Free Press Fall 2009 Newsletter

8/14/2019 Free Press Fall 2009 Newsletter

1/6

i sid t e F re of e

News in Denver

Crowdso rcin : Crea iveMovemen B i din

Ex osin eFake grassroo s

wsREFORMHistoric Moment or Net Neutrality

I oct r, th F d ralC mm icati s C mmissi t a maj r st p t ward sa g ardi g thp I t r t y pr p si g w n t n trality r l s.

n t n trality is th l gsta di g pri cipl that pr hi its I t r t s rvic pr vid rs li AT&T a dC mcast r m discrimi ati g agai st li c t t a d applicati s. Th

pr p s d r l s ar w p r p lic c mm t a d ar xp ct d t f aliz d xt spri g.

Th gr wi g m m t m t ward n t n trality a c sc r s j ct has imm s , with p litical

l ad rs a d p lic fg r s alil di g th ir s pp rt.

Pr sid t o ama has r p at dly xpr ss d str g s pp rt r n t

n trality. o y t str gth i g d cati , tr pr rship a di vati i c mm iti s ist har ss th ll p w r thI t r t, h said i S pt m r.

That m a s ast r a d m r wid ly availa l r ad a d as w ll as

r l s t s r that w pr s rv thair ss a d p ss that l d t thrishi g th I t r t i th frst

plac .

n w that th FCC has pr p s d w

n t n trality r l s, Fr Pr ss is

p lish d y free press www. r pr ss. t

Volume 4Number 2Winter 09

MEDIA

Thomas Jeferson amouslysaid that given a choice

between government withoutnewspapers and newspapers

without government, he wouldnot hesitate to pre er the latter.

I he were here today, I think hed see the Internet in much

the same light. - Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)

NEt NEutRAlI ty :

Your s to r i e s th p bl c ha b n

d ng sav h in n .c m, h F P N N al y campa gn,w h h h w

N N al y a c hl v . Ana ly V lyn

san F anc c c d d an p nin n w h all w ng h m a h wn

wa c n l ng b n h ly am g a ng m h uk a n .B an Fla l y, a b dd ngp dca m G g a,xp d c nc n hah ab l y a h h ww ld b n j pa dyw h N N al yp c n . And M ch ganD n K l a d h wa g a l ha hin n mad p bl p h

bach l d g a a52-y a - ld m h w w k ng ll m . inall, m han 1.6 m ll np pl hav c n ac dC ng and h FCCab N N al y.

continued inside


2/6

Imagi i wh y ght a d s t pc mp t r, y als had t sig a tw -

y ar c tract with a I t r t s rvicpr vid r. Imagi i that pr vid r, r ISP,had th p w r t d cid what s twar

y c ld i stall y r w machia d what W sit s y c ld visit pl s th y charg d y 10 c ts r v ry m ssag y s t r r c iv d. Th ydals charg y $200 i y d cid dt cha g ISPs r y r tw -y ar c tract was p, a d i y switch d

a yway, y c ld t s y r xisti g d s t p c mp t r with th w s rvic . Y d hav t y a w .

S ds crazy? W thi s , t , t thisis sta dard p rati g pr c d r r th

wir l ss i d stry. D spit th act that th m il I t r t is th ast st gr wi g

way r Am rica s t acc ss th W ,th wir l ss i d stry c ll d s t c rtaili vati , crippl applicati s a di at pric s.

Fr Pr ss FrMy Phcampaig wa tst cha g thstat s q a dgiv v ry thr d m t sth ir ph s as th y ch s a y tw r , si g a y applicati .

M ch th campaig has c s d th iPh , which is p rhaps th

d vic that ri gs s cl s st t thI t r t i y r p c t. Appl a d

AT&T, th xcl siv carri r th iPh ,hav r j ct d applicati s that c mp t

with th ir w s rvic s. Fr Pr ss is w r i g with C gr ss a d th FCC

p lici s that w ld c rag m rc mp titi , all w c s m rs t sth ir ph s a y tw r , a d pr t ct th p I t r t, wh th r y acc ss it at h m r r m y r ph . Fi d t m r at r pr ss. t/ r myph

Fr Y r Ph !

in brie CoMMunITY MeDIA MAke A CoMebACk

Community media are an essential part o our public media landscape. And this all

has been a banner season or opening up

the radio dial and securing space on thetelevision airwaves or public access media.

The Local Community Radio Act a billthat would put hundreds o new Low

Power FM (LPFM) radio stations on the air advanced in the House in October. As it

cleared a key subcommittee, the bill gainedthe support o three legislators who had

previously expressed serious doubts aboutthe legislation. And just a week later, the

bill passed unanimously out o the HouseCommerce Committee.

