Free Press Reacts to Tribune Waivers

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Communications Commission agreed to grant broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership waivers to Tribune Co. -- including a permanent waiver in Chicago.

Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, issued the following statement:

"All available evidence shows that cross-ownership means fewer viewpoints and less local news. Temporary waivers are bad policy, but permanent waivers are inexcusable. Sadly, shady legal maneuvering on behalf of Big Media is just business as usual at Kevin Martin's FCC.

"Now that the Tribune deal is off the table, the FCC should slow down and listen to the millions of Americans who say media consolidation has gone far enough. And when the FCC upholds the cross-ownership rule as the American people have demanded, the Tribune Co. must sell off its stations."

Read the FCC news release here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-278619A1.pdf

Internet Speech Cases Turn on Procedural Grounds as the Supreme Court Articulates Strong First Amendment Protections for Content Moderation

While the Court remanded these cases for more fact-finding by the lower courts, it noted laws that prevent platforms from deciding which speech it will or will not host are “unlikely to withstand First Amendment scrutiny.”
California Bill That Would Support Local Journalism Jobs Passes the State Senate

As the bill moves to the state Assembly, lawmakers must ensure that resulting revenues prioritize community-centered and noncommercial outlets.
Supreme Court Ruling on Social Media Affirms the First Amendment and the Government’s Responsibility to Protect the Public from the Harms of Online Misinformation

The case arose out of the Biden administration’s efforts to call on social-media platforms to remove lies about the COVID-19 pandemic and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Internet Speech Cases Turn on Procedural Grounds as the Supreme Court Articulates Strong First Amendment Protections for Content Moderation

California Bill That Would Support Local Journalism Jobs Passes the State Senate

Supreme Court Ruling on Social Media Affirms the First Amendment and the Government’s Responsibility to Protect the Public from the Harms of Online Misinformation