2011: A Year of Media Reform Victories

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    2011A Year of Media Reform

    VICTORIES

    MEDIAINTERNETFREEDOM

    DEMOCRACY

    OWNERSHIP

    FREESPEECH

    ADVOCACY

    REFORM

    POLICY

    FREEDOM OFTHE PRESS

    PUBLIC

    ACCESS

    DIVERSITY

    http://www.freepress.net/files/2011yearendreport_print.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/2011yearendreport_print.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/2011yearendreport_print.pdf
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    The story o Free Press in 2011 is one o victories on crucial media and technology issues

    rom stopping the AT&T/T-Mobile merger to saving unding or public broadcasting to

    beating big media in court and thwarting the latest attack on Net Neutrality. These wins

    were all the more remarkable given that we were going up against some o the worlds most

    powerul corporations and contending with co-opted policymakers.

    Free Press has honed an outside-inside political strategy ueling a broad and popular

    movement or media reorm beyond Washingtons Beltway to pressure our policymakers

    and elected representatives to work or the public good. In 2011 we mobilized grassroots and

    grasstops allies in the eld and ramped up our outreach eorts to our 500,000 members.

    Free Press activists advocated in record numbers or diverse and accessible media. They

    took action writing letters to government and corporate leaders, making calls to elected

    representatives and ling public comments with the Federal Communications Commission over 1 million times, representing a 68 percent increase in actions taken over 2010.

    The combination o civic engagement and policy advocacy is a potent ormula. Even

    the best-crated policy solutions wont see the light o day without an inormed and vocal

    movement o people demanding change. The achievements listed in the next section will

    pave the way to high-quality journalism, a greater diversity o voices in the media landscape,

    tens o thousands o saved jobs, and an Internet that remains open to innovation, ree

    speech and unprecedented opportunities or social change organizing.

    Great Success in 2011

    CHANGETHE MEDIA

    CHANGETHE WORLD

    National Conerence or Media Reorm in Boston

    SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTSDerailed AT&Ts Takeover o T-MobileStopping AT&Ts proposed takeover o T-Mobile a disastrous deal that would have let just two national

    wireless companies in control o almost 80 percent o the wireless market and put 20,000 Americans out o wor

    was the number-one issue or Free Press in 2011. Back in March, when many observers insisted the merger wa

    inevitable, Free Press began a ull-court-press eort to stop the deal. We built the case against the merger with ou

    petition to deny at the FCC, and our research and press work debunked claims about the mergers benets and

    exposed industry ront groups. Meanwhile, our grassroots organizing rallied opposition to the merger via public

    hearings, blog posts, outreaches and viral videos (viewed nearly 250,000 times). More than 137,000 people sen

    letters, led public comments into the FCC docket and pressed elected ocials to oppose the deal. And our pol

    teams analysis was instrumental in sinking the takeover, which the Justice Department sued to block in August

    the scathing FCC sta report released in November, which proved to be the nal straw in the deals demise, Free

    Press research is cited more than 40 times. In December, AT&T nally abandoned its eort to take over T-Mobil

    representing one o the most signicant wins or the media reorm movement to date.

    Deeated the Latest Attack on Net NeutralityIn November, the Senate voted down a dangerous measure that would haveoverturned the FCCs Open Internet rules and prevented the agency rom

    protecting Internet users rom corporate abuse. Prior to the vote, Free Press

    mobilized public opposition, fooding Congress with 131,000 letters and

    calls against the measure. On a separate ront, Free Press led suit against the

    FCC in ederal court or ailing to protect users o wireless devices in its Net

    Neutrality rules. And we led complaints at the FCC, backed up by letters ro

    30,000 people, against companies violating even those watered-down rules.

    Sounded Alarm About Online CensorshipIn the all, Web-censorship bills that threatened to rip apart the abric o

    the open Internet were introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate.

