Welcome to the August edition of the Free Press Update, our monthly newsletter recapping as much of our work from the last month as we can fit into one email. Let’s get started:

Happy Anniversary, Free Press!

Free Press turned 20 on Aug. 14, 2023 — marking two decades of our fight to transform our media system.

As this date has approached, our co-CEO Craig Aaron has been thinking a lot about the importance of sharing our history and telling our own story.

We know that when the history books are written, all too often the story ends up being what a public official said or how The Wall Street Journal framed an issue. The edges are dulled. The context is lost. The activists are erased. We lose the story of how change actually happened and who sparked it. Find a comfy chair and read Craig’s blog post capturing key highlights from Free Press’ amazing history.

Once you’ve finished reading Craig’s blog, check out our editor Amy Kroin’s Q&A with Free Press co-founder Kimberly Longey for insight into how she helped get our organization off the ground.

Tell Congress to Pass the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act!

Right now law-enforcement agencies like the FBI are violating our constitutional rights by purchasing our online data — including our location and search histories — without a warrant. They’re exploiting a loophole in the Fourth Amendment, which is supposed to prohibit law-enforcement agencies from carrying out unlawful searches and seizures.

But Congress can take action: There is currently bipartisan support to close this loophole with the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (FANFSA). It’s urgent your representative and senators hear from you to get this legislation over the finish line: Add your name today.

Protecting People Who Search Online for Abortion Information

Here’s why it's so important to pass this bill: Last June, Free Press sounded the alarm on the grim privacy violations people in this country would face in a post-Roe v. Wade America.

Then, not two months later, we found out that Facebook gave Nebraska law enforcement access to a 17-year-old’s private Facebook messages to prosecute her for having an abortion.

Just last month the teenager was sentenced to 90 days in jail, while her mother faces up to five years in prison. Meanwhile, companies like Google are still retaining sensitive location data about health-care visits — including visits to abortion clinics — despite committing to do the exact opposite after we petitioned the company to do more. Read our blog post for more info about what’s at stake in this fight.

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 monthly View from the Field blog — you can read the entire post!

• Campaign Manager Rose Lang-Maso moderated a panel discussion at Netroots called “From Storytelling to Tech Policy Reform: Activism for Social Change.” The conversation examined how activists and policy experts of color can work together to combat hate, disinformation and other dangerous online forces.
• Reparative Journalism Program Manager Diamond Hardiman and Vice President of Cultural Strategy and Media 2070 Project Director Collette Watson joined veteran journalist Richard Prince for a roundtable discussion considering whether the media have improved their coverage of crime since maligning the Central Park Five — now known as the Exonerated Five. One of the participants was the attorney for Korey Wise, one of the unjustly incarcerated teenagers.
• Policy Director Joshua Stager participated in a Broadband Breakfast panel discussion about forthcoming FCC labels that will disclose the cost and basic terms of internet-service plans. “Consumers are all too familiar with broadband bills that bury junk fees and service terms in the fine print,” Josh noted earlier this year. “People deserve to know what they’re paying for, and this label will help.”

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. Will you donate today to power our work forward? With Congress back in session next month after a long summer recess, we’re gearing up for a busy fall. Any amount you can give now will help us plan ahead.

Thank you for everything you do to help power our movement,

All of us at Free Press and Free Press Action
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