Free Press is an anti-business media advocacy organization that supports tighter governmental control over the internet, blocking the consolidation of media companies, and race-and-gender-focused federal regulations to install women and minorities in leadership positions in the media.¹²³⁴

Free Press was founded in 2003 by avowed socialist Robert McChesney and played a prominent role in the debates over “net neutrality” that led to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposing regulatory control over internet bandwidth during the early years of the Obama administration, a policy that was later reversed by the FCC during the Trump administration.⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹

Free Press campaigns in support of censorship by technology companies, including social media companies and payment processors, based on what it determines to be hateful or so-called misinformation. It uses identity politics as a basis for determining what content should be censored, recommending that content targeting specific groups such as ethnic minorities, women, or the LGBT community be censored.¹⁰

Founding

Free Press was founded in 2003 by Robert McChesney, a socialist professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; John Nichols, a Washington correspondent at The Nation; and Josh Silver, the founder of Represent.Us, an organization focused on reducing what it claims are the negative effects of campaign funding in American politics.¹¹

Free Press was created amid then-President George W. Bush’s public campaign to build support for the 2003 Iraq War.¹² As Nichols and McChesney later wrote, they believed that “Americans recognized that media outlets had let them down by tipping coverage in favor of a wrongheaded rush to war.”¹³ Free Press first rose to prominence by leveraging this perceived dissatisfaction with the media industry, joining with progressive organizations like Common Cause, MoveOn.org, and Code Pink to lobby in opposition to an FCC decision to allow greater consolidation within the broadcast industry.¹⁴

Activities

General Overview

Free Press and its associated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization Free Press Action focus on several main issue areas: preventing private media consolidation, preserving and increasing taxpayer funding for public media outlets, using the federal bureaucracy to alter ownership of media outlets on the basis of sex and race, securing universal access to high-speed broadband internet, protecting online privacy, and instituting so-called “net neutrality,” a regulatory policy governing how bandwidth is allocated that some have argued will “turn the internet into a public utility.”^151617181920

Free Press has alleged that media companies “want to decide what you’re able to watch, listen to, read and share,” suppress stories about people of color, and use technology to “silence dissenting voices” and “criminalize communities of color.”²¹²²²³

Censorship

Free Press’s so-called Free and Open Internet campaign supports censorship by technology companies, ranging from social media websites to payment processors. It demands companies censor any activity that it deems hateful. It claims that politically conservative content may not be hateful, but it argues that it often serves as a gateway to white-supremacist content. Free Press advocates for censorship to the extent that it deems necessary to not be so-called “hostile” towards Black people.²⁴

Free Press’s Media and Platform Accountability campaign criticizes media companies and internet platforms for not censoring what it describes as misinformation, in addition to hateful content. It names ethnic minorities, women, the LGBT community, immigrants, and “religious minorities” as groups that should be protected by censorship.²⁵

Net Neutrality

Free Press has worked with prominent left-of-center groups to campaign in favor of Net Neutrality. It has worked with Color of Change, CREDO Action, Demand Progress, the Center for Media Justice, and Common Cause, the Ford Foundation, and Open Society Institute.²⁶²⁷

In 2009, Free Press commissioned a poll finding that “more than 50% of the public argued that, as a private resource, the Internet should not be regulated by the federal government.” Based on those findings, the poll called for “targeting supporters by asking them to act vigilantly” to prevent a “centrally controlled internet,” as opposed to calling on supporters to advocate for a government-regulated internet.²⁸

In support of net neutrality regulations, Free Press then developed research that could be used by the FCC to promote net neutrality. Several personnel affiliated with Free Press also joined the FCC under the Obama administration.²⁹

The Obama-era FCC instituted net neutrality in 2015. It was repealed by the FCC in 2018 after the Trump administration took office.³⁰³¹

Comcast-NBC Universal Merger

In 2009, Free Press was a vocal critic of the merger between Comcast and NBCUniversal when the former and General Electric (GE) came to a deal valued at $37.25 billion in which Comcast would acquire and eventually gain sole ownership of NBCUniversal. ^{32 33} Free Press had commented that the merger, “will have an incentive to prioritize NBC shows over other local and independent voices and programs, making it even harder to find alternatives on the cable dial.” ³⁴ In addition, the executive director of Free Press at the time, Josh Silver, called on President Barack Obama and his administration to block the deal when it was announced, claiming, “it would further starve Americans of [media] diversity.” ³⁵

Conferences

Beginning in 2003, Free Press has hosted a semi-regular conference entitled the National Conference for Media Reform.³⁶