This is huge news. A vote in the ull Houseis right around the corner, and with enough

o a groundswell, we could be celebratinga victory by the end o the year. Free Press

has been ortunate to work on this issuealongside an incredible group o allies,

including the Prometheus Radio Project,the Future o Music Coalition and the

Media and Democracy Coalition.

Meanwhile, the Alliance or CommunityMedia and the National Association o

Telecommunications O cers and Advisorshas succeeded in getting a bill introduced

(HR 3745: The Community AccessPreservation Act) in the House that would

protect local public access, educational andgovernmental (PEG) channels.

These public access channels serve as someo the only resources or communities

looking to get local voices on television. They are training citizen journalists,

providing Internet access, producing livetalk shows and creating programming thatyou cannot nd anywhere else on your TV.

www.free ress.ne

T he closing o the Rocky Mountain News earlier this year sent shock waves through an already uneasy industry. The Rocky was nearly 150

years old, older than the state o Colorado itsel .

Six months a ter the paper closed,more than 200local citizens,current andormer journalistsand community

leaders crowded into the ColoradoHistory Museum to debate the uture o news in Denver and beyond.

Beneath an exhibit that included therst and last editions o the Rocky , localnonpro ts and journalists led creativeand insight ul discussions on issueslike reinventing public media, socialnetworking and the news, and citizen

journalism. The event also eatureda panel discussion with ormer Rocky editor and publisher John Temple;Colorado Public Television CEO Wick Rowland; award-winning investigativereporter Laura Frank; ormer stateSenator Polly Baca; and syndicatedcolumnist David Sirota.

SaveTheNews.orgs rst big public meeting o journalists and community members was clearly a success insounding the alarm about the declineo serious public interest journalism,

wrote veteran journalist Steve Outing, who acilitated one o the small groupdiscussions.

Its not enough just to sound the alarm,however, and we are happy to report that local journalists and organizers arealready planning a ollow-up event or early 2010.

Th F t r th n ws i D v r


3/6

D a F nd,

thank y wh h y an ac v a d n ( h p lly,b h) h m d a m m v m n n Am ca mak ng h y.

A y a gh ng k p h in n c p aga k p , day w and n h b nk c ng N N al y

nc and all. o c n y p l ad hav nally mad NN al y a p y, and w n w cl a maj v c y hap m a g a d c n m c nn va n, d m c a c pa c pa nand p ch nl n .

in add n h g a d w v mad n in n campa gn, y ll nd ab hg ndw k w lay ng j nal m and p bl c m d a campa gn . M han 25,000n w pap mpl y l h j b la y a , and m han 8,000 n w j b w c n h

m n h 2009. s w k d v l p n w m d l h n w c ld n b m m ly.

tak a m n n h ll w ng pag m m h p pl b h nd h c n anac v , a d n and n n w a m mb . W d p nd n h m and on you

cc .

thank y b ng by d d ng h v y xc ng m .

onwa d,

J h s lvex c v D cF P & h F P Ac n F nd

Free press

Ma ach ofc40 Ma n s , s 301

Fl nc , MA 01062Ph 413.585.1533

Wa h ng n ofc501 th d s . NW, s 875

Wa h ng n, DC 20001Ph 202.265.1490

www. p .nn @ p .n

Free press and Free press Ac ion F nd

Board of Direc ors

t m W , Chair Columbia University Law School

Ma cy Ca yCarsey Werner Company

olga M. Dav d nWellesley College

Jam C n ea lySmithsonian Center for

Folklife and Cultural Heritage

K m GandyResident Fellow, Harvard Institute of Politics

Ma n KaplanUniversity of Southern California

Annenberg School for Communication

r b W. McCh n yUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

J hn N ch lCapital Times

Abo

Media Reform News p bl h d byF P , a na nal, n npa angan za n w k ng m hm d a. C n n 2009 F P .

What is the No. 1 priority or your work at Free Press?

Its my job to nd the legal underpinningsor policies that we think will serve thepublic best. Even the best-laid plans

will all by the wayside i theyre oundunconstitutional or otherwise in violationo the law. So thats basically my job its to make sure the stu that we envisionas being great or our community isactually sustainable on a legal basis.

Aside rom the legal research, what kindso tasks fll your day?

A large part o my job is strategizing withmembers o the policy and programteams about how to engage the public and decision-makers on our advocacy goals. This may entail coordinating outreach to press, Free Press members andother groups, and guring out ways to

e ectively message our issues and inspirepeople to take action.

Our allies are critical to the work wedo at Free Press, so we coordinate withthem whenever possible. There are lotso terri c, smart people in the mediaadvocacy community.

