Free Press Video on Covert Media Consolidation Restored to YouTube, Copyright Claim Dropped

WASHINGTON -- After Newport TV threatened legal action against an educational video created by Free Press that criticized the company for covertly consolidating its newsrooms, Newport has rescinded its YouTube take-down notice, and the video has been restored.

Free Press Policy Counsel Corie Wright made the following statement:

“We are gratified that Newport apparently does not intend to pursue this or any other copyright claims against our ‘Change the Channels’ educational video. As Free Press indicated in its letter to Newport, there was no merit to those claims. We are glad that the company has come to the same conclusion and look forward to focusing once more on the merits of the debate over media consolidation.

“Free Press research demonstrates that news sharing and other such arrangements clearly harm competition and diversity of viewpoints on local news. This is a practice that Newport and many other local TV stations are using to circumvent media ownership rules in more than 80 communities around the country. At a time when communities are facing unprecedented challenges, they need more, not less, local news.”