    The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) would

    have exposed thousands o legitimate sites to new legal threats and

    undamentally altered the architecture o the Internet. Free Press worked

    with a broad-based coalition to raise public awareness about SOPA on

    American Censorship Day in November, when we displayed a pop-up

    screen on our websites that illustrated the dangers o the bill. We actively

    lobbied against both bills in the ensuing months and pushed television

    news networks to report on them. This eort set the stage or the massive

    Internet blackout and protest by millions o people in early 2012 that sent

    the bills once viewed as destined to pass to the dustbin o history.

    Beat the FCC and Big Media in CourtIn July, a ederal appeals court threw out the FCCs latest attempt to gut media ownership limits, in which the

    agency tried to lit the ban on allowing a single company to own a newspaper and broadcast stations in the sam

    market. Free Press argued the case in court in February, and our research was cited 49 times in the landmark

    decision. The court not only conrmed the importance o media ownership rules but also blasted the FCC or

    ailing to promote ownership among women and people o color.

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    Responded to the Crackdown on Journalists Covering the Occupy MovementIn September, Free Press began chronicling arrests, abuse and harassment o journalists reporting on the Occupy

    Wall Street protests. We used Twitter and Storiy to pinpoint, collect and veriy stories on dozens o j ournalist

    arrests. In response to Free Press outreach, nearly 50,000 people contacted New York City Mayor Michael

    Bloomberg and the U.S. Conerence o Mayors to demand that they drop charges against journalists and deendpress reedom. In response, the NYPD issued a ormal order telling its ocers to stop interering with the press.

    However, the end o 2011 saw more journalist arrests in New York and other U.S. cities. For his work tracking and

    publicizing the crackdown on journalists, Free Press staer Josh Stearns was honored with the Storiy o the Year

    award by users o the social media site.

    Uncovered the New Face o Media ConsolidationIn June,Free Press launched Change the Channels, an initiative atSavetheNews.org/changethechannelsthat highlights how TV stations in almost

    100 U.S. markets are quietly merging their newsroom operations and downsizing

    news sta. Free Press exposed this wave o covert consolidation that has seen

    broadcasters evade FCC rules and kill o local competition. And alongside nearly

    27,000 o our activists, we pushed the FCC to address the issue in its 2012 review

    o media ownership rules. In addition, Free Press seized on the phone-hacking

    scandals o Rupert Murdochs News Corporation to highlight what happens when

    you concentrate too much media power in too ew hands. More than 55,000 o our

    members called on Congress to investigate the companys activities in the United

    States. In October, we helped organize a protest outside News Corp.s shareholders

    meeting in Los Angeles, demanding accountability or CEO Rupert Murdoch and

    other top executives.

    Demanded Transparency and Accountability at the FCCIn May, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker let the agency to becomea top lobbyist or Comcast only our months ater approving the companys

    multibillion-dollar merger with NBC Universal. Free Press gave voice to public

    outrage over the move and was quoted widely in the press. We delivered letters

    signed by more than 100,000 people decrying the revolving door and demanding

    more transparency at the agency. Whats more, when Comcast threatened to cut

    unding or a group o Seattle teen lmmakers ater the organizers criticized Bakers

    action, Free Press members stepped up to help raise the necessary unding or the

    groups summer camp.

    I think youre doing important work concerning

    the First Amendment. I didnt know I believed in

    it so much until I had to. A journalist arrested while covering the Occupy movement

    FREESPEECH

    Stopped Cuts to Public Media FundingIn February, Free Press and our allies delivered more than

    a million petitions in support o ederal unding or public

    media. As a result o this outcry which had phones

    ringing o the hook inside the Capitol and saw union

    members rallying alongside the cast oSesame Streetoutside

    the Capitol building the Senate restored unds the House

    had cut. Free Press also documented the substantial cuts

    to public media unding on the state level in our study

    On the Chopping Block. In October, we launched a Deend

    Public Media campaign and gave away more than 23,000

    stickers to Free Press members (including more than 2,500

    new activists). We also laid the groundwork to support

    our bolder and broader goal o creating a more robust

    and diverse public media system that is ocused on local

    newsgathering and shielded rom the political whims o

    Washington.

