FCC Commissioner Gomez Raises Alarm About Free-Speech Crisis

On May 28, Free Press hosted the Los Angeles stop on FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez’s First Amendment tour. The two-hour-plus event brought together journalists, elected officials, advocates and community members to discuss how unconstitutional efforts to suppress free expression are harming communities in Los Angeles and nationwide. The gathering took place on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles.

The audience was standing-room-only as around 80 attendees packed a small venue for a lively session divided into three parts: a panel discussion, a public-comments section and final remarks from Commissioner Gomez and Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25).

Free speech is under attack

During the panel discussion, which Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González moderated, Commissioner Gomez told the audience that free-press protections are facing unprecedented threats. She pointed to what she described as a pattern of political interference across public broadcasting and online platforms — and warned that federal agencies are being used to suppress dissent, tactics that Free Press has been monitoring.

“Freedom of the press requires journalists that are able to do their job without interference from their corporate parents. We are not seeing that today because of the actions of this administration and it is so dangerous. We all need to understand what is happening and we need people to speak up and to push back,” Gomez said.

Alejandra Santamaria, president and CEO of Southern California Public Radio (LAist), discussed the FCC investigation into her station — and the broader consequences of funding threats to public media.

“LAist has always been very diligent in not only adhering to the FCC rules in our underwriting, which is our sponsorship funding on the radio, but also documenting it,” Santamaria said. “So we feel very confident that we are ready to address any questions.”

Dr. Safiya U. Noble, UCLA professor and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, expanded the focus to digital media. She criticized algorithms for amplifying harassment — particularly against women and communities of color — and cautioned that administration policies could worsen these problems, especially if continued threats against higher education also continue.

“I think threats against students, professors, community members and educational institutions are completely intertwined with the threats against media and journalists, ” she said. “And we have to be completely clear about that and we need the media reporting on that. This coordinated effort to undermine public goods and public institutions is a cornerstone of this administration, and we have to have the courage to speak up.”

Gabriel Lerner, editor emeritus of La Opinión, drew parallels to his experience reporting under authoritarian regimes and warned against complacency.

“In Argentina, the attack on the press started with self-censorship, economic pressure, blacklisting of journalists, censorship of whole publications, arrests, interventions, expropriation and closure of publications — up to the disappearances and murder of 131 journalists, not including dozens of students of journalism,” he said. “So, let’s learn from our experience in other countries. Let’s learn from history.”

Members of the public sound the alarm

Following the panel discussion, journalists, nonprofit leaders and community members had an opportunity to share their thoughts with Commissioner Gomez and Rep. Ruiz.

Carmelita Ramírez-Sanchez of the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory and KQBH 101.5 noted that young people in the Los Angeles area are being excluded from the important debate of why journalism is essential to a thriving democracy.

“If you go into media rooms in Los Angeles, you don’t hear their voices. You don’t see them in this space. So, it’s a little hard to tell young people they should trust us, when they don’t see themselves in your newsrooms,” she said.

Former state senator Connie Leyva, who is the executive director at public-media station KVCR, added that she is working with former statehouse colleagues to make “tech companies pay. They are the ones who have ruined local journalism with some of their platforms. Why shouldn’t they pay for a portion of that? Why shouldn’t they pay to make sure we have people on the ground who are actually reporting?”

Efrain Escobedo, president and CEO of the Center for Nonprofit Management, called for expanding the conversation. “How is media going to partner with the other sectors, particularly with the other nonprofit sectors, with community sectors? I’ve spent my entire career really achieving great things with media and community partnerships,” he said. “And I feel that because we let those slide over the last 10 years, media kind of stands a little bit alone because they said we’re going to focus on facts and maybe not have enough resources to focus on community partnerships and advanced campaigns.”

Francesco Cañas of Radio Jornalera shared similar comments, noting that the FCC must continue promoting diversity, localism and competition in the media.

“From our experience organizing from immigrant and working-class communities, we see how these principles are under threat due to censorship of dissenting voices and the rise of racist and authoritarian policies,” he said. “We just wanted to really emphasize the importance of concrete measures to ensure that community-media outlets — especially those serving immigrant and working-class communities — have the support and protection necessary to continue to exercise their right to free expression without fear of retaliation or exclusion from the media ecosystem.”

A call to action

In the closing portion of the event, Rep. Ruiz, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, linked attacks on the press to broader threats against democratic governance. He emphasized the need for strategies to counter the spread of disinformation, particularly among younger audiences on social media.

“The fight is at a much higher level right now,” he said. “The fight is [over the] survival of the free press. The fight is [over] the independence of journalists. The fight is also for what Commissioner Gomez says, which is the pillar of our democracy. You in the press and journalists are an important check on power.”

At the end of the event, Commissioner Gomez urged attendees to keep going. 

“I heard you’re tired,” she said. “It’s a little early to be tired. Let’s hope that we get inspired and are lifted up by each other as we work to protect our precious democracy that can be very fragile but also very strong because we are strong.”

The event closed with a call to action as Free Press encouraged attendees to protect the First Amendment, resist efforts to silence the press and sign our pledge to defend free speech for all. Organizers said continued public engagement will be critical to protecting independent journalism.

Check out the livestream of this important conversation below — and donate to help Free Press keep fighting to protect free speech: