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Why the name “Free Press”? Why the name “Free Press”?“Surely a command that the government itself shall not impede the free flow of ideas does not afford nongovernmental combinations a refuge if they impose restraints upon that constitutionally guaranteed freedom … Freedom of the press from governmental interference under the First Amendment does not sanction repression of that freedom by private interests.” We adopt the name Free Press because we believe it links us up to the true history of freedom of the press in the United States. We are not concerned strictly with newspapers or with journalism; Free Press is a group that addresses the entirety of the media experience. When the republic was founded, there was no sense that the idea of freedom of the press was simply to let wealthy commercial interests do whatever they please to maximize their profits in the area of media. This is a recent device deployed by the giant media conglomerates and the PR experts. Freedom of the press requires carefully crafted and thoroughly debated public policies that provide the foundation for a pluralistic and well-funded free press. Without such policies, democracy would be impossible. Not surprisingly, Madison and Jefferson, arguably the most brilliant of the founders, wrote the most on this subject. They both championed government subsidies for newspapers through printing subsidies, and heavily subsidized postal rates to encourage a broad range of publications, among other measures. Without these policies, U.S. democracy would have never developed to the level it soon did. The U.S. media system to this day is based on government subsidies, monopoly franchises and regulations. All of the largest media firms are built on government sanctioned monopoly rights either through cable franchises, broadcast channel licenses, and/or copyright. The government doesn’t just set the terms of competition — it helps pick the winners. The problem today is that these immense government granted privileges are made in the most corrupt manner possible, behind closed doors with minimal public participation. Powerful interests do everything in their power to see that this is the case, because they know if the general public had any idea how these corrupt policies are made, they would never stand for it. What does Free Press do?Free Press is working with members of Congress to draft pro-active media reform legislation across a variety of issue areas. Free Press also works on policy measures with regulators like the Federal Communications Commission and at the state and local levels. Free Press also works to expand public awareness and involvement in media policymaking in the United States. We do this by reaching out to groups that are strongly affected by media but have not participated in media reform. Much of the work of Free Press involves grassroots organizing around tangible reform proposals developed in Washington. Free Press works very closely with other media reform organizations. Free Press is a collaborative organization, committed to making the whole of the media reform movement greater than the sum of its parts. To advance the media reform movement, Free Press regularly convenes the National Conference for Media Reform. Click here for details on this event. What issues does Free Press work on?Free Press organizes it own political work around four broad areas of focus: media ownership; independent and public media; internet freedom; and media reform movement building. These are each long-term campaigns that encompass numerous issues and challenges at the state, local, and national levels. Free Press works closely with many partner organizations to affect change.
What does Free Press stand for?First and foremost, Free Press is about having the core governmental policies that create and shape our media system be the result of informed and widespread public participation. If a democratic and open debate takes place, Free Press will happily accede to its outcome. We believe the more public participation there is in media policy debates, the more likely the resulting policies will serve the public interest.
What makes Free Press unique?Free Press is distinguished from the other media reform groups in three closely related ways. Some groups may do one or two of the following tasks, but only Free Press does all three. First, Free Press works the entire array of media policy issues. Free Press does not propose to replace existing groups, but to collaborate with many or all of them. Our goal is to draw all the existing groups together, so the whole of the media reform movement will be greater than the sum of its parts. Extraordinary political power will be gained, for example, if we can draw the people and groups who organize around media ownership rules into the battle for viable public broadcasting, or limits on advertising to children. Indeed, we are eager to see the establishment of many more new groups on the local and national level as they are necessary. There is a great deal of work to be done. Second, Free Press is specifically committed to drawing new constituencies into the media reform movement. Our belief is that as long as media reform is primarily the province of elites, the policies will reflect the interests of powerful special interests. What is crucial is to draw vast sectors of the population, sectors that are significantly harmed by the media status quo, into the media reform movement. We are working to draw small businesses, organized labor, religious organizations, educators, publishers, feminists, civil rights organizations and environmentalists, to mention but a few examples, into the media reform movement. Third, Free Press is committed to playing offense, not defense. The media reform movement needs to generate tangible and viable media reform policy proposals and then organize popular support for them across the nation. Most people will not act if it is just to keep the media system from getting worse; they might get active, however, if they think they can actually improve the media system dramatically. Media policy is also a fairly abstract issue, so it is imperative to provide coherent and understandable reform proposals around which to organize. Free Press understands that this is a long term campaign that will require hard work and patience. We are in for the long haul and we regard all the other media reform groups as our necessary and wonderful allies. What are people saying about Free Press and media reform?“Today our ‘free press’ is the private property of a handful of powerful corporations and their friends … Media reform is needed in order to preserve the ability of all citizens to learn what they need to cast knowledgeable votes. Because that is in danger, democracy is in danger. The www.freepress.net website is an important development that draws citizens into media policy.” “Free Press doesn’t just educate, they motivate, taking awareness of problems with the corporate-dominated media system to the next level — a movement for change.” “There is no more important struggle for American democracy than ensuring a diverse, independent and free media. Free Press is at the heart of that struggle.” “We urgently need an independent media free from corporate control. Free Press is doing the important work of stimulating a national discussion on the role of a free media in this country. It deserves widespread support.” “If we care about a functional democracy that promotes economic justice,
human rights, civil liberties, and a true civil society, then we must
actively build a democratic and culturally diverse media system.” “The overwhelming amount of news and entertainment comes via broadcast and print. Putting those outlets in fewer and bigger hands profits the few at the cost of the many … The concentration of power — political, corporate, media, cultural — should be anathema to conservatives. The diffusion of power through local control, thereby encouraging individual participation, is the essence of federalism and the greatest expression of democracy.