Do you have any hobbies?

Food not cooking it, just eating it. Imalso a huge an o old radio shows romthe 1930s and 1940s.

What is one way that you wind down a ter a hard day at work?

To counteract my compulsion toconstantly check my Blackberry or things I may have orgotten to do, Ilike to sit down with a glass o wineand watch trashy television. Thank

you, CW network!

FROM thE DIRECtOR

StAFF SpOtlIght continued rom the back...


4/6

Cr wds rci g: Cr ativ M v m t b ildi g MEDIA ACtIVISM

e n B aganzaF r Pr ss s cc ss d p ds thth sa ds i divid al activists,li er i braga za, wh w r tma m dia r rm a r ality i th ir c mm iti s. er i liv s i r rals thw st Virgi ia a d is th 3.6milli p pl i th stat wh d t hav acc ss t r ad a d at h m .G tti g high-sp d I t r t r q ir s a30-mi t driv t a th r t w .

As a s twar d v l p r r a larg IT c mpa y, er i r li s th I t r t thr gh t th day. o c h g s h m ,

th gh, h a d his amily ar t l c . What th rs tar gra t d d i g li h m w r pr j cts, watchi g

Y T vid s r stayi g i t ch with ri ds y pl adi g ph t s ar j st t pti s r s.

b t er i is ma i g his v ic h ard i th fght r a ast r p I t r t. Wh h d t thr gh th Fr Pr sscr wds rci g pr j ct that his r pr s tativ , R p. Ric b ch r (D-Va.), th i tial chairma th H sS c mmitt C mm icati s, T ch l gy a d th

I t r t, had t y t sig d t s pp rt th pr -n t n trality I t r t Fr d m Pr s rvati Act (HR 3458), er idid t stay sil t.

H call d R p. b ch r a d l t him w that p pl i hisdistrict c sid r n t n trality a vital iss . Th h wr t al tt r t th dit r his l cal pap r t ma s r that th r p pl i his c mm ity w a t n t n trality a dd rst d R p. b ch rs iq a ility t adva c th

l gislati .

It lt a it tsid my c m rt z , er i said, t thisiss is v ry imp rta t t m .

er i has als g w r i g t g t p , high-sp d I t r t i t r gi s that ar c t r m th r st th ati . M st p pl hav had r ad a d r s l g, th y rg t th r arh g parts this c try wh r p pl still r ly dial- p.

Th ly way its v r g i g t cha g is i w all c msq a y wh ls. W wa t t part th 21 st c t ry, j st liv ry ls .

ACtIVISt pROFIlE

F r Pr ss c ti s t d v l pi vativ ways t i cl dactivists i r w r , i cl di g ar c t cr wds rci g pr j ct.

Cr wds rci g is tappi g i t thc ll ctiv capacity a d wl dg agr p t acc mplish a larg r c mpl x tas . Th s c lla rativ pr j cts cai v lv ma y m r c tri t rs thaa si gl rga izati ca pr vid , a dth r s lts ca asci ati g: A r c t cr wds rci g pr j ct i n w Y r City i vit d m m rs th p lic t r p rt mil pric s i th ir igh rh ds.

Th r s lt was a d tail d a alysis th

pric mil i v ry part th city.

Similarly, Fr Pr ss has si g cr wds rci g y as i g s pp rt rs tr p rt th ir r pr s tativ s p siti n t n trality.

by i viti g th p lic t h lp s gath r this ss tial data, Fr Pr ss has a l t tai m r i rmati tha

was pr vi sly p ssi l , a d t givs pp rt rs gr at r w rship v r r w r .

Th pr j ct has als all w d s t li li adv cacy rts li -mail,

p titi s a d s cial tw r i g ti activiti s li i -district m ti gs

a d ph calls t l gislat rs. Thr s lts th s ar hav r it l.

A t r calli g th ir r pr s tativ s,participa ts s d a c st m- ilt Wsit t r p rt th ir f di gs, givi g s thdata d d t c mpil a xha stivli map sh wi g ach m m r

C gr ss p siti n t n trality.

Th map will display s pp rt r n t n trality acr ss th c try, a d it willals s l wh activists g ac tl ct d fcials wh d t s pp rt thill r wh hav y t t ta a sta d th iss .

This is j st way si g cr wds rci g t ild a campaig .

L t r m r xampl s ith t r .

As part o our crowdsourcing work, the Free Press outreach teamwas busy calling crowdsourcers rom our key congressionaldistricts to cultivate urther activism. A ter speaking with FreePress, one crowdsourcer agreed to write a letter to the editorurging Congress to vote or Net Neutrality legislation making acrucial leap rom online action to ofine activism.