    Took on the Fight or Global Internet FreedLast year, Free Press expanded our Internet work to look at issues

    related to Internet reedom and ree speech. The Arab Spring show

    how media and technology are changing the world. But the same

    technologies that can help liberate people can also be used to supp

    dissent. Free Press investigative reporting ound that Boeing subsi

    Narus sold technology to an Egyptian Internet provider that could

    have been used to spy on pro-democracy dissidents. This made

    international news and brought calls rom members o Congress

    an investigation. In addition, with the support o 30,000 Free Pres

    activists, we helped deeat a bill in the Senate to create an Interne

    switch that would have given the executive branch unchecked po

    to shut down the Internet.

    Passed the Local Community Radio ActIn January, President Obama signed into law a bill

    that could spur the creation o thousands o new,

    noncommercial Low Power FM stations. This bipartisan

    legislation was the result o nearly a decades worth o work

    with our allies at the Prometheus Radio Project to open the

    dial to community radio.

    Public media rally on Capi

    ADVOCACY

    http://savethenews.org/changethechannelshttp://savethenews.org/changethechannels
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    JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC

    VICTORY! VICTORY!

    VICTORY!

    VICTORY!

    Celebrated as President

    Obama signed into law the

    Local Community Radio Act,which opened the airwaves

    to potentially thousands o

    new Low Power FM stations.

    In response to a case argued by Free Press, a ederal

    appeals court rejected the FCCs latest attempt to

    weaken media ownership rules by allowing companiesto own a newspaper and broadcast stations in the

    same market. The court also cited Free Press research

    that criticizes the FCC or ailing to promote ownership

    among women and people o color.

    Delivered over 1 million

    petitions to Congress to protect

    NPR, PBS and other public

    media rom unding cuts. The

    public uproar helped shield thenations avorite public media

    programs or now.

    Applauded the FCC or ning two local TV stations or

    masquerading commercials as news segments. The FCCs

    action came in response to a Free Press complaint.

    Named Craig Aaron

    the new presidentand CEO o Free Press

    and the Free Press

    Action Fund.

    Mobilized to quash AT&Ts

    proposed takeover o T-Mobileand led a petition at the FCC to

    deny approval o the merger.

    Tracked arrests and harassmento journalists reporting on the

    Occupy Wall Street protests. In

    response to a Free Press outreach,

    nearly 50,000 people demanded

    the U.S. Conerence o Mayorsdrop charges against journalists

    and deend press reedom.

    Blasted the FCCs

    approval o the

    Comcast-NBC merger,

    which combinedhe nations largest

    cable and residential

    broadband providerwith TV and movie

    giant NBC Universal.

    Brought 2,500 people together in Boston or ouragship event, the National Conerence or Media

    Reorm. The theme or our th NCMR:

    Change the Media, Change the World.

    Delivered more than 76,000 letters lambasting

    FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Bakersdecision to leave the agency and cash in as a

    Comcast lobbyist only our months ater

    approving the companys merger with NBC.

    Launched Change the Channels,aninitiative exposing how TV stations in

    almost 100 U.S. markets are merging

    their newsrooms, ring reporters andevading FCC rules.

    Supported the Boston Media Reorm

    Networks rst public event at a rally

    calling or a U.S. investigation o

    News Corp. ollowing its international

    phone-hacking scandal.

    Hosted Owning Our

    Airwaves,a community

    event about local media inPittsburgh. Panelists included

    FCC Commissioner MichaelCopps and Rep. Mike Doyle.

    VICTORY! major VICTORY!

    Launched the Black Voices or

    Internet Freedom campaign

    with the Center or Media

    Justice and other allies.This campaign ollows our

    launch o Latinos or Internet

    Freedom in July 2010.

