FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Commonweal Institute Announces Progressive Op-Ed Program

Summary: Commonweal Institute, a Northern California-based think tank, will produce and distribute weekly progressive op-ed columns, available for publication in print and online news outlets. 

Menlo Park, California (June 16, 2009) – With the goal of providing an opportunity for local and national news outlets to publish opinion and commentary from a progressive political perspective, Commonweal Institute – a Northern California-based think tank – announced today it will produce and distribute weekly op-ed columns starting July 1, 2009.

Commonweal Institute Fellows, public intellectuals who have organically developed large audiences and authority in their field through their blogs, publications and academic work, will write the columns on a rotating basis.

Perhaps one of the reasons newspapers are seeing declining readership is that opinion pages often carry conservative and libertarian viewpoints that don't reflect the values of an increasingly progressive public.

Commonweal Institute’s op-ed columns will be available for reprint free of copyright restrictions, with the only requirement that the authors be identified as Commonweal Institute Fellows.

Among the topics that will be covered in the op-ed columns: Sustainable Living (food, design, architecture and urban planning); Corporations and Society (civil justice, labor rights and transparency); Progressive Strategy (psychology, progressive political infrastructure, the conservative movement); Justice and Equal Rights (LGBT rights, gender equity, immigration and racial justice).

The spark for this program came from a Commonweal Institute supporter seeking an alternative to the conservative and libertarian perspectives regularly featured in their local newspaper’s op-ed page.  This person contacted their local newspaper’s editor who said they would publish progressive columns if they were made available.  Starting July 1, 2009, Commonweal Institute will provide progressive opinion op-eds free of charge to any media outlet that wishes to publish them. 

About the Commonweal Institute:

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the Commonweal Institute is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) organization.  From their website: “The Commonweal Institute is an alliance of independent thinkers leading conversations in media outlets and social networks about our shared values as Americans and progressive approaches to solving problems. We envision a society in which the advancement of human rights, civil liberties, participatory democracy, justice, strong and caring communities, and a more secure and sustainable future coexist with responsible global capitalism. Our goal is to engage all segments of society in the discovery and creation of a new harmony between private interests and the common good.”

Contact:

Noah Sloss, Communications Manager
Commonweal Institute
(415) 370-6778
nsloss@commonwealinstitute.org
www.commonwealinstitute.org

***Please Note: Notification of newly available articles will be sent to this email list. Articles will also be posted at Commonweal Institute's Uncommon Denominator blog.