Free Press (organization)
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| Type | Advocacy |
|---|---|
| Location | Florence, MA and Washington, D.C. |
| Key people | Robert W. McChesney (co-founder) Craig Aaron (president and CEO) Kimberly Longey (chief operating officer) |
| Employees | Approx. 40 |
| Website | www.freepress.net |
Free Press is a nonpartisan organization working to reform the media in the United States. Through education, organizing, and advocacy, Free Press promotes diverse and independent media ownership, a sustainable future for public media, hard-hitting investigative journalism, and universal access to communications.
Free Press was founded in 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, The Nation contributor John Nichols, and Josh Silver, current CEO of the Democracy Fund, a foundation challenging the influence of corporations over government policymaking. Craig Aaron is Free Press' current president and CEO. Its board chair is former National Organization for Women head Kim Gandy.
Today Free Press is the largest media reform organization in the United States.[1][2], with nearly half a million activists and members and a full-time staff of 40 based in offices in Washington, D.C., and Florence, MA.[2]
Free Press' campaigns include SavetheInternet.com, which is fighting to win lasting Net Neutrality protections for users on all devices, and SavetheNews.org, which promotes policies that strengthen journalism and public media, fight media consolidation, and support the First Amendment. Free Press is also the organizer of the National Conference for Media Reform, the nation's biggest conference devoted to media, technology and democracy.
"Media reform" refers to a broad-based social movement that aims to improve public policy to bring about a more democratic media system. Free Press is the principal organizer of the "media reform movement," which generally "addresses the effects of a for-profit media system that increasingly fails to fulfill the communications needs of democratic society."[3] The movement really began to take shape in the latter half of 2003, galvanized by controversial orders passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[4]
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[edit] Board of Directors
[edit] Current members
Marcy Carsey
- Carsey is the co-founder of the Carsey Werner Company, a television production company responsible for shows such as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun and That 70's Show[5]
Olga M. Davidson
- Davidson is a visiting associate professor in the Middle Eastern Studies program at Wellesley College and also serves as chair of the board at the Ilex Foundation.[5]
- Gandy is currently the vice president and general counsel at the Feminist Majority and the Feminist Majority Foundation. She previously served as president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 2001-2009.[5]
Maxie C. Jackson III
- Jackson serves as president and chief executive officer for the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and previously served as senior director for program development at New York Public Radio.[5]
- McChesney co-founded Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund along with John Nichols and Josh Silver in 2002. He is a professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author or editor of 13 on media and democracy.[5]
Liza Pike
- Pike is the founder of Resource Media's California office and also serves on the board of the Center for Media Change.[5]
Josh Silver
- Silver co-founded Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund with Robert McChesney and John Nichols in 2002. He served as CEO and president of Free Press and president of the board of directors of the Free Press Action Fund until 2011. Craig Aaron succeeded him as CEO and president.[5]
Loris Ann Taylor
- Taylor is executive director of Native Public Media. She serves as a member of the Distribution and Interconnection Committee of the NPR board and is active in the Aspen Institute's Communications and Society program.[5]
[edit] Outreach and issues
Free Press also has an advocacy arm, the Free Press Action Fund. Both rely on the support of individuals, foundations and public charities to address issues including media ownership and the ongoing trend of media consolidation; the need to support public and independent media outlets; the fight to preserve Net Neutrality; the need for universal access to communications; the importance of maintaining high standards of journalism; and diversity of media ownership. Free Press frequently challenges the Federal Communications Commission to better protect the public interest. Here are short descriptions of Free Press' main areas of focus:[2]
Media Consolidation Free Press opposes against the practice of large media corporations gaining further market share by taking over local media outlets. Its campaign SavetheNews.org provides up-to-date information on developments, research and efforts to stop media consolidation. The site gives visitors a chance to donate or get involved in the cause.[6]
Public Media Public media refers to publicly funded media outlets like PBS and NPR as well as local community media and PEG (public, education, government) media stations. Free Press believes in the need for strong independent media outlets and advocates for policies to support noncommercial media.[7]
The Future of the Internet Free Press advocates on issues affecting the future of the Internet. Current campaigns focus on Net Neutrality and universal access to fast, open and accessible Internet service. Its campaign SaveTheInternet.com works to protect Net Neutrality and free speech online.[8]
Quality Journalism According to Free Press, the issue of quality journalism has never been more urgent. Free Press argues that we need media policies that promote quality news, spark innovation, protect journalists, and create a media system that serves the public interest. To highlight these issues and to address the journalism crisis, Free Press has released a report, Saving The News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy and launched SaveTheNews.org .[9]
Civil Rights & Media Justice Free Press argues that little of what is seen and heard in the media is actually produced by diverse communities. The result is often stereotypical coverage and reports lacking in vital information and viewpoints. Free Press works to promote public policies that foster greater media diversity. Free Press also advocates for universal access to the "free and open Internet" and the end of the digital divide. Media companies should be held accountable, Free Press argues, for serving their communities.