During Free Press’s 2013 conference in Denver, Colorado, presenters included Ilyse Hogue, then-president of the pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America; founder of left-wing website Jezebel.com Anna Holmes; Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change; and former chief of staff and current chief operating officer of Ultraviolet, Kat Barr.³⁷

During its 2007 conference in Memphis, Tennessee, Free Press featured Democratic Party operative David Brock, former Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, and self-described socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as panelists.³⁸ The event also featured exhibitions by left-wing publication Mother Jones, the Revolutionary Communist Party, and representatives of the “9/11 truth movement.”³⁹

Affiliated Organizations

Voices for Internet Freedom is a project of Free Press and Center for Media Justice and is a coalition of left-of-center organizations that campaign in support of net neutrality on the supposition that internet service providers could choose to discriminate against ethnic minorities if they are not subjected to net neutrality regulations.⁴⁰ Member organizations include National Hispanic Media Coalition, Media Literacy Project, Color of Change, and Presente.org.⁴¹

In October 2018, in support of its Free and Open Internet campaign, Free Press co-created Change the Terms, a coalition of left-of-center advocacy groups that campaign for a common set of recommended terms of service for technology companies to adopt. The coalition consists of more than 40 organizations, including Color Of Change, Center for American Progress, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Hispanic Media Coalition, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, Muslim Advocates, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The terms and conditions Change the Terms advocates for would censor any content or accounts deemed to be hateful or harmful. It explicitly defines “hateful activities” as “activities that incite or engage in violence, intimidation, harassment, threats, or defamation targeting an individual or group based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.”⁴²⁴³

Leadership

Craig Aaron  has worked as co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action since 2020, and led both organizations since 2011.⁴⁴ Aaron is a former reporter for Congress Watch, a division of the left-wing organization Public Citizen.⁴⁵⁴⁶ He was also previously managing editor of the socialist magazine In These Times.⁴⁷

In 2020, Jessica J. Gonzalez was named co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action Fund, alongside Craig Aaron. She previously worked as an attorney and is listed as a cofounder of Change the Terms.⁴⁸⁴⁹

Free Press was co-founded by Robert McChesney, a socialist activist and professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.⁵⁰ As co-editor of the socialist publication Monthly Review, he wrote that ”our job is to make media reform part of our broader struggle for democracy, social justice, and, dare we say it, socialism.”⁵¹ He later said he was “hesitant to say I’m not a Marxist” and praised Venezuela under socialist dictator Hugo Chavez as having ”unqualified political dissent . . . in the mainstream media in a manner few other democratic nations have ever known, including our own.”⁵²⁵³

Funding

In 2021, Free Press reported on its tax returns receiving $3.0 million in revenue and spending $4.5 million in total expenses, including $3.2 million in salaries and compensation for its employees.⁵⁴ Additionally, it made a $100,000 grant to Free Press Action Fund and a $200,000 grant to Project Censored.⁵⁵

