A View from the Field: Fighting to Save Net Neutrality

A View from the Field is an ongoing feature that highlights the efforts of Free Press’ team of organizers and advocates.

We provide regular updates from the field as staffers work alongside our amazing allies and activists to create a just and equitable media system.

• Vanessa Maria Graber took part in a Q&A with a class at Temple University’s Klein School of Journalism following a screening of Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink, a documentary about how hedge funds have decimated newspapers across the United States. The film features commentary from Mike Rispoli, who discusses the need for public funding to support local journalism. Stripped for Parts also discusses the work Free Press did in Colorado earlier this decade.
• Vanessa Maria and Nora Benavidez hosted the training “Anticipating Election Lies Before & After Election Day,” which was geared toward reporters, editors and other media professionals. The training explored the need for newsrooms to combat disinformation and report on threats to U.S. elections and the state of our democracy. “We believe that journalists, especially local journalists, have a really important role to play in providing truthful, verified information to their audiences,” said Vanessa Maria. “I might debunk something for a friend, but they might trust a local journalist or a news site more.” Watch the conversation and learn more in this blog post.
• Nora moderated the panel discussion “Red, White & Coup: Mapping Threats of Violence Around the 2024 Election,” which examined attempts to incite fear and division through conspiracy theories and other lies. Experts discussed how to prepare for potential violence, and offered recommendations for how communities can step up in the face of manipulation and uncertainty to participate fully in our democracy. Watch the discussion and read the blog post.
• After the Federal Communications Commission restored the Net Neutrality rules and the agency’s authority to hold broadband providers accountable, industry groups representing companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon sued to overturn these protections. Free Press and several allies filed a joint brief in support of the FCC, and Yanni Chen and Matt Wood traveled to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati to help defend the rules. “The FCC’s April decision restored important nondiscrimination protections and legal frameworks that the Trump administration had abandoned,” Yanni said. “Upholding this decision will allow the FCC to continue to work toward ensuring that everyone in the United States — no matter their location, race or income — has affordable, reliable and safe internet connections free from discrimination or other manipulation by powerful phone and cable companies.” Learn more about this pivotal case.
• Nora took part in the American Bar Association webinar “How Lawyers May Anticipate Threats to Democracy in Georgia: Combating Manipulation & Understanding Election Law Changes.” The webinar examined threats to the rule of law during the 2024 election, including changes to state election rules and the impact of false and manipulated narratives. 
• B’Asia Settles and her colleagues from the Applied Intelligence Department at Georgetown University engaged in a war game that involved a U.S. presidential-elections simulation. Her group’s analysis focused on two potential foreign-policy directions: a continuation of the country’s alliance-focused international approach versus a pivot to isolationism. B’Asia participated as a presidential-cabinet member.
• The Media 2070 team — Diamond Hardiman, Anshantia Oso, Joseph Torres and Venneikia Williams — brought the Black Future Newsstand exhibit to Chicago. This custom-built art installation — which debuted in Harlem in 2023 – invites people to consider the question “What does a media that loves Black people look, feel and sound like in a future where reparations are real?” Exploring the relationship between news, politics, racial narratives and the potential for creating a true democracy, the installation showcased Black-owned magazines, art and newspapers alongside coverage of Chicago’s political movements of the ’70s and ’80s.
• The Media 2070 team hosted a livestream to celebrate the project’s fourth anniversary. “Looking Four-ward” featured updates on projects like the Black Future Newsstand. The team also discussed its work to hold institutions like the FCC accountable and lifted up its partnerships with media organizations, journalism schools and culture workers. Watch the video.
• The Free Press-led Media Power Collaborative brings together media workers, movement organizers and researchers to develop and win transformative journalism policies. At a meeting with MPC members, Free Press’ journalism-policy team presented a draft policy agenda that will guide its future work. Alex Frandsen kicked the meeting off while Sarah Freeman-Woolpert, Rafael Muñoz-Echavarria and Mike Rispoli facilitated breakout conversations to gather feedback. The team will release the finalized policy agenda in early 2025.