Welcome to the March edition of our new monthly newsletter! It was another busy month at Free Press and we have a lot to cover — let’s get right to it.

A Smear Campaign Defeated Gigi Sohn. We Can’t Let It Happen Again.

After enduring endless attacks, Gigi Sohn withdrew her nomination to serve on the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.

This ends a two-year fight to put an accomplished public servant in the important fifth seat at the FCC. In the end, after nearly 500 days, multiple confirmation hearings and a relentless industry-orchestrated campaign against her, Sohn didn’t have enough votes in the Senate to move forward.

We’re furious — and determined to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Will you add your name to our petition calling on President Biden to pick a new nominee ASAP for the vacant seat at the FCC? We need a nominee who will prioritize people over corporations and support policies that can actually hold powerful entities accountable.

Why NPR’s Layoffs Are A Public-Policy Problem

The news that NPR is cutting 10 percent of its staff to make up a budget shortfall of $30 million is worrying, especially for the reason its chief executive cited: a “sharp decline in our revenues from corporate sponsors.”

Of course, the real culprit isn’t the drop in corporate advertising; it’s our nation’s failure to adequately fund noncommercial media. Read Senior Director of Strategy and Communications Timothy Karr’s breakdown of what this means for the future of journalism and our democracy.

Florida Senate Bill 1316 Must Be Deep-Sixed

A bill introduced in the Florida legislature earlier this month would force “bloggers” who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, his administration or members of the state legislature to register with state authorities or face potential fines. Yes, you read that correctly.

This bill follows a frightening pattern of authoritarianism and anti-free speech legislation in the United States — it must be soundly rejected by all of us. Will you add your name to our petition calling on the Florida legislature to kill the blatantly unconstitutional, deeply un-American Senate Bill 1316?

A Second Chance for Donald Trump on Facebook?! 😠

Two months ago, Meta decided to allow Donald Trump to return to its platforms — despite overwhelming evidence that he used them to help incite the Jan. 6 insurrection. Ahead of his anticipated indictment and potential arrest — Trump recently returned to Facebook and began posting again.

Trump’s back on Facebook thanks to a second chance he didn’t deserve. Meta must hold Trump to the same content-moderation standards as the rest of us. If you agree, sign your name to our petition to Mark Zuckerberg today.

A View From the Field

Check out the latest updates from the field as Free Press and Free Press Action staffers work alongside our amazing allies and activists to create a more just and equitable media system. (This is just a snippet from our monthly View from the Field blog — you can read the entire post here!)

The Media 2070 team continued to tour its award-winning documentary Black in the Newsroom, which chronicles a young journalist’s experience with systemic racism at The Arizona Republic. In February, the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University hosted a screening. Afterwards, Joseph Torres, Free Press’ senior advisor of reparative policy and programs, moderated a discussion featuring several distinguished journalists.

Mike Rispoli, senior director of journalism and civic information, took part in the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit. Mike spoke during a panel discussion on how public funding can be used to inform communities. He discussed the New Jersey Civic Info Consortium, which Free Press Action played a key role in establishing. Since 2021, the consortium has distributed millions of dollars in grants focused on diversifying journalism, improving government transparency, providing community-health news and better serving communities of color and immigrant communities.

Joseph Torres took part in “The Crisis This Time: Media, Movements, and Abolition in a Time of Rupture,” a conference co-hosted by the Media, Inequality & Change Center and Rutgers University. The event examined how social, economic and ecological crises are deepening longstanding inequalities on a global scale. Joe spoke during the panel discussion “Mediating the Crisis,” which explored how the media can support social movements.

Other Free Press Updates

On March 16, the FCC voted to begin a rulemaking process to implement the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022. The Act, which President Biden signed into law earlier this year, strengthens the agency’s authority to cap the costs of communications services in prisons and allow incarcerated individuals to stay connected to their loved ones — without paying exorbitant fees to profit-seeking providers. Learn more here.

Earlier this month, the #StopToxicTwitter coalition sent letters to Anheuser-Busch and Apple that call on the companies to join the mass exodus of advertisers from Twitter and stop all advertising on the platform. Anheuser-Busch and Apple are two of the largest advertisers to remain on the platform and have accounted for millions of dollars in advertising revenue in the months since Elon Musk took over the social-media company. Learn more here.

Credit for photo of NPR: Flickr user James Cridland