    Cheered as the Senate voted

    down a dangerous measure thatwould have overturned the FCCs

    Open Internet rules and stripped

    the agency o its ability to protect

    Internet users rom corporate

    abuse. Free Press mobilizedmassive public opposition to

    deeat the legislation.

    Marked American Censorship Day by displaying pop-upson our websites in protest o the Stop Online Piracy Act

    (SOPA), the Houses Web-censorship bill. This protest

    inspired a huge Internet blackout in early 2012 that saw

    millions pressure their members in Congress to abandon

    SOPA and the Senates Protect IP Act.

    Filed a ederal lawsuit

    challenging the FCCs

    weak Open Internet

    rules, which do notprotect users o

    wireless devices.

    Celebrated as AT&T abandoned

    efort to take over T-Mobile in thace o government opposition

    widespread public outcry.

    Lauded the Justice

    Department or suing to

    block the AT&T/T-Mobilemerger and agreeing with

    Free Press that the deal was

    anti-competitive and would

    lead to major job losses.

    Co-hosted the Rural Broadband

    Summit and Hearing in Whitesburg,

    Ky., to highlight the impact o the

    digital divide on rural communities.

    Helped organize a protest outside

    News Corp.s shareholdersmeeting in

    Los Angeles.

    Launched a Deend

    Public Media

    campaign and gaveaway more than

    23,000 stickers to

    Free Press members.

    Hosted The Next Big Thing: How Public Media Innovat

    Changing Journalism,a orum in Washington, D.C., ea

    public media leaders rom the U.S. and the BBC.

    Free Pressresearch was cited mo

    than 40 times in the scathing FCCreport that debunked the alleged

    benets o the AT&T/T-Mobile me

    Turned out m200 people at

    hearing in Aton media ow

    Joseph Torres

    Free Press tesalongside loc

    executives an

    FCC commiss

    Kicked of the national book

    tour or News for All the

    People: The Epic Story of Race

    and the American Media, aNew York Times bestseller

    co-authored by Free Press

    stafer Joseph Torres.

    2011: A YEAR OF MEDIA REFORM VICTORIES

    Greeted lawmakers on their

    home tur with a series o

    in-districtmeetings. Dozenso Free Press members rom

    around the country met with

    lawmakers to discuss NetNeutrality, media ownership,

    the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and

    public media unding.

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    MOVEMENT-BUILDING ACHIEVEMENTSIn 2011, Free Press energized the growing movement or better media. Most notably, in April, thousands o people

    traveled to Boston or Free Press fagship event, the National Conerence or Media Reorm. The event showcased

    the unity, drive and passion o those advocating or positive change. The conerence also marked a major

    transition or Free Press, as Craig Aaron took over as its second president and CEO. In the past year, Free Press:

    Engaged Millions o People in Advocating or Better MediaFree Press encourages public involvement in media policymaking through educational email outreaches to our

    500,000 members, by ar the nations largest group o media reorm activists. Our innovative online organizingis the heart o our success; last year we sent our members more than 800 email outreaches (more than 27

    million total emails). In 2011, Free Press members exceeded prior benchmarks or taking action, engaging

    corporate and governmental leaders with calls, letters and public comments more than 1 million times.

    Educated and Inspired People Via Our Websites and Social Media ToolsFree Press maintains three websites FreePress.net, SavetheInternet.com and SavetheNews.org that in

    2011 collectively attracted 1.75 million unique visitors and 13.8 million page views. New online eatures have

    broadened the range o options or visitors to our websites and ostered a deeper engagement with our issues.

    One example is our Change the Channels page housed at SavetheNews.org, which uses Google-mapping

    technology to track covert consolidation in American newsrooms. We also ought re with unny by producing

    a series o videos skewering the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. The our videos got more than 250,000 views. In

    addition, in 2011 our social media participation rose dramatically. We engaged 110,000 ans and ollowers

    an increase o 70 percent rom January 2011 through requent, targeted interactions on popular social

    networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Storiy and YouTube.