Building a Media Reform Movement Free Press fights for media that inform and educate the American public, that reflect diversity in the United States, and that serve the information needs of local communities.
[edit] National Conference for Media Reform
Free Press organizes The National Conference for Media Reform, or NCMR. "The National Conference for Media Reform is the biggest and best conference devoted to media, technology and democracy." Its "purpose is to strategize, network, share skills, swap information and inspire during three days of workshops, panels, caucuses, keynote speeches, meetings and parties." [10] The fifth NCMR conference was held on April 8-10, 2011, at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Activists, policymakers, media makers, educators and journalists attended the conference. There were roughly 300 speakers and performers and an estimated 2,500 people in attendance. Previous conferences were held in Madison, Wis. (2003), St. Louis (2005), Memphis, Tenn. (2007), and Minneapolis (2008).The next conference will be held in Denver, Colo., in April 2013. [11]
[edit] Funding
Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund are supported by individuals, foundations and public charities. They do not accept funds from businesses, government or political parties.
[edit] Criticism
Free Press has been the target of numerous attacks toward the group and one of its founders, Robert W. McChesney. Glenn Beck, a conservative news talk show host and one of the Free Press' most vocal opponents, has accused the group of being a socialist/Marxist organization "whose goal it is to limit America's free press and freedom of speech."[12] Beck also claims that Free Press uses the issue of Net Neutrality to further its political agenda and cites the hiring of former Free Press Media Director Jen Howard as the spokesperson for Julius Genachowski, the FCC chair, as evidence of its growing influence.[13]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Kang, Cecilia (28 March 2008). "Net Neutrality's Quiet Crusader: Free Press's Ben Scott Faces Down Titans, Regulators in Battle Over Internet Control". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/27/AR2008032703618.html. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ a b c "Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund: Free Press Basics". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/about_us. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ Wolf, Brenna. "Media Reform" in Battleground: The Media, Vol. 1. Robin Andersen and Jonathan Alan Gray, eds. ABC-CLIO, 2008, p. 247.
- ^ Skinner, David (2005). Converging Media, Diverging Politics. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 187. ISBN 0-7391-0827-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h freepress.com. "Boards of Directors". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/about_us/board. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ freepress.com. "Media Consolidation". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/node/71/. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ freepress.com. "Public Media". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/node/72/. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
- ^ Future of the Internet "Future of the Internet". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/node/70/The Future of the Internet. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Journalism "Quality Journalism". freepress.net. http://www.freepress.net/node/73/Quality Journalism. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Frequently-Asked Questions". NCMR 2011. http://conference.freepress.net/frequently-asked-questions. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Past Conferences". NCMR 2011. http://conference.freepress.net/past-conferences. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "'Glenn Beck': Net Neutrality Pits Free Speech Against Free Press". Fox News. 6 April 2010. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,590506,00.html. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ "Glenn Beck: ‘Free’ Press". Glenn Beck. 2 June 2010. http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/41430/. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
