public media

Media Minutes: November 18, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:58:34 -0500

Internet companies and public interest groups are fighting a bill that could legalize Internet censorship. The Stop Online Piracy Act would allow corporations to shut down websites they suspect of copyright infringment and freeze payments to content providers and advertisers — all without a court hearing. And while the nation focuses on federal cuts to public media institutions like NPR and PBS, a new report shows how a quiet effort to cut state funding is eliminating stations, programming and jobs.

The Pivotal Role of Public Television

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:01:10 -0500

Full article: Huffington Post
Bill Moyers
In a recent keynote address, legendary journalist Bill Moyers asked the question, "In times like these, what do we do as public broadcasters?"

Media Minutes: October 28, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:54:47 -0400

Where commercial media are consolidating and slashing newsroom jobs, vibrant local journalism nonprofits are popping up across the country to fill the gaps. But they’ve hit one big bureaucratic snag with the IRS. And PBS talk-show host Tavis Smiley turned to the Media Mobilizing Project to help organize and document his series on poverty in America.

A Grassroots Newscast Gives a Voice to Struggles

Stevie Converse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:47:24 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Brian Stelter
Amy Goodman, journalist and host of <em>Democracy Now!</em>, says the media can be "the greatest force for peace on earth" for "it is how we come to understand each other." But she asserted that the views of a majority of Americans had been "silenced by the corporate media." She believes we have to take back the media by telling stories that are ignored, misreported or underreported by corporate media outlets.

Media Minutes: September 9, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:43:58 -0400

Over the last few weeks, more than 80 Free Press advocates from across the country met with legislators and their staffs to voice the public’s perspective on media issues like the AT&T-T-Mobile merger, Net Neutrality and community media.

Victories of People-Powered Lobbying

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:17:22 -0400

Full article: SavetheInternet.com
Candace Clement
Over the last two weeks, more than 80 Free Press activists from across the country have met with members of Congress and their staff to provide the public's perspective on a range of media issues -- including the AT&T–T-Mobile merger. In these visits policymakers heard not from lobbyists and lawyers but from people who are impacted by the decisions made in Washington.

Rural Texas Station Critical Resource During Recent Wildfire

Stevie Converse — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:57:00 -0400

Full article: NPR
Emily Hellewell
As a brush fire quickly spread across ranch lands in far west Texas, tiny public radio station, KRTS, was the only local broadcaster in the listening area. With lives at stake, the small crew went to work broadcasting critical emergency alerts and information to their community.

Media Minutes: January 28, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:32:27 -0500

Oscar will have plenty to be grouchy about if bills in Congress become law. Three bills are circulating that would cut or even entirely eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting. And what is it about a 78-year old widow that Fox News commentator Glenn Beck finds so terrifying?

Republican Threat to Defund NPR Fails

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:51:09 -0500

Full article: Free Press
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) tried to cut off federal funding for NPR by bringing a vote to the House floor. While the measure failed, this political stunt is part of a larger though unpopular effort to undermine one of America's most consistently trusted sources of news and information.

Free Press: Public Media Cuts Not the Answer to Deficit Reduction

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:07:38 -0500

WASHINGTON – The National Commission for Fiscal Responsibility and Reform today issued its draft recommendations for reducing the national deficit. Those recommendations call for the elimination of all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization that provides funds to PBS, NPR and hundreds of local outlets around the country.