    Shaped Media Policy Debates and Raised Public AwarenessIn 2011, Free Press issued 110 press releases that generated 741 mentions and quotations in nearly 300 print and

    online news outlets, including theNew York Times and the Washington Post. Free Press sta appeared on radio

    and TV outlets, including CNN and NPR, more than 80 times. We also maintained our strong presence in the

    blogosphere by authoring over 250 posts on our websites. Free Press-authored Op-Eds and essays also appeared

    in the Hufngton Post, the San Jose Mercury News, the Chicago Tribune, the Hill and other publications. Free Press

    emailed theMedia Reorm Daily, our newsletter highlighting the days most important media news, to 17,500subscribers. And Free Press produced 52 segments oMedia Minutes, our weekly radio program and podcast that

    we syndicate to dozens o stations around the country. In addition, we produced 110 short educational videos that

    we distributed through our YouTube channel, drawing 909,000 views.

    Owning Our Airwaves, a Free Press event in Pittsburgh

    DEMOCRACY

    Organized High-Profle EventsOur role as a convener and connector is vital to the growth

    o the media reorm movement. Free Press hosted 39 events

    in 2011, including our biennial conerence, the National

    Conerence or Media Reorm (NCMR), held April 810 in

    Boston. This three-day event eatured dozens o speeches,

    panel discussions, lm screenings, musical perormances

    and much more. NCMR attracted more than 2,500 activists,

    educators, media makers, journalists and policymakers rom

    across the country and around the world. Thousands more

    participated online. Attendees explored more than 80 sessions

    on topics including how to x the FCC, the rise o Wikileaks,

    the new ace o media consolidation and the uture o public

    and community media. We also organized events in New York

    and Washington on public media innovation, with representatives o the BBC at the D.C. event. In addition, we

    held innovative online orums alongside our in-person events and in partnership with leading blogs. And Free

    Press deployed sta and materials to 202 outside conerences and events, double the number weve attended

    in the past. Our sta spoke at 92 events, including 30 held on college campuses, and collectively reached more

    than 16,000 people.

    Brought People Face to Face with Washington PolicymakersFree Press acilitates opportunities or people to speak directly with decision makers. In August, Free Press

    organized 18 in-district meetings between House members and more than 80 activists participating nationwide.

    Free Press developed talking points and recruited people to speak out on issues including the AT&T/T-Mobile

    merger, Net Neutrality, covert consolidation and public media. In October, we worked with allies to convene the

    rst Rural Broadband Summit and Hearing in Kentucky, bringing rural advocates together with policymakers

    to develop solutions to rural broadband challenges. Free Press also serves as a go-to advocacy resource or

    grassroots and grasstops allies looking to be heard in Washington. Last year we prepared allies including the

    Alliance or Community Media and the National Alliance or Media Art & Culture or eective advocacy, leading

    trainings on policymaking and grassroots lobbying. We provided briengs on specic media issues to members

    o the Media and Democracy Coalition and the Media Action Grassroots Network, and we helped new leaders

    rom groups like Allied Media Projects and the Nonprot Technology Network navigate both Capitol Hill and the

    politics surrounding particular bills.

    Reached and Empowered More Diverse AudiencesIn 2011, Free Press worked with our allies at the Center or Media Justice (CMJ) to expand the Latinos or

    Internet Freedom (LatinoNetLibre.com) campaign and to launch the Black Voices or Internet Freedom

    (BlackNetFreedom.org) campaign. In March, Latinos or Internet Freedom sent a delegation to the National

    Latino Congreso, hosted a panel on Net Neutrality and introduced

    a mobile Internet reedom resolution that the Congreso adopted.

    Throughout the year, Latinos or Internet Freedom also organized

    panels at events across the country. In the summer Free Press

    helped recruit organizations to join Black Voices and launched arelated website. Then in September, in partnership with CMJ, the

    Partnership o Arican American Churches and the Highlander

    Center, we kicked o the Black Voices campaign with a digital

    town hall attracting hundreds o in-person and online participants.