“ “The FCC seems to have forgotten that the air waves actually belong to us, the people. Free Press is dedicated to reversing the consolidation of media ownership in the hands of ever fewer corporate giants — a consolidation that has debased political discourse (and much of American journalism), ruined American radio, and flooded us with celebrity gossip instead of the news we really need to be fully informed citizens.” “Further deregulation will not mean greater opportunity for competition. Rather, it will mean the opposite: More control of the airwaves by the few, with even less accountability to the market than they demonstrate today.” “Today our democracy is at risk. We have lost our independent press. We no longer have muckrakers and watchdogs protecting our interest from powerful organizations. Rapacious capitalists have neutered the watchdog in favor of corporate profits and concentrated power. That’s why Free Press is so important . We desperately need organizations dedicated to keep fighting for us in the area of media policy and laws. With the help of Free Press, we can a chance to energize congress and take our media back. Please join and stay engaged before its too late.” “The “free” in free media is not an adjective, it’s a verb — we must diligently push to free the media from conglomerate profiteers. This is the noble work of Free Press.
“ “When the movies you watch, the music you listen to, the products you buy and the ideas you’re sold are all screened and censored and presented by the same source, you lose… The airwaves belong to the American people, and the FCC’s job is to protect the public interest — not big media barons who want a monopoly on public discourse.” Is Free Press a “liberal” or “conservative” organization?Free Press is neither. Free Press is predicated upon the notion that the crucial government policies that shape and determine our media system should be the product of informed public consent. This is a position that cuts across all political ideologies. Conservatives, liberals, radicals, and depoliticized people all agree that crucial public policies should not be made in a corrupt manner behind closed doors by powerful special interests. That is why media reform is an issue that appeals to just about everyone. At Free Press, we are more than content to live with media policies that are the result of active and informed public participation whatever they may be. We believe the more public participation in media policy making, the more likely the resulting policies will be wise and democratic. Sometimes it is thought that efforts at media reform are “liberal” or “left-wing” because the status quo of media is one where a handful of massive media corporations dominate the system, so criticism of the status quo is by definition anti-corporate. But this assumes that conservatives are content with the hypercommercialized media system that exists in the United States (and world) today. In fact, there is a crucial strain of conservatism that is deeply troubled by media concentration, by noncompetitive markets, by weak journalism, and by hypercommercialism. See, for example, the writings of William Safire of The New York Times. Why do Conservatives support media reform?During the course of 2003 many leading U.S. conservatives began to speak out forcefully against media concentration and in opposition to the FCC’s relaxation of media ownership rules. Such conservatives include William Safire, Trent Lott, Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, Phyllis Schlafley, Brent Bozell and Jesse Helms. This gave the impression that media reform, rather than being a liberal or progressive issue, was in fact a conservative cause. And, in fact, if one sees localism, decentralized power, competitive markets, and transparent and non-corrupt policymaking as conservative values, media reform is indeed a conservative issue. But the truth is that these core principles appeal to people across the political spectrum. It is why the corporate media lobbies are determined to keep their shenanigans at the FCC and with Congress out of the public eye as much as possible. They know that the only Americans who can firmly support their efforts to gobble up all the U.S. media are their major shareholders, so if media policies become public issues they are sure to lose. So, no, the media reform movement is not simply a conservative issue. It is an issue for all freedom loving people. Does Free Press advocate censorship as a means of media reform?No. Free Press opposes censorship, and finds that a repulsive and unacceptable manner to deal with media in a free society. We are also deeply concerned about government secrecy and laws the limit the ability of citizens to have access to public information, or that permit the government to invade people’s privacy.
Who started Free Press?Free Press was launched in December 2002 by author and professor Robert W. McChesney, working in close collaboration with journalist John Nichols and campaign finance advocate Josh Silver. Who is Free Press?Click here for information on our Board of Directors and a staff list. How is Free Press funded?Free Press is not affiliated with any political or commercial organization. Free Press receives most of its funding from foundations and philanthropists. The Free Press Action Fund, on the other hand, depends upon supporters like yourself. Please consider becoming a member. What is the Free Press Action Fund and how is it connected to Free Press?Free Press Action Fund is a social welfare organization that advocates for changes in public policy that will lead to a more diverse and public service-oriented media system. Free Press Action Fund was established to expand the range of activity of Free Press (a research and education organization). While both are non-profit organizations, Free Press Action Fund is permitted to undertake a wider range of lobbying work, and its membership base will help it achieve strategic reforms. Who leads the media reform movement?Free Press is one of a burgeoning number of groups active in media reform. Click here to see a list of of them, with descriptions of their work and links to their websites. There is no single groups that leads the movement; we all work together, specializing in different aspects of the important work to be done. As the movement grows more powerful it is certain that many more new groups will be formed, at the local and national level. Hence coordination between the groups is imperative, and Free Press is dedicated to providing as much coordination as possible. Is the problem with the media bad or incompetent owners and employees?No. There may well be media owners who are especially despicable and who abuse their market power and privileges to enhance their own personal fortunes or to push their narrow political agendas. There may also be media corporation employees — be they journalists, writers, actors, executives or whatever — who engage in dubious ethical behavior. But neither is the main source of the problem with the media system in the United States. The main problem is that the structure of the media system makes socially dubious behavior — e.g. lousy journalism, violent and mindless entertainment, hypercommercialism — the rational outcome. If all the media owners and executives were to quit their jobs today and be replaced tomorrow by different people, the content of the system would not change appreciably, because the cues would remain the same. If we wish to change the nature of media content we need to change the cues so that good journalism and quality material will be the rational product of its operations. To do that requires that we change the government policies that shape and direct the media system. That is why Free Press exists. Suggest a FAQ…Have a question that you think belongs here? Email us with your suggestion. |
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