] Other contributors include:

Columnists

Alyssa Rosenberg

Alyssa Rosenberg is a contributor to The Atlantic and The Washington Monthly, and writes on culture for ThinkProgress.

Climate Progress

Edited by climate and energy expert Joseph J. Romm, the blog discusses the limited understanding of climate science by laypeople, climate and energy technology solutions and political news related to climate change. In 2008, Time magazine named this blog one of the "Top 15 Green Websites", writing that it "counters bad science and inane rhetoric with original analysis delivered sharply, usually with either humor or incredulity or both.

Romm occupies the intersection of climate science, economics and policy. Resist temptation to lump him in with knee-jerk environmentalists. On his blog and in his most recent book, Hell and High Water, you can find some of the most cogent, memorable, and deployable arguments for immediate and overwhelming action to confront global warming (with infrequent guest bloggers — present company included).[3] In 2009, Thomas L. Friedman, in his column in The New York Times, called the blog "indispensable",[4] and Rolling Stone magazine named Romm to its list of "100 People Who Are Changing America".[5]Time magazine named Romm one of its "Heroes of the Environment (2009)", calling him "The Web's most influential climate-change blogger"[6] and, in 2010, it included Climate Progress in a list of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010"[7]

Romm's 2010 book, Straight Up is a compilation of some of his best blog entries from Climate Progress, with introductions and analysis by Romm.

The Progress Report

The CAP, through ThinkProgress, publishes a daily email newsletter entitled The Progress Report, which is a recap and analysis of major political news in the United States, providing a progressive perspective on the day's stories. The authors are Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matthew Corley, Ali Frick, and Benjamin Armbruster.

Former features

The newsletter formerly had four main sections:

  1. in-depth item on a major topic of the day, such as the economy or foreign policy;
  2. "Under the Radar," less prominent stories of the day including links to op-eds and news;
  3. "Think Fast," links to new stories; and
  4. the sidebar, entitled the "Daily Grill," which compares major right wing figures' current remarks with their past remarks.

The Wonk Room

In addition, the Wonk Room was a blog under ThinkProgress which was published until 2011.

Israel

A 2011 article in Politico maintained that Media Matters and the Center for American Progress were utilizing ThinkProgress to challenge the bipartisan consensus on Israel and Palestine that had been dominating American foreign policy for years.[8]

In 2011 a Jerusalem Post columnist charged some ThinkProgress bloggers with having anti-Israeli tendencies. Gerald Steinberg, president of the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, especially criticized one ThinkProgress blogger's use of the term “Israel firsters.” He said that it "follows from classical anti-Semitism, with inferences of dual loyalty and foreign policy control, and should have no place in American political discourse."[9]

Islamaphobia report

Think Progress issued “Fear, Inc.,” a report on Islamophobia which was widely praised in the progressive media.[10] The report was aimed at linking small groups of donors promoting their own style of Islamophobia and how they spread this through their network of media outlets. Some critics, such as the Center for Security Policy, dismissed it as an effort “to shout down criticism of political Islamist efforts to influence American foreign and domestic policy.”[11]

References

  1. ^ Somanader, Tanya. "Think Progress blog". Thinkprogress.org. http://www.thinkprogress.org. Retrieved 2011-07-07. 
  2. ^ "Nancy Pelosi Hires Think Progress' Faiz Shakir As Director Of New Media". The Huffington Post. 8 May 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/nancy-pelosi-online-director-faiz-shakir-_n_1500180.html?ref=politics. 
  3. ^ Roston, Eric (2008-04-17). "feature on "Top 15 Green Websites"". Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1730759_1731034_1731042,00.html. Retrieved 2011-07-07. 
  4. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. "The Inflection Is Near?", The New York Times, March 7, 2009
  5. ^ "The 100 People Who Are Changing America", Rolling Stone magazine, March 18, 2009
  6. ^ "Heroes of the Environment 2009". Time magazine feature, September 2009, linking to full article: Walsh, Bryan. "Heroes of the Environment 2009 – Activists: Joe Romm", Time magazine, September 2009.
  7. ^ "Best Blogs of 2010". Time magazine, June 28, 2010.
  8. ^ Smith, Ben (7 December 2011). "Israel rift roils Democratic ranks". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69929.html. 
  9. ^ Weinthal, Benjamin (28 December 2011). "Bloggers drag US think tank into scandal". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishFeatures/Article.aspx?id=251305. 
  10. ^ "Islamophobia". CAP. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/08/islamophobia.html. 
  11. ^ "Center for American Progress Defends Shariah, Charges America with Islamophobia". Center for Security Policy. http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/p18804.xml. Retrieved 16 May 2012.