Founded to promote freedom of speech and access to means of communication, the volunteer-run non-profit organization is a collective action in response to systems of hierarchical power.

The first Paper Tiger programs featured communications scholar Herbert Schiller reading the New York Times, the "steering mechanism of the ruling class".

Deep Dish Television distributed the work of independent videomakers, filmmakers, and activists in curated series on a variety of political topics.

The creators and reporters frequently made use of handmade signs, backdrops, and other unpolished set pieces which had highlighted the grassroots tone of PTTV's videos and drew more attention to the production process.

Cultural scholar Douglass Rushkoff describes the impact of PTTV as such:"Perhaps it was the voltage created by the potential difference between what was airing on the networks and what was actually going on around the country that gave Paper Tiger the burst of energy it needed to become a full-fledged force in national television during the Gulf War.