8/7/2019 Freepress Newsletter Fall 2010

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40 main st., suite 301

orence, ma 01062

318

Aparna Sridhar has never given

serious thought to working or

anything but the public interest. Her

ocus on systemic problems in

media, elections and the judiciary

system began in high school. No

matter what you think about the

environment or immigration or oreign

policy or health care those three

things all together determine how

decisions get made.

The daughter o a physicist and an

aeronautical engineer, Aparna grew

up in the heart o Caliornias Silicon

Valley. A research project on the Warren

Court sparked her ascination with the

idea o law as a way to make social and

political change.

Aparna graduated rom Harvard and

got her law degree rom Stanord. She

started out as an election lawyer at a

private law frm, but her desire to do

more policy-ocused work led her to the

media feld. I wanted to do something

that was more cross-cutting, she says.

And working or Free Press just seems

like the right place at the right time.

As policy counsel or Free Press,

Aparna works on litigation, policy

and strategy. She described a typical

day: sta meeting at the ofce; a visit

to meet FCC Commissioner Mignon

Clyburns new chie o sta; phone

calls with proessors about broadband

issues; a strategy session back at the

ofce; and time spent doing research

and writing on Net Neutrality and the

reclassifcation o broadband under the

Communications Act.

I really like that I work or anorganization where everyone is working

toward the same goal. In Washington,

I think, that working with people that

are committed to a set o principles

is a privilege. O course, she muses,

there are other organizations that are

committed to principles. But they may

be working toward the wrong set o

principles, she says with an easy laugh.

Away rom the ofce, Aparna likes

to cook (anything with lemon and

garlic), listen to music (Mates oState

and Au Revoir Simone are current

avorites), and has a longstanding

allegiance to This American Life. Shes

also a runner who enjoys competing in

5k and 10k races.

Aparnas mission: Fast, aordable

broadband or everyone and preserving

an open and vibrant Internet, especially

or noncommercial purposes. And

making sure that the FCC is a

regulatory agency that oversees this

really critical inrastructure. Whether

or not well get there during my time at

Free Press, or even in our lietime, is anopen question. But its a battle worth

fghting.

Apowerul new voice or Net

Neutrality has arrived on the scene

with the launch o Latinos or Internet

Freedom.

Comprised o more than 50 national,

regional and local organizations,

Latinos or Internet Freedom is working

to ensure that the Internet continues

to provide Latinos with good jobs,

health care, education, small business

innovation, connection to community

and powerul organizing tools.

Using the Internet to educate peopleand promote their cause online, Latino

groups were able to stop SB 1070,

Arizonas dangerous and discriminatory

racial profling law, organize 6 million

people to march or immigrant rights in

2006, and orce CNN to fre anchor Lou

Dobbs or airing anti-immigrant views

on his show every night.

But a powerul

industry with deep

pockets is using lies

and scare tactics

to convince civil

rights groups that

Net Neutrality will

widen the digital

divide. Latinos or

Internet Freedom,

working closely with

Free Press and other

SavetheInternet.com

coalition members,is working to expose

this and other bogus

industry claims.

Meeting with members

o Congress, the FCC and the White

House, and reaching out to other

organizations, Latinos or Internet

Freedom is fghting to make s

the Internet continues to serv

great equalizer o our times

To learn more, visit latinonetli

Joseph Torreso Free Press(let)joinswith othermembers o

InternetFreedom atthe Facing Race conerence in Chicago.

Photobyamaliadeloney.

Latinos Organize or Internet Freedom

Public Would Lose ifComcas Deal Is Approved

Imagine i yourlocalcable company,

Internet service providerand broadcast

station were allowned by the same

corporation.Then imagine thatcorporation

also ownedcable channels,a major

broadcastnetwork anda movie studio.

Soundar-etched? I Comcastsucceeds

in itsbidto acquire NBCUniversal, this

nightmare couldbecome reality or

millionso American consumers.

Comcastis the nationslargest cable

company,largest Internet service provider,

andaleading providero regionalcable

sportsandnetwork news.NBCis one o just

ournational broadcastnetworks, an icon

o nationalandlocalnewsanda producer

o populartelevision programming.

Analystshave estimatedthat i the merger

isapproved, Comcast-NBCcould control

one in every ve hourso television

viewing in Comcastmarkets,andasmuch

asaquartero channelson the most

popularcable packages.The merger

wouldmean higherpricesor consumers

andewer choicesin programming and

services,and itwould stie innovation in

the emerging marketo ronline video.

Free Press,along with otherconsumer,

laborand industry groups,is opposing the

merger,which wouldharm consumers,

innovation andcompetition. Tenso

thousandso people have already weighed

in againstthe deal,which is underreview

by the Department o Justice andthe

FederalCommunications Commission.Both

agenciesare expectedto reach adecision

on the dealby early 2011.To addyour

voice andhelpstopthismerger,go to

www.reepress.net/comcast

www.freepress.ne

Sta Profle: Aparna Sridhar,Free Press Policy Counsel

Free PressPolicy CounselAparnaSridhar

8/7/2019 Freepress Newsletter Fall 2010

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This is a public service announcement: Fake news is invading

our airwaves. In an age when consumers can mute and ast-

orward commercial breaks, advertisers are looking or ways to sell

you products where you least expect it: in your local newscast.

