Free Press

FREE PRESS IS A NATIONAL, NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATION WORKING TO REFORM THE MEDIA. FREE PRESS CONDUCTS RESEARCH ON HOW THE CURRENT MEDIA SYSTEM INFLUENCES THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC POLICY AND EDUCATES THE PUBLIC AND POLICY-MAKERS ON HOW A MORE DIVERSE AND PUBLIC SERVICE-ORIENTED MEDIA SYSTEM CAN STRENGTHEN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. FREE PRESS PROMOTES DIVERSE AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA OWNERSHIP, STRONG PUBLIC MEDIA AND UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS.

INTERNET FREEDOM - HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND BRINGING AFFORDABLE BROADBAND SERVICE TO 77 MILLION PEOPLE LACKING SUCH SERVICE. PROMOTED AWARENESS OF THE LIFELINE PROGRAM AND EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT PROGRAM TO HELP LOWER INCOME PEOPLE AFFORD PHONE AND INTERNET ACCESS DURING THE PANDEMIC. CONDUCTED RESEARCH THAT EXPOSED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF WASTE IN THE RURAL DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FUND. EDUCATED CONSUMERS ABOUT PRICING, COMPETITION, AND SERVICE PRACTICES IN THE CABLE AND WIRELESS SERVICES INDUSTRY. PROMOTED INCREASED BROADBAND COMPETITION UNDER TITLE II OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS ACT. PROVIDED PUBLIC TESTIMONY, ANALYSIS AND FILINGS RELATED TO PUBLIC INTEREST ORIENTED BROADBAND PROPOSALS IN NUMEROUS STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATORY AGENCY PROCEEDINGS. CALLED ON THE FCC TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURES EVERYWHERE CAN WITHSTAND CLIMATE DISASTERS.

GOVERNMENT/PLATFORM ACCOUNTABILITY - PROMOTED TERMS OF SERVICE POLICIES TO CURB ONLINE HATE AND DISINFORMATION WHILE PRESERVING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PROTECTING MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY SPEAK OUT. PUBLISHED NUMEROUS REPORTS, BLOG POSTS, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND PRESS RELEASES SHOWCASING HOW SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY SERVICES ARE USED TO STOKE HATE AND REAL-WORLD VIOLENCE TARGETING BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE, WOMEN, LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE, RELIGIOUS MINORITIES AND IMMIGRANTS. URGED COMPANIES TO STUDY ALGORITHMIC BIAS, COMMIT TO INDEPENDENT AUDITS AND TO ENFORCE EXISTING TERMS OF SERVICE. HIGHLIGHTED HOW SOCIAL-MEDIA COMPANIES AND INSTANT-MESSAGING APPS HAVE IGNORED NON-ENGLISH MISINFORMATION THAT CLEARLY VIOLATES PLATFORM RULES. RELEASED A DETAILED ACTION PLAN THAT CALLS ON FACEBOOK TO IMPLEMENT FOUR KEY REFORMS, INCLUDING PUBLICLY SHARING THE MATERIALS USED TO TRAIN MODERATORS OF SPANISH-LANGUAGE CONTENT. WORKED WITH 45 GROUPS TO CRAFT RULES THAT WOULD SAFEGUARD PRIVACY, PROMOTE CIVIL RIGHTS AND SET GUARDRAILS AGAINST THE ABUSE OF DATA ONLINE. WORKED IN COALITION TO DELIVER 140,000 PETITION SIGNATURES TO FACEBOOK TO URGE THE CLOSURE OF LOOPHOLES THAT ALLOWED BANNED USERS TO ADVERTISE ON THE PLATFORM.

PRESS FREEDOM/FUTURE OF JOURNALISM - CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE WAYS THAT THE MEDIA HAVE TAKEN PART IN AND SUPPORTED STATE VIOLENCE AND HARM AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE. CONVENED A SERIES OF EVENTS HIGHLIGHTING THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF BLACK NARRATIVE POWER AND THE FIGHT TO SECURE MEDIA REPARATIONS AND BUILD AN EQUITABLE MEDIA SYSTEM. PETITIONED 3,000 NEWSROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DISMANTLE ANTI-BLACK RACISM, TRUST BLACK JOURNALISTS AND CARE FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES. PROVIDED GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND JOURNALISTS IN CO, MA, NC, NJ, PA ON ISSUES OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN NEWSROOMS AND HOW TO FACILITATE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO INFORMATION. WORKED WITH NEWS OUTLETS TO HELP THEM EXAMINE THEIR HISTORICALLY PROBLEMATIC COVERAGE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, POLICING AND TRAUMA AND DEVISE WAYS TO CRAFT MORE EQUITABLE REPORTING. SUPPORTED WORKSHOPS, TRAININGS AND ONLINE EVENTS FOCUSED ON HOW TO HOLD NEWSROOMS ACCOUNTABLE AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO TRUSTWORTHY NEWS AND INFORMATION. PROMOTED POLICIES THAT WILL BOOST MEDIA OWNERSHIP AMONG WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL MEDIA OWNERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO ACTUALLY SERVING THEIR COMMUNITIES. ENCOURAGED PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND TO SUPPORT ALL ACTS OF JOURNALISM.

FREE PRESS WORKS TO PRESERVE RIGHTS TO FREE EXPRESSION, COMMUNICATION AND PRIVACY ONLINE AND IN PERSON. AREAS OF FOCUS INCLUDE INTERNET FREEDOM, PRESS FREEDOM/FUTURE OF JOURNALISM AND CORPORATE/PLATFORM ACCOUNTABILITY. IN 2021 FREE PRESS CONDUCTED RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ALSO ORGANIZED AND MOBILIZED TO ADVOCATE FOR BETTER MEDIA, OPEN TECHNOLOGY AND A HEALTHIER DEMOCRACY. PROVIDED REGULAR INFORMATION VIA EMAIL, WEBSITE, PODCASTS AND WEBINARS TO 1.4 MILLION CONSTITUENTS HAILING FROM ALL 50 STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND PUERTO RICO. ATTRACTED 478,000 OVERALL WEBSITE VISITS AND VIRTUAL EVENTS ATTRACTED HUNDREDS OF PARTICIPANTS. INTERACTED WITH 132,000 SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AND EARNED 3,200 PRESS HITS. CREATED AND DISSEMINATED RESOURCE MATERIALS INCLUDING RESEARCH REPORTS, ISSUE BRIEFS, FACTSHEETS, AND BROCHURES. PROVIDED TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO DOZENS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA REFORM GROUPS AND TO THOUSANDS OF LOCAL MEDIA ACTIVISTS. FILED PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS AND SEVERAL FEDERAL COURT PROCEEDINGS. WORKED WITH DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT HIGH PROFILE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS. SECURED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM 1,292 DONORS.