Free Press

Does Astroturf Ever Die?

Timothy Karr | Posted 10.16.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

These fake grassroots groups have scored some amazing successes. Working together with lobbyists and a pack of sputtering media pundits, they've bullied Washington's timid leadership.

Vikram Buddhi, Anti-Bush Blogger, Wrongfully Jailed, Says Family (VIDEO)

Russia Today | Posted 10.15.2009 | World


The case of an Indian student jailed in the U.S. more than three years ago, is being seen as a major test of America's human rights. A jury found Vik...

Washington Post Needs to Come Clean on Net Neutrality

Timothy Karr | Posted 10.05.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

On Sept. 28, the paper printed a full-fledged editorial against Net Neutrality without revealing to readers that the Washington Post Co. has an economic incentive to block online speech.

Fighting the Zombies: Ten Ways to Debunk Telco Shills

Timothy Karr | Posted 10.02.2009 | Technology


Timothy Karr

What does the debate over Net Neutrality have in common with a zombie horror flick? As the phone and cable companies send out a brainless horde of shills and lobbyists, it's not hard to make the connection.

FCC Chief 'Boldly' Commits to Net Neutrality

Timothy Karr | Posted 09.22.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

The fight for Net Neutrality just took a big step forward on Monday with the chair of the Federal Communications Commission announcing plans to expand the rules to protect a free and open Internet.

What Beck, Dobbs and Limbaugh Are Really Afraid Of

Timothy Karr | Posted 09.16.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

The ultimate irony of Beck, Dobbs and Rush is that they couch in populist rhetoric a message that is anti-populist, designed to protect the swindle at the core of our media system's failure.

Save Talk Radio!

Sue Wilson | Posted 09.17.2009 | Media


Sue Wilson

It is clear that the "right" has been quietly assembling troops and is now mounting their attack, an attack largely unanticipated by media reformers.

Want to Change the Media? Be a Lobbyist

Craig Aaron | Posted 10.20.2009 | Media


Craig Aaron

There's going to be a second stimulus package at some point. And when it comes, we need to make sure it's not just an economic stimulus. It should be a creativity stimulus, too.

Saving Journalism: Howard Kurtz Is Wrong, Dan Rather Is Right

Josh Silver | Posted 09.18.2009 | Media


Josh Silver

Kurtz asserts that the journalism crisis is not a political issue, but the result of economic and technological forces alone. If only that were true.

Seven Reasons Why We Need Net Neutrality Now

Timothy Karr | Posted 09.03.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 establishes the basic rules of the road for an open Internet. Its arrival couldn't be more timely -- we must act to pass this bill.

Is AT&T Secretly Controlling Your iPhone? The FCC Wants to Know (And So Should You)

Timothy Karr | Posted 09.01.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

As millions of users are opting to upgrade to Internet-enabled "smart phones," carriers have begun blocking access to applications and the free-flowing Web by controlling what these phones can and can't do.

The New Media Epiphany

Marcia G. Yerman | Posted 08.31.2009 | Media


Marcia G. Yerman

Two years ago, I had a personal epiphany at the Personal Democracy Forum: New media could change everything... From communications to politics to culture. At PDF '09: more revelations.

The Other Obama Nominee

Timothy Karr | Posted 08.14.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

As the first African-American woman commissioner, she represents progressive change that is deeply in sync with the transformation of D.C. politics that Obama is trying to realize.

Helping Iran Target Iranians

Timothy Karr | Posted 08.10.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

The open Internet's power cuts both ways: The tools that organize and empower people can also be used to target them. Companies that profit from this technology need to be held to a higher standard.

Buying, Selling and Producing Mind Numbing News

Patricia DeGennaro | Posted 08.08.2009 | Media


Patricia DeGennaro

Neither September 11th or the worst economic downturn in history has managed to snap people out of their dreamlike delusions of why we should continue the quest to mediocrity.

News for Sale

Timothy Karr | Posted 08.02.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

Journalism is in crisis around the country, but selling access to reporters and editors to the highest bidder (as the Washington Post did) should never be an option.

New FCC Chair Brings Us One Step Closer to Net Neutrality

Timothy Karr | Posted 07.27.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

Expect Chairman Genachowski to turn his attention to bringing more choice to a broadband market controlled by a cartel of phone and cable companies.

If You Love the iPhone, Set It Free

Timothy Karr | Posted 07.20.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

We are at the dawn of the era of a true mobile Internet but cell carriers are still playing gatekeepers to the next generation of innovation. Imagine what the new iPhone would be if we only set it free.

Poddala Jayantha: Sri Lanka Free Press Advocate Abducted, Beaten As Part Of Ongoing Trend

AP | Posted 07.02.2009 | World


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A Sri Lankan press freedom campaigner and government critic was abducted and assaulted while returning from work Monday. Po...

UN: Arms from Sudan Add to Congo Humanitarian Disaster

Georgianne Nienaber | Posted 06.29.2009 | World


Georgianne Nienaber

How involved was the United States State Department in the destabilization of the Kivu provinces in eastern DRC? Did our State Department officials become "terrorists" in the eyes of a revolutionary movement in Congo?

Anti-Chavez, Free Press Protesters Take To Streets In Venezuela

AP | RACHEL JONES | Posted 06.28.2009 | World


CARACAS, Venezuela — Hundreds of opponents of President Hugo Chavez marched in support of press freedom in Venezuela on Wednesday, two years aft...

Internet Heroes and Villains

Timothy Karr | Posted 06.20.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

ISPs have stuck consumers with higher prices and slower speeds, while repeatedly threatening to throttle the free and open Internet. And our elected and appointed officials have let this happen.

10 Worst Countries To Be A Blogger

Committee to Protect Journalists | Posted 05.31.2009 | World


New York, April 30, 2009--With a military government that severely restricts Internet access and imprisons people for years for posting critical mater...

Fear-Mongering and the 'Fox Effect'

Timothy Karr | Posted 05.28.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

Last week, conservative factions within the RNC circulated an e-mail urging party leadership to brand as a "socialist" anyone who advocates even moderate changes to the government's role in society.

Roxana Saberi's Boyfriend Sends A Love Letter Plea To Iran

BBC NEWS | Posted 05.23.2009 | World


The partner of jailed US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi has written an emotional love letter in an attempt to have her freed....