1. “Net Neutrality.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/issues/free-open-internet/net-neutrality.
2. “Diversity in Media Ownership.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-control/diversity-media-ownership.
3. “Media Control.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-control.
4. “Free Press.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/.
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6. Fung, Brian. “The FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Are Officially Repealed Today. Here’s What That Really Means.” The Washington Post. June 11, 2018. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/11/the-fccs-net-neutrality-rules-are-officially-repealed-today-heres-what-that-really-means/.
7. “Net Neutrality: A Free and Open Internet.” Obama White House. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/net-neutrality.
8. Fund, John. “The Net Neutrality Coup.” The Wall Street Journal. December 21, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703886904576031512110086694.
9. Fund, John. “The Net Neutrality Coup.” The Wall Street Journal. December 21, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703886904576031512110086694.
10. “Media & Platform Accountability.” Free Press, May 22, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-platform-accountability.
11. ”Board.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/about/board.
12. Nichols, John, and Robert W. McChesney. “Free the Media!” The Nation. November 06, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/free-media/.
13. Nichols, John, and Robert W. McChesney. “Free the Media!” The Nation. November 06, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/free-media/.
14. Nichols, John, and Robert W. McChesney. “Free the Media!” The Nation. November 06, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/free-media/.
15. “Free & Open Internet.” Free Press, May 19, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/free-open-internet.
16. “Policy Brief – ‘Net Neutrality’: Government Regulation and Takeover of the Internet.” Americans for Tax Reform. Accessed January 14, 2019. https://thehill.com/sites/default/files/atr_netneutralitygovregulation.pdf
17. “Internet Access.” Free Press, May 19, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/free-open-internet/internet-access.
18. “Digital Denied: Free Press Report Exposes the Impact of Systemic Racism on Internet Adoption.” Free Press, December 13, 2016. https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/digital-denied-free-press-report-exposes-impact-systemic-racism-internet.
19. “Diversity in Media Ownership.” Free Press, May 19, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-control/diversity-media-ownership.
20. “Privacy & Surveillance.” Free Press, May 19, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/privacy-surveillance.
21. ”Privacy & Surveillance.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/issues/privacy-surveillance.
22. ”Future of Journalism.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2018. https://www.freepress.net/issues/future-journalism.
23. “Media Control.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-control.
24. Collins-Dexter, Brandi. “Why We Must Change the Terms.” Free Press, March 29, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/blog/why-we-must-change-terms.
25. “Media & Platform Accountability.” Free Press, May 22, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-platform-accountability.
26. Wood, Matt. “Net Neutrality, in a Nutshell, Is a Nondiscrimination Law.” Free Press. December 1, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.freepress.net/our-response/expert-analysis/insights-opinions/net-neutrality-nutshell-nondiscrimination-law.
27. ”Free Press (FP).” Discover the Networks. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/free-press-fp/
28. Fund, John. “The Net Neutrality Coup.” The Wall Street Journal. December 21, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703886904576031512110086694.
29. Fund, John. “The Net Neutrality Coup.” The Wall Street Journal. December 21, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703886904576031512110086694.
30. Fung, Brian. “The FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Are Officially Repealed Today. Here’s What That Really Means.” The Washington Post. June 11, 2018. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/11/the-fccs-net-neutrality-rules-are-officially-repealed-today-heres-what-that-really-means/.
31. “Net Neutrality: A Free and Open Internet.” Obama White House. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/net-neutrality.
32. Goldman, David and Julianne Pepitone. “GE, Comcast announce joint NBC deal.” CNN Money, December 3, 2009. https://money.cnn.com/2009/12/03/news/companies/comcast_nbc/index.htm
33. Gustin, Sam. “Comcast’s NBCUniversal Deal: As One Media Era Ends, Another Begins.” Time, February 14, 2013. https://business.time.com/2013/02/14/comcasts-nbcuniversal-deal-as-one-media-era-ends-another-begins/
34. Thierer, Adam. “A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC.” The Technology Liberation Front, December 2, 2009. https://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/#_ftn1
35. Thierer, Adam. “A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC.” The Technology Liberation Front, December 2, 2009. https://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/#_ftn1
36. ”National Conference for Media Reform.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://conference.freepress.net/ncmr-2013.
37. “Presenters.” Free Press. Accessed January 16, 2019. http://conference.freepress.net/presenters.
38. ”Free Press (FP).” Discover the Networks. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/free-press-fp/
39. ”Free Press (FP).” Discover the Networks. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/free-press-fp/
40. “Voices for Internet Freedom: FCC Chairman’s Anti-Net Neutrality Plan Will Harm People of Color.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.internetvoices.org/press-release/108000/voices-internet-freedom-fcc-chairmans-anti-net-neutrality-plan-will-harm-people.
41. “Voices Home.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.internetvoices.org/voices-home.
42. “The Terms.” Model Policies and Terms of Service. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.changetheterms.org/terms-original.
43. Kroin, Amy. “Coalition Launches Campaign to Combat Hateful Activity Online.” Free Press, October 25, 2018. https://www.freepress.net/blog/coalition-launches-campaign-combat-hateful-activity-online.
44. “Staff.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/about/staff.
45. “Statement of Lisa Gilbert, Director, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division.” Public Citizen. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.citizen.org/news/statement-of-lisa-gilbert-director-public-citizens-congress-watch-division/.
46. ”Craig Aaron.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023   . https://www.freepress.net/about/staff/craig-aaron.
47. ”Craig Aaron.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023 . https://www.freepress.net/about/staff/craig-aaron.
48. “Staff.” Free Press. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.freepress.net/about/staff.
49. “Surgeon General’s Warning on the Health Dangers of Misinformation Must Prompt Congress to Hold Platforms Accountable, Says Free Press Action.” Free Press, July 15, 2021. https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/surgeon-generals-warning-health-dangers-misinformation
50. Fund, John. “Comrades for Net Neutrality.” National Review. February 27, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/02/comrades-net-neutrality-john-fund/.
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53. Fund, John. “Comrades for Net Neutrality.” National Review. February 27, 2015. Accessed January 14, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/02/comrades-net-neutrality-john-fund/.
54. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Free Press. 2021. Part I, Lines 