Josh Silver (nonprofit director)
| Josh Silver | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 16, 1968 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Grenoble The Evergreen State College |
| Occupation | Nonprofit Director |
| Employer | The Democracy Fund |
Josh Silver (born April 16, 1968) is the co-founder and CEO of United Republic.[1] He is also the former CEO and president of Free Press, the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization he co-founded with Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols in 2002 to engage the American public in media policy. He was previously campaign manager for the successful "Clean Elections in Arizona" ballot initiative; director of development for the cultural arm of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; and director of an international youth exchange program. He has published widely on media, telecommunications, campaign finance and other public policy issues. Silver has been profiled the Wall Street Journal[2] and featured in outlets including the New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Salon.com, C-SPAN, and NPR. He speaks regularly on media and technology issues and blogs at The Huffington Post.[3]
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[edit] Background
Silver was born in New York, NY and moved to Shelburne, Massachusetts when he was four years old. He grew up on a 240-acre (0.97 km2) former dairy farm in the foothills of the Berkshires. His mother, Genie Zeiger,a creative writing teacher, died in 2009. His father, Carl Silver, is a clinical psychologist in western Massachusetts. He has one sister. After high school, Josh Silver lived in Europe for a year - mostly in France. The next two years he was a full-time "ski bum" in Colorado before starting college. He spent much of his 20s adventure traveling around the world to some of the most remote places on the globe. In 1995, Silver was on a river trip in Peru with a friend. They were ambushed and shot. Silver was gravely wounded and survived. His friend did not survive. [4]
[edit] Education
He attended the University of Grenoble, France, and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
[edit] Media Reform and activism
Silver is one of the leading figures in the growing movement for media reform. His quest to foster more critical, investigative journalism led him to start Free Press, arguably the most effective organization in the media policy reform space. His focus is stopping media consolidation, ensuring that the Internet is fast, neutral and affordable, fostering more critical, independent journalism, and a more robust, politically insulated public media system.
He also sits on the board of directors of Change Congress, Voter Action and Commonwealth Center for Change (C3).[citation needed]
On Jan 31, 2011, Silver addressed the Commonwealth Club of California with an address titled, "The Future of Journalism and Internet Access -- The Nexus of Media, Technology, Policy and Politics". He addressed Internet policy, journalism policy, and public media policy -- and how we can help solve this crisis at an individual level. The 1-hour presentation is viewable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52xmRsYL9X4
[edit] National Conference for Media Reform
As executive director of Free Press, Silver plays a large role in convening the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), the largest and highest-profile gathering of media reform advocates in the nation.[citation needed] NCMR brings together thousands of activists, media makers, educators, journalists, scholars, policymakers, and engaged citizens to meet, tell their stories, share tactics, listen to great speakers and build the movement for better media in America.
[edit] References
- ^ Joseph, Andrew (2012-01-03). "New Group Formed To Limit Political Money - Influence Alley". Influencealley.nationaljournal.com. http://influencealley.nationaljournal.com/2012/01/united-republic-looks-to-move.php. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ "Non-Profit Takes on Big Media," Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2007. [1]
- ^ See "blog entries by Josh Silver," [2].
- ^ "A Darkness on the River," Outside Magazine, November 1995.[3]
[edit] External links
- United Republic – Official Website (Home page) of United Republic, organization led by Josh Silver.
- Free Press – Official Website (Home page) of the Free Press, organization led by Josh Silver.
- The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) – Official Website (Home page), sponsored, presented, and hosted by Free Press.
