The issues need to be universal, and the solutions presented must be something that can be recreated in other communities. Hope is not a passive longing for Ridley and Wilson, it's an activism. No effort is too small, and no issue is too vast for Hope's attention, so much of the editorial gatekeeping comes down to Ridley's own convictions. It's important that she develop her own sense of what the mission should be. With an audience composed primarily of middle-aged suburban women, Wilson has faith in Ridley's ability to understand the issues that speak to a female audience.
Men keep the framework of our society intact, but women are the heart of it.
Hope appeals to the heart and stands for everything that most slick magazines destroy, Ridley said. With most media outlets controlled by huge corporate interests, the ultimate goal is consumption. You don't have to buy something to solve your problem. Ridley's environmental and humanitarian missions shine through the stories she selects for Hope , but occasionally her personal politics clash with those presented in the magazine. The piece sidesteps typical rhetoric for the most part, interviewing activists on both sides of the issue who have come together to find common ground.