The following is based on a report given to the CPUSA National Committee in November, and includes contributions from members of the Writers Subcommittee of the CPUSA Labor Commission.

As political and cultural battles deepen in the United States, we must intensify the struggle to reclaim the cultural arena from capitalist dominance. Just as the Party contests in elections to challenge the ruling class, it recognizes the need to contest dominant cultural narratives — via stories, art, music, and media — that shape public consciousness. For the Party, the goal is clear: to build a working-class media ecosystem that inspires, mobilizes, and gives voice to struggles that corporate platforms ignore.

Culture is more than entertainment — it’s where beliefs are formed and values are reinforced. Stories we hear and tell shape our understanding of the world and what we think is possible. For decades, capitalism has spun a web of false narratives: the myth of rugged individualism, the illusion of American exceptionalism, and the lie of meritocracy.

More insidiously, capitalist culture has perpetuated racism, misogyny, and national chauvinism to divide the working class and protect corporate profits. In contrast, socialism offers a compelling, aspirational alternative. It tells stories of community, solidarity, and a better future — of ending exploitation, achieving true democracy, and ensuring that every person has dignity, security, and a place in society. These stories are powerful. These values naturally resonate with working people. Yet, we ask: why aren’t we a louder voice in the cultural arena?

Reflecting on the 2024 election cycle, the Party highlighted both progress and challenges in the media landscape. Efforts to grow People’s World, the Party’s flagship publication, are paying off as local clubs in Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Maine, and Massachusetts adopt writers’ collectives, drawing new contributors into the process. Ohio’s District is developing a statewide writers’ network, and the Labor Commission’s Writers Subcommittee has emerged as a model for amplifying local labor struggles across the country.

Initiatives like the National Writers Group Exchange, led by the Working-Class Project, are fostering collaboration among writers nationwide, while significant strides in new media — such as Good Morning Revolution and improved content on Instagram and Twitter — are strengthening the Party’s reach. Plans to revive the Southern Workers Voice, a regional edition of People’s World focused on labor organizing in the Southeast, reflect the Party’s commitment to reaching working-class communities in often-overlooked regions.

Yet the Party is equally clear about the challenges that lie ahead.

The MAGA movement, armed with its sprawling media machine, dominates platforms like YouTube, podcasts, and streaming services, where influential voices such as Joe Rogan, comedian Theo Von, and streamer Adin Ross have drawn millions of young viewers into far-right spaces. Figures once considered apolitical have become entry points for fascistic ideology, contributing to a rightward shift among young men in the 2024 election.

Popular left-leaning platforms, while critical of capitalism, have also fallen short of mobilizing their audiences toward organized struggle. Chapo Trap House, a widely listened-to podcast, spent much of the election cycle fostering cynicism about electoral participation, discouraging engagement while maintaining a paradoxical focus on the political process. This attitude, paired with its entertainment value, suppressed voter enthusiasm among young people who traditionally lean toward progressive causes. Meanwhile, corporate media narratives of a “booming economy” stood in stark contrast to the real struggles of working people, deepening distrust and alienation among voters.

The challenges extend beyond messaging and include infrastructure and resources. As Karl Marx explained in The German Ideology (1846):

“The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.”

Modern media production requires skilled writers, editors, designers, coders, and video producers — talent often monopolized by capitalist media. As corporate networks absorb the most skilled workers, socialist movements are left under-resourced. Adding to this is a fundamental shift in how people consume information: many no longer rely on traditional media, gravitating instead to digital entertainment-driven platforms while avoiding explicitly political content altogether.

In response, the Party can chart a path forward to build a working-class media ecosystem capable of competing with capitalist narratives. Building on the success of the writers’ collective model, we should strive to organize media collectives in every local club. These collectives can produce articles, videos, art, and other media rooted in local struggles, tailored to the cultural and regional experiences of working-class communities. This localized approach, paired with creative diversity, will generate unique and resonant content that reflects the realities of people’s lives.

To sustain this effort, the Party can focus on skill-building at the national level, training members in writing, editing, video production, and design to support local clubs while growing long-term capacity. Strategic partnerships with labor unions like the National Writers Union and SAG-AFTRA will help tap into networks of unionized media workers while strengthening ties to the broader labor movement.

Recognizing the changing habits of media consumption, the Party should plan to mobilize members to create all forms of online content — not only explicitly political media, but also cultural and entertainment-driven works that meet people where they are. This includes elevating significant works developed from local to national platforms in order to ensure the strongest stories reach the widest possible audience. By expanding capacity, training new talent, and engaging strategically with digital media, the Party can amplify working-class voices, challenge capitalist narratives, and light the spark of class consciousness.

Cultural work is integral to the overall class struggle. For too long, capitalism’s cultural dominance has gone unchallenged, shaping values and beliefs to preserve the status quo. Yet socialism offers an alternative vision — one of solidarity, community, and hope. By reclaiming the cultural arena and building a working-class media ecosystem, the Party can help tell the stories that inspire change, mobilize action, and give voice to the struggles and dreams of working people. Media is not just a tool for the Party, it is a reflection of the hopes and dreams of working people, dreams that can become reality through action.

Image: Pencil breaking through a fence by Michael DeForge via National Writers Union (X)

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