First Thought

First Thought is a left-wing news channel created and produced by YUGOPNIK, Hakim and Second Thought (who generally(Example of YUGOPNIK providing voice-over) hosts the channel) following the success of their first collaborative project; The Deprogram podcast. The channel covers international news stories with an advertised and anti-capitalist bias.
== Background ==
Following the ongoing success of The Deprogram podcast and regular suggestions from its community requesting a more regular segment of the podcast's own intermittent mini-series covering news stories, Send New(d)s, the podcast's Twitter account teased the creation of the news channel on March 27th, 2023, with the accompanying text: "No, it's not a joke"Twitter @TheDeprogramPod: "No, it's not a joke." (in reference to the advertised launch date of April 1st).
As promised, First Thought released its first video on April 1st, 2023,Trump’s in Trouble, Finland Joins NATO, Bakhmut Burns, and the Tates Get Out. with accompanying promotional content released on each of the podcast's creators channels (Second Thought, Hakim and YUGOPNIK) - including The Deprogram.First Thought Teaser | We're Starting a News Show! The channel continued to release new videos three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the beginning of 2024, when in-depth analysis episodes became the primary style of content.
== Content ==
=== Basic Format ===
First Thought reports on international events that are of interest to and viewers in a format reflecting a contemporary "news roundup" segment, reflecting this in each episode with the opening line, "in today's biased news". Additional is offered on some stories or subjects, particularly those where mainstream media is more aggressive at pushing its own narrative (e.g. climate change, Israel-Palestine conflict). Though rare, elements of humor are sometimes incorporated into the visual elements accompanying the stories.(Example of visual humor: Joe Biden)
As the channel has gained popularity and funding from viewers, additional elements have been incorporated into the episodes such as music, graphics and transitional effects. Additional segments have also been introduced as the channel has grown and generally feature in each subsequent episode:
* The positive news segment, first introduced on the episode of April 24, 2023,First Thought | Communist Victory In Austria, Biden's Re-Election Bid, And DeSantis Meets With Netanyahu is presented as the final segment of each episode and details a positive story such as an advancement in medicine, an end to a conflict or a successful worker demonstration.
* The "Lightning Round" segment, first introduced on the episode of September 15, 2023,First Thought | Libya Hit With Catastrophic Floods, Auto Workers Launch Coordinated Strikes, And The IRS Cracks Down provides a quick-fire description of additional relevant news stories but lacking any in-depth information or analysis. It generally forms the penultimate segment, inserted just before the positive news story at the end of the episode.
=== Analysis Episodes ===
Following increased popularity and viewer patronage, the channel introduced longer-form episodesFirst Thought | Analysis Episodes playlist in addition to their regular features, with each containing in-depth historical and material analysis on a particular subject. The first of these was released October 11, 2023,First Thought | From The River To The Sea: The Story Behind Palestine's Fight For Freedom, with further episodes released on an irregular schedule.
Since the beginning of 2024, these analysis episodes have been the primary style of content on the channel, seeing regular released on a reduced schedule.
== Controversies ==
=== Removal from Nebula ===
Following the escalation of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict on 7th October, 2023, numerous subscribers demanded that the platform take down Second Thought and its associated channels (including First Thought)r/Nebula (Reference to deleted instances of these threads) on grounds of its continued and amplified vocal support for Palestinian liberation and the military efforts of Hamas fighters. This culminated in Nebula giving an ultimatum to "make a both-sides statement or leave the platform", to which the producers chose the latter option and parted ways with the platform.Second Thought: Second Thought Is Now On Means TV. Second Thought, one of the founding members of the platform, subsequently announced that the producers were unwilling to "compromise [their] principles for business optics",Second Thought: Second Thought Is Now On Means TV. and that a "both-sides" statement conflicts with what he believes is a "very black and white issue".Second Thought: Why You Should Be A Socialist In 2024 Nebula silently removed First Thought and its associated content from Nebula around 18 - 19 October,r/TheDeprogram "Second Thought and First Thought just got silently removed from Nebula" which was celebrated by many who had sought the result.Twitter @keffals: (Post about "success" RE: channel's removal from Nebula)
== Trivia ==
*The name of the channel comes from an inside joke with the Deprogram and Second Thought communities, being a play on the Second Thought channel name and a nod to regular quips from community members claiming that they previously held an opinion but have reconsidered "on second thought".
*Despite the creation of First Thought as a dedicated news channel, the irregular Send New(d)s segment on The Deprogram podcast still sees releases following requests from the community to continue the more in-depth discussion of world events.
== References ==
Category:News YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2023