    Also in 2011, Free Press co-sponsored the book tour or theNew

    York Times bestsellerNews or All the People: The Epic Story o

    Race and the American Media, co-authored by Juan Gonzlez o

    Democracy Now! and Joseph Torres o Free Press. Their October

    tour drew 3,500 people in just over a week, reaching diverse

    communities and student populations across the country.

    Free Press is the best respected and most visible political advocacy

    organization representing the public interest in media policy.

    Sasha Constanza-Chock, proessor o civic media at MIT

    POLICY

    National Conerence or Media

    Black Voices or Internet Freedom

    http://www.latinonetlibre.com/http://www.blacknetfreedom.org/http://www.blacknetfreedom.org/http://www.latinonetlibre.com/
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    INFLUENTIAL POLICY ANALYSISLast year, Free Press submitted nearly 200 sets o comments and other legal lings into various FCC dockets. Our

    research was cited numerous times in the FCCs review o the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and in the ederal court

    judgment rejecting the FCCs attempts to weaken media ownership rules. We also published the ollowing papers:

    BoldAnalysis,WeakSolutions:RethinkingtheRecommendationsintheFederalCommunicationsCommission

    ReportontheInformationNeedsofCommunitiesexamines the disconnect between the reports troubling

    ndings and its inadequate recommendations.FreePress.net/les/Bold_Analysis_Weak_Solutions.pd

    NoNewsIsBadNews:AnAnalysisofComcast-NBCUniversalCompliancewithFCCLocalismConditions

    evaluates Comcasts compliance with a merger condition designed to expand local news programming at

    Telemundo and NBC stations Comcast owns and operates. FreePress.net/les/No_News_Is_Bad_News.pd

    OntheChoppingBlock:StateBudgetBattlesandtheFutureofPublicMedia is the rst-ever inventory o

    state unding cuts to public media. SavetheNews.org/sites/savethenews.org/les/stateunding_nal_2.pd

    OutsourcingtheNews:HowCovertConsolidationIsDestroyingNewsroomsandCircumventingMedia

    OwnershipRulesprovides in-depth case studies o three covertly consolidated deals. SavetheNews.org/sites/

    savethenews.org/les/Outsourcing the News.pd

    PublicMediaandPoliticalIndependence:LessonsfortheFutureofJournalismfromAroundtheWorld

    surveys the public media policies and models o 14 nations and analyzes how these countries und and

    protect the autonomy o public media journalists. SavetheNews.org/sites/savethenews.org/les/public-

    media-and-political-independence.pd

    WhytheAT&T/T-MobileDealisBadforAmerica demonstrates how the proposed merger held negative

    implications or consumers, competition, jobs and American innovation. FreePress.net/les/ATT-TMobile.pd

    PRIORITIES FOR THE YEAR AHEADFree Press will work tirelessly in the coming year to:

    Expose and Dismantle the Money, Media and Election Complex2012 will be a yearlong teachable moment in whats wrong with our media. Our new study, Citizens Inundated,

    demonstrates that media companies will benet the most rom the Supreme Courts disastrous Citizens United

    decision even as they cut back on covering issues o substance. Free Press will spotlight how the media are

    proting rom the massive corporate spending on elections and will push the FCC to require stations to disclose

    whos behind the attack ads. We will also underscore the need or local stations to invest in comprehensive

    election-year coverage. Learn more atFreePress.net/democracy.

    60%

    For every dollar contributed to

    Obamas 2008 presidential run,his campaign spent nearly 60

    cents on media.

    Promote Universal Access to Fast, Aordable and Open InternetFree Press will advance policies that increase the availability and adoption o high-speed Internet. We will

    challenge powerul phone and cable companies that seek to smother competition and will oppose any attempts

    to interere with Internet reedom. Free Press will also seize on the growing popular awareness o Internet issues

    ollowing the deeat o the SOPA and PIPA Web-censorship bills and continue to ght in the courts and at the

    FCC to strengthen the Net Neutrality rules so that they protect all Internet users, no matter how they get online.