Fake news is advertising that is embedded in news segments

and disguised as real news. Youve seen it beore though

you might not realize it. A news story about popular cars or a

hospital oering a new cancer treatment is eatured in a nightly

newscast. The problem is the segment was paid or by the car

manuacturer or hospital itsel and placed by a PR frm. And your

local station never disclosed that to you.

Or a paid expert will appear on live newscasts purporting to be

an authority on something. Stations provide these spokespeople

with a ree platorm to pitch products they have, in some cases,

been paid over $10,000 an item to promote. These promotional

spots are never disclosed to viewers as paid advertisements, and

understaed newsrooms all over the country are increasingly

airing ake news because it saves them the time and expense oproducing real news.

Fake news has no place in our newscasts, and its clearly against

Federal Communications Commission rules. The FCC, however,

has let a large, well-documented body o complaints lingering

and has yet to stop the practice. The longer the agency sits on its

hands, the urther the ake news invasion spreads.

Disappoining Resuls

In 2006 and 2007, Free Press and the Center or Media and

Democracy (CMD) led the charge against ake news and sent a

petition to the FCC, backed by tens o thousands o supporters,

urging the agency to curb the practice. CMDs research ound

110 TV stations that had aired ake news, and documen ted 138

instances o undisclosed ake news.

Five years later, only two o these 138 complaints have resulted

in action by the FCC, totaling a measly $20,000 in fnes that have

never been paid. Hardly a stellar record o enorcement.

And while the FCC drags its eet, ake news continues to ester. Last

month, ater the Los Angeles Times revealed new instances o ake

news, we again asked the FCC to hold broadcasters accountable.

More Documenaion Needed

Little threat o disciplinary action means its open season or

broadcasters to keep airing ake news. The Los Angeles Times

has documented new instances o ake news on 10 TV stations

across the country. Elizabeth Werner is a toy expert (read:

spokesperson), who

was hired by DWJ

Television, which has in

turn received big bucks

to promote toys via

satellite media tours.

Further research yields

plenty o other DWJ

sales pitches. In one

segment, Lisa Beres, a

certifed green building

expert, touts products

that purport to keep

your home sae rom

dangerous toxins. She

goes rom station to

station with her table o

goodies, making claims

that an air purifer

(available at Lowes.

com!) in every room will protect you rom a newly

home that is releasing chemicals. Whatever your o

green-washing, this aint news, olks. Its advertisin

Dear Friend,

Seven years ago, a handul o us took a bold step: In the ace

o undeniable and mounting threats to critical journalism

and reedom o expression in the United States, we created

a national media advocacy organization to deend and

promote the public interest, no matter who is at the helm

in Washington.

What began with three sta and a handul o activists is today

a team o nearly 40 and a movement o hal a million people working together to

saeguard the universal, aordable, uncensored Internet and hard-hitting journalism that

our democracy depends on.

So much has changed because o our eorts. The public is no longer shut out o media

policymaking sessions where industry giants once wrote the rules behind closed doors.

We have a seat at the table and a voice that cannot be ignored. Our accomplishments

have come about through the activism and nancial support o hundreds o thousands

o individuals and oundations across the country.

And yet, so much remains to be done. For America to continue to be a global leader,

our media system must be democratic, diverse and trusted. But our media policy is too

tightly tethered to the inuence o industry. The result: Our media system is holdi ng us

back instead o serving as the engine that propels us orward.

As I look ahead to our next seven years, I anticipate many new challenges that will

test our commitment and stamina. Huge mergers like Comcast-NBC continue to pose

a threat; powerul corporations like Comcast and AT&T are spending tens o millions

to put up toll booths on the Internet; and newsrooms are closing every year, leaving

Americans with ewer and ewer sources o original reporting.

We know that every issue we care about, rom education to the environment, rom

health care to the economy, depends on the work we are doing to oster a connected,

inormed electorate. But we need to get the word out to an even broader audience and

get them involved. So please, tell your amily, riends and anyone else who will listen

about Free Press and media reorm. Forward our e-mails, blog posts, tweets and more

and ask them to join this movement.

And nally: Thank you or your tireless support and proound commitment to better

media and a better democracy. Its because o you that Free Press has built a reputation

as a tireless public watchdog. Heres to the next seven years!

Onward,

Josh Silver

President and CEO

FreePress

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BoardsofDirecors

TimWu, Chair

Columbia UniversityLaw School

MarcyCarsey

CarseyWerner Company

LizaCohenPike

ResourceMedia

OlgaM. Davidson

WellesleyCollege

KimGandy

Feminist Majority

MaxieC. JacksonIII

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

MartinKaplan

Universityof Southern California

Annenberg SchoolforCommunication

Robert W. McChesney

UniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-Champaign

JohnNichols

CapitalTimes

LorisAnn Taylor

NativePublicMedia

Abou

Media Reform News ispublished

byFree Press, anational, nonpartisan

organizationworking toreorm themedia.

Contents2010 FreePress.

LEttER F R O M th E PR ESI D EN t/ CEO Stop the Fake News Invasion

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he National Conferfor Media Re

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