Opinion

The First is all about ideas, conversations, curiosity, and most of all freedom. To that end, we publish a plethora of content from both our own writers and outside contributors. We focus especially on real people, with real jobs, and real opinions, not the blather you see repeated on cable news.

We are not beholden to one person, party, or partisan agenda. We call it like we see it, and we want to bring you those who do the same.

So click below to read some of the premiere content from some of our contributors. Don’t like what they have to say? Have a question? Email them, or contact us at ideas@thefirsttv.com.

The Black Hole of Labor Turns Evil | Steve Berman

The Black Hole of Labor Turns Evil | Steve Berman


Opinion Contributor

I’ve been waiting for this exposé for a long time. Someone had to get inside Amazon and dig out the truth, because we’ve all heard how their warehouses are sweat shops, an AI-ruled dystopia where humans have to skip bathroom breaks to meet computer-generated metrics. Computers don’t need to pee. The New York Times finally swung a hammer at the black hole …

Coup Coup Ca Choo | Steve Berman

Coup Coup Ca Choo | Steve Berman


Opinion Contributor

A year ago, CNN’s Anderson Cooper topped the coveted adult 25-54 demographic in cable news ratings. CNN’s audience in that demographic is now down a whopping 51% from last year. They don’t have Donald Trump to kick around anymore. Instead, they resurrect him through the same kind of unsourced reports they used to call “blockbusters” and “walls closing in” when …

The Devil Has Been Busy | Steve Berman

The Devil Has Been Busy | Steve Berman


Opinion Contributor

If you’re over 40, you probably remember the recurring Dana Carvey Saturday Night Live bit called “Church Lady.” For Church Lady, every question leads to just one answer: Satan. The devil is responsible for everything. We laugh, but many evangelical Christians in America would agree with that sentiment. Whenever something challenging to their own beliefs, …

Lock Them Up: Jan 6 Political Prisoners | Steve Berman

Lock Them Up: Jan 6 Political Prisoners | Steve Berman


Opinion Contributor

Look at this one sentence in the final paragraph of a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Friday edition. The story was about the arrest of Kevin Douglas Creek, a roofing contractor from Alpharetta, for his role in the January 6th Capitol insurrection, which AJC called a “riot.” The sentence is: Creek does not appear to …

Let Elephants be Elephants, For God’s Sake | Steve Berman

Let Elephants be Elephants, For God’s Sake | Steve Berman


Opinion Contributor

A panel of judges in New York is about to decide if elephants should be given “human rights,” as in standing in a court, the right of habeas relief, and as such, personhood. I’m not kidding. The Nonhuman Rights Project filed suit against the owner of an elephant, seeking to smash through the human-nonhuman barrier. The New York …