| Welcome to the March 2024 edition of the Free Press Update, our newsletter recapping as much of our work from the last month as we can fit into one email. Let’s get into it:
20 Years of Free Press: The Celebration Last week, so many of our worlds came together for our 20th-anniversary event in D.C. — from our co-founders to our newest staffer, who was just six days into her job here. We also welcomed FCC and FTC officials past and present, longtime allies and advisers, and so many donors and event sponsors we’re grateful to have in our corner.
If you couldn’t make it in person, we know you were with us in spirit. We thought we’d share one of our favorite photos from the event. We hope it conveys some of the great warmth and energy that were in the room (and especially outside on the deck during a lovely March night).
Hundreds of Members of Congress Support New Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program Earlier this month, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D–New York) — who introduced the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R–Pennsylvania) in the House — announced that more than 140 additional members of Congress had joined as co-sponsors! Sen. Peter Welch (D–Vermont) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) have also introduced this legislation in the Senate.
The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act would provide an additional $7 billion to save the initiative that has connected more than 23 million low-income households to high-speed internet. Read the press release for the inside scoop on where Free Press Action is in this fight. With your help, we can get this bill passed:
An Interview With Two of Free Press’ Co-Founders, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols Our co-CEO Craig Aaron sat down for a special conversation with two of Free Press’ co-founders, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols. McChesney is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois and Nichols is the national affairs correspondent for The Nation.
They discussed Free Press’ founding, news deserts, movement-building and so much more. You can read the full Q&A here.
The First Amendment Is Under Attack at the Supreme Court Late last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether state governments should be allowed to dictate how Big Tech companies like Google and Meta moderate speech on their social-media platforms. The cases before the court are in response to laws in Republican-led Florida and Texas that forbid platforms from taking down or even deemphasizing any posts based on their viewpoints — even if such posts violate platform rules against hate and disinformation.
Free Press Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights Nora Benavidez said: "While we believe that the platforms should strengthen their content-moderation policies, the First Amendment is clear: It’s not the government’s role to impose rules on how companies like Meta and Google should accomplish this."
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. Below are just a few snippets from our latest View from the Field blog — you can read the entire post! - Internet Campaign Director Heather Franklin and Vice President of Policy and General Counsel Matt Wood attended the Net Inclusion conference in Philadelphia, where they co-led the workshop “Digital Equity Advocacy 101.” They trained participants to influence policymakers at the federal level. The workshop focused on concrete ways to save the Affordable Connectivity Program, which subsidizes high-speed internet access for people living near the poverty line or enrolled in federal-aid programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
- Matt also took part in the panel discussion “The High Court and Online Expression: Deciphering the Legal Landscape” at State of the Net. This panel delved into the Supreme Court’s pivotal role in determining the boundaries of free speech online. The conversation examined Supreme Court cases poised to redefine the parameters of online expression.
- News Voices Director Vanessa Maria Graber took part in the panel discussion “Antiracist Journalism: Reimagining the Future of Crime Coverage” at Villanova University and the discussion “Antiracist Journalism: Making Philly Media More Equitable” at the University of Pennsylvania. Both events featured some of the cases and people highlighted in Andrea Wenzel’s book Antiracist Journalism: The Challenge of Creating Equitable Local News. The conversations explored ways to reimagine what local newsrooms and newsroom accountability can look like.
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Thank you for reading! The info here represents only a small fraction of what Free Press and Free Press Action are doing every day to fight for your rights to connect and communicate. With so many urgent fights on the horizon as Trump emerges as the official Republican presidential nominee, will you make a gift today? We rely on contributions from grassroots donors like you because we don't take a cent from business, government or political parties.
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