5/6

L at this s mm r, Fr Pr ss la ch d a widg t r li t l t xp sph y grassr ts gr ps hir d y ig ph a d ca l c mpa i s t adva ch ir p litical ag da. Th s astr t r rga izati s ma y which als

w r r th h alth i s ra c , rgy d t acc i d stri s ar spr adi g

misi rmati a t n t n trality.

Th w widg t trac s th h gm ts m y that ph a da l c mpa i s sp d l yists a dampaig c tri ti s; it r v als thtradict ry a d dish st claims madt n t n trality y t p i d stry

x c tiv s; a d it p ts a sp tlight

th d c ptiv practic s gr ps liFr d mW r s, Am rica s r Pr sp rity,n tC mp titi a d th H artla dI stit t .

expl r th w widg t a d gra th

m d c d at r pr ss. t/astr t r

exp si g th Fa Grassr ts

www.free ress.ne

HoLLY MoSHeR

Holly Mosher is a monthly donor to the FreePress Action Fund. She is also an award-winning flmmaker who brings socially conscious documentaries to the public.

I have been a Free Press member orso many years now that I cant evenremember how I rst heard about theorganization.

As an independent lmmaker, I have seenthat it is now almost impossible to sellDVDs because o media consolidation.How can I compete with the giants whohave millions o dollars to advertisetheir lms and have a stranglehold onshel space? Unless a nonpro t activelypushes my lms to their lists and getsthe word out to their group across theentire country, I simply do not have themanpower or advertising strength to geton the radar o people who would want tosee my lms.

The big chains will not buy lms roman individual because it is not worththeir time to set up an account and trustthat I will be able to ul ll their ordersor take back any unsold stock. They say

that unless I can provide lms to themquarterly, it is a waste o their time. Wehave lost all the mom and pop storesacross the country, so i so ew companiesown these stores, how can I sell my lms?

donor pro le

w r i g t limi at l ph l s a dtti g th r c rd straight h w n t

n trality fts th I t r t a dh c my. It will a maj r rt v r th xt six m ths t ma s rhat th p w r l ca l a d ph

y d s t d rail this dam talpr t cti r th r a d pt r t.

This fght c ld t m r imp rta t.As S . Al Fra (D-Mi .) said

a r c t sp ch: T day, tht r t is th t w sq ar . Th mas

rs am sly said that giv ah ic tw g v r m t with t wspap rs a d wspap rs with t

g v r m t, h w ld t h sitat t

pr r th latt r. I h w r h r t day,I thi h d s th I t r t i m chth sam light.

Hist ric M m t r n t n trality ontinued rom the ront page

In the past two years alone:

C mca p n m han $45 m ll n n campa gn and l bby ng. th am am n

c ld hav p v d d n y a b adband v c 150,000 h h ld ;

V z n p n m han $70 m ll n n l bby ng. th am am n c ld hav b n

d d pl y Fios 87,500 h m ;

Qw p n $10 m ll n n l bby ng ha c ld hav p v d d b adband 5,500

l b a n y a ; and

t m Wa n Cabl p n $24 m ll n n l bby ng. th am am n c ld hav

b d z d 100,000 l w- nc m h h ld n y a b adband v c .


6/6

40 mai st., s it 301

r c , ma 01062

B e ore joining Free Press in August 2009, Policy Counsel Corie Wright served as senior counsel and adjunct clinical pro essor at the Institute or Public Representation at GeorgetownUniversity in Washington, D.C., whereshe represented a number o nonpro t public interest organizations in com-munications law. Cories past experiencesas a law clerk or the Federal Communi-cations Commission and as a reporter and producer or National Public Radioa liate WUOM (in Ann Arbor, Mich.)give her a unique perspective on mediaissues. Corie lives in Washington with her husband, Matt, and their cat, Fugli.

What sparked your interest in media is-sues, and when did you decide you wouldocus on media policy and the law?

My dad was a newspaper reporter or 30-plus years, and my mom and step ather

both worked in public television doing news and childrens programming likeSesame Street . It always struck me as anoble calling to be part o a pro ession

where your job is to give the public thequality in ormation and content that they want and need.

When I went to law school, I got a job asa law clerk at the Federal Communica-tions Commission. That experience really

impressed upon me how much the deci-sions o Congress and ederal regulatorscould infuence the media landscape. It

was ascinating legal work, but it alsostruck a personal note, given my upbring-ing. In some ways, I think doing mediapolicy is my way o urthering that legacy.

Working to put structures and tools inplace that help people like my parents todo their jobs is really satis ying to me.

Th Wright St A I t rvi w with P licy C s l C ri Wright StAFF SpOtlIght

Free Press Fall 2009 Newsletter

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