Press Releases

WASHINGTON — The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently announced that a newly formed Delaware-based company had paid $140 million to purchase the daily newspaper and its affiliated publications. The financial backers behind the new company have refused to disclose the new owners’ identities to the public or even newsroom staffers.

WASHINGTON — Attorneys for open Internet supporters made the case for Net Neutrality protections in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday. Representing Free Press, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge, appellate litigator Kevin Russell helped argue on behalf of two-dozen public interest groups, social justice organizations and tech companies to defend the Federal Communications Commission’s February decision.

WASHINGTON — Free Press attorneys will go to court on Friday, representing nearly two dozen advocacy groups and tech industry leaders that intervened in the case to defend the Federal Communications Commission’s Net Neutrality order.

ATLANTIC CITY — News Voices: New Jersey is bringing together local residents, journalists, media makers, activists and others in Atlantic City for a community discussion about the media on Dec. 8. The event, “My Atlantic City,” will allow journalists to hear firsthand from residents about what life is really like in the city.

WASHINGTON — On Monday evening, lawyers for journalists Wesley Lowery of <em>The Washington Post</em> and Ryan J. Reilly of The Huffington Post urged the St. Louis County court to dismiss charges that the reporters trespassed and interfered with a police officer. The two journalists were among the many people documenting police activity during the Ferguson demonstrations in August 2014.

WASHINGTON — North Carolina media activist and community media innovator Wally Bowen passed away Tuesday in Asheville, North Carolina. Bowen was the co-founder of the Mountain Area Information Network, a nonprofit Internet service provider, Low Power FM broadcaster and community hub. He was a nationally known advocate for local self-reliance through local ownership of media infrastructure.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, wireless carrier T-Mobile announced plans to exempt selected streaming-video services from its customer data caps. The move, which favors video streams from Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, ESPN and a handful of leading brands, will go into effect beginning Nov. 15, according to T-Mobile.

NEW BRUNSWICK — News Voices: New Jersey is bringing together community members, journalists, media makers, activists and others in New Brunswick on Nov. 11. The three-hour forum is an opportunity to brainstorm about the future of local journalism and its role in our communities.

WASHINGTON — According to news reports Wednesday, cable Internet provider Comcast continues to dramatically expand its practice of imposing broadband-usage caps and overage fees on Comcast users in cities across the nation.

WASHINGTON — The Senate today voted 74-21 to pass the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), legislation that offers blanket immunity to companies sharing vast quantities of their users’ private data with government authorities.