Blogs by Author | Free Press

From Instagram to Open Journalism
Josh Stearns
December 20, 2012
Instagram’s changes to its terms of service are the most recent in a long string of events that remind us of the deal we make when we embrace “free” commercial platforms online. Now Instagram is going back to the drawing board, clarifying and revising its rules.
News Flash for the FCC
Josh Stearns
December 12, 2012
When it comes to media consolidation, the Federal Communications Commission is feeling the heat from all sides. Today activists took to the streets outside the FCC headquarters to deliver more than 200,000 signatures from people all over the U.S. who are calling on the agency to halt its rush to gut media ownership protections.
FCC Spin vs. Fact
Josh Stearns
December 5, 2012
Last month an L.A. Times article suggested that there was little opposition to the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to gut longstanding media ownership rules. This is flat-out wrong.
Five Things You Should Know About the FCC’s Big Media Giveaway
Josh Stearns
November 28, 2012
The Federal Communications Commission is charging ahead with its plan to let Rupert Murdoch gobble up more media outlets. And we've just learned that the FCC may try to hold a secret vote to allow more media consolidation in the U.S. — possibly within the next two weeks.

Murdoch has set his sights on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune — the major papers in the nation's second- and third-largest cities (where, incidentally, he already owns several TV stations).
Beyond Big Bird
Josh Stearns
November 27, 2012
During the presidential campaign, Big Bird became a convenient symbol in the fight to defend public broadcasting. But behind all those feathers is a diverse network of people, organizations and communities that are creating a new generation of public media.
Who’s Paying for the News on Time’s Website?
Josh Stearns
November 16, 2012
More and more news organizations use links to recommendations to keep people on their sites. Recommendations like these would seem to add value for the audience. But are these links being used to embed fake news and pay-for-play content?
Why I Won't Stop Tracking Journalist Arrests
Josh Stearns
November 14, 2012
One year ago today I published a blog post entitled “Why I'm Tracking Journalist Arrests at Occupy Protests.” The next day, police raided New York City’s Zuccotti Park, where they arrested 12 journalists and blocked many others from documenting the raid.
Spanish-Language TV Ads by the Numbers
Josh Stearns
November 7, 2012
Free Press spent the final months of the campaign season traveling to swing states to visit TV stations that are not currently required to post their political files to the Federal Communications Commission’s new online database.

When the FCC announced it would require broadcasters to upload data on political ad spending, it exempted all Spanish-language TV stations from posting this information until 2014.
Following Political Ad Money in Miami
Josh Stearns
November 6, 2012
Since the Federal Communications Commission’s new online database of political ad data does not include information from Spanish-language stations, we at Free Press decided to take matters into our own hands. Free Press staff and volunteers visited Spanish-language stations in three battleground states — Colorado, Florida and New Mexico — to inspect the political files and post them online.
Puppet Power
Josh Stearns
November 5, 2012
"Power to the puppets!" The chant rang out Saturday over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where roughly 1,000 people gathered to show their support for public media.

A meme was born minutes after Mitt Romney said in the first presidential debate that he would cut funding for Big Bird and PBS. Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and Photoshopped images flooded the Internet, but the buzz faded after a few weeks. Then along came the Million Puppet March.

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