    We will emphasize the need to protect peoples reedoms on mobile phones and other wireless devices, which

    have become indispensable not just in our personal lives but also or political organizing and the ree fow o

    inormation. And Free Press will deepen alliances with media activists around the world and push U.S. leaders t

    live up to their loty rhetoric about the Internet and human rights. Visit our campaign atSavetheInternet.com.

    Sustain Quality Journalism, Protect Press Freedoms and Build aWorld-Class Public Media System in the United StatesFree Press will lead the charge against continued eorts to cut unding or noncommercial media and continue

    to build a broad coalition to create a more robust and diverse public media system that is ocused on local

    newsgathering and shielded rom the political whims o Washington. We will advocate or policies supporting in

    depth, independent and local journalism. And well guide debate about how to saeguard the First Amendment i

    the digital age. Explore our journalism and public media campaigns atSavetheNews.org.

    Rein in Runaway Media ConsolidationFree Press will aggressively challenge any FCC attempts to urther weaken media ownership limits. We will push

    policies enabling women and people o color to own a much greater piece o the public airwaves. Free Press will

    continue to expose the wave o covert consolidation that has seen broadcasters evade FCC rules and quietly mer

    their newsrooms. And we will press Congress to investigate the scandals surrounding Rupert Murdochs News

    Corporation a prime example o what happens when you concentrate too much media power in too ew hands

    See more atSavetheNews.org/consolidation.

    Stop the Next Wave o Media Mega-MergersFresh rom our success in blocking the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, Free Press will continue to oppose any anti-

    competitive deals. We are now sounding the alarm about a dangerous proposed deal between Verizon and a cart

    o cable companies that could crush any hope or meaningul broadband competition. We will also continue

    to draw attention to the revolving door between industry and the FCC, call out Astrotur groups ronting or

    powerul companies and ght those working against the public interest in Washington. Get all the latest news,

    resources and ways to take action atFreePress.net.

    Lead, Inorm and Mobilize the Movement or Media ReormFree Press will strengthen and diversiy collaborations with allies and deepen our

    engagement with our 500,000 members. And well lay the groundwork or our next

    National Conerence or Media Reorm, which will be held in Denver on April 57,

    2013. Sign up to get conerence updates atConerence.FreePress.net.

    The United States dropped 27 places to 47th in the world in the

    20112012 Press Freedom Index, thanks in large part to the

    journalist arrests at Occupy Wall Street events.(Source: Reporters Without Borders)

    REFORM

    FREEDOM OFTHE PRESS

    http://www.freepress.net/files/Bold_Analysis_Weak_Solutions.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/No_News_Is_Bad_News.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/statefunding_final_2.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/Outsourcing%20the%20News.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/Outsourcing%20the%20News.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/public-media-and-political-independence.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/public-media-and-political-independence.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/ATT-TMobile.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/democracyhttp://www.savetheinternet.com/http://www.savethenews.org/http://www.savethenews.org/consolidationhttp://www.freepress.net/http://www.conference.freepress.net/http://www.conference.freepress.net/http://www.freepress.net/http://www.savethenews.org/consolidationhttp://www.savethenews.org/http://www.savetheinternet.com/http://www.freepress.net/democracyhttp://www.freepress.net/files/ATT-TMobile.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/public-media-and-political-independence.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/public-media-and-political-independence.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/Outsourcing%20the%20News.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/Outsourcing%20the%20News.pdfhttp://www.savethenews.org/sites/savethenews.org/files/statefunding_final_2.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/No_News_Is_Bad_News.pdfhttp://www.freepress.net/files/Bold_Analysis_Weak_Solutions.pdf
  • 8/3/2019 2011: A Year of Media Reform Victories

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