Pennsylvania

Post-Pennsylvania Spin Drowns Out McCain

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:23:23 -0700

The week began with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton bashing each other with negative TV ads on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary. It ended with the prospect of a longer, tougher contest after Clinton’s win, and with the volatile issue of race again occupying a prominent place in the media narrative.

Pennsylvania Changed Nothing, But Cable News's Need to Hype Overrides Reality

Stevie Converse — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:52:48 -0700

So, where are we after the epic seven-week-long, make-or-break campaign for Pennsylvania? About the same place we were before it.

As Pennsylvania Primary Heats Up, More in the Media Invest in Race

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:55:24 -0700

Despite concerns that downsizing has left the news media diminished in their ability to report big stories, news outlets have rarely been more ambitious than they are today covering one of the biggest in decades -- the race for the White House.

The ABC Debate and the Danger to Democracy

Megan Tady — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:09:00 -0700

Despairing, disgusting and disheartening – those words are flying around today to describe ABC’s irresponsible Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night.

Here’s another one – dangerous.

ABC’s failure to ask tough questions, act as a watchdog and hold our leaders accountable is not an anomaly. It is a testament to our broken media system.

Franchise, Phone Bills Percolate in Pennsylvania

Stevie Converse — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:59:41 -0700

Pennsylvania lawmakers may consider a state franchising-reform bill, but the industries most affected by that bill, the cable and telephone companies, are teaming up to put their lobbying muscle behind deregulating voice-over-Internet protocol phone service.

Academic Research for Media Reform

Amit Schejter — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:40:00 -0800

The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) has become the
meeting place for media reform advocates, activists, media makers,
educators, journalists and other citizens concerned about the state of
American media. In recent years, there has been growing interest in how
academics can tie their research to a reform agenda.

The Academic Symposium for Scholars, co-hosted by Pennsylvania
State University, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), and Free
Press, will be held the day before the NCMR. The Symposium will be a
forum for presenting new research about reform movement issues and for
promoting dialogue between academics and media
reform proponents. It will be held at a hotel adjacent to the
convention center where the NCMR will be held. Academics and media
reform activists are encouraged to attend and pre-registration for both
events is required.

Definitely Not Comcastic

Adam Lynn — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:25:00 -0700

In the latest example of why control over the Internet should not be left to the telephone and cable companies, the Associated Press (via here but with some original research) reports that Comcast has blocked its customers from using BitTorrent technology (If this upsets you don’t look here).

Why Low Power FM Radio Saves Lives

hannahjs — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:30:00 -0700

Hey folks -- Hannah Sassaman at the Prometheus Radio Project here.
I'm looking forward to learning about this site and posting more on my
favorite form of independent media -- low power FM radio
stations.

For now, here's some info about a great station in Immokalee,
Florida -- to whet your appetite for the battle to expand accountable,
strong, local community radio to your neighborhood! It's a repost from
my not-oft-posted main blog -- Hannah Sassaman -- Banned from the National Association of Broadcasters Since 2002.

-- Hannah Sassaman, Prometheus Radio Project

Up the Creek Without a Radio Station, Part II

Thanks to Free Press for getting the word out about Gerardo Reyes Chavez's incredible testimony at the FCC Media Ownership hearing in Tampa, Florida yesterday. Gerardo is a senior leader from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers,
one of the most influential and effective farmworker labor
organizations in the world -- they recently triumphed over McDonalds in
a battle to get the giant corporation to pay workers a fair wage for
their labor in America's fields. (Watch a PBS piece on their victory, produced by NOW).

This Week's Media Minutes

candace.jeanne — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:20:00 -0700

This week on Media Minutes, the weekly 5-minute podcast dedicated to media and democracy:

Support of Affordable High Speed Internet for America and Internet Neutrality

ProgRock — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:24:00 -0700

Democrats,

On July 15th, 2007 the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party passed the following resolution in favor of Net Neutrality and affordable high speed Internet for America.

The adoption of this resolution was made possible by the unprecedented cooperation of both the Labor Caucus and the Progressive Caucus of the CDP. Working together over the months following the CDP convention in San Diego, representatives of both caucuses, led by Jim Gordon, chair of the Labor Caucus and Brad Parker, officer of the Progressive Caucus, were able to craft a resolution that addressed the concerns of both groups and Americans as a whole. Once again, after 100 years of organizing and political activism, Progressives and Union members have found common cause. Our hope is that this resolution will become a blueprint for legislation across the country that preserves Internet integrity with open, equal and impartial access and Net Neutrality. Further, that the build out of high speed Internet be undertaken as a public utility maintained by union members bringing affordable broadband Internet access to all Americans.

No issue of public governance is more critical at this time in our history than the immediate need for every level of government to pass and enforce legislation to embody the principles of this resolution. Therefore, we call upon every Democrat in America to send this resolution to every elected official across the nation and to insist that Net Neutrality and affordable high speed Internet become the law of the land.

Net Neutrality Supporters Meet with Rep. Doyle

Ira Horowitz — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:28:00 -0700

Last week a group of Free Press activists attended a meeting with Rep. Mike Doyle (D - Pa.) to thank him for his continued support of Net Neutrality and discuss other important issues facing the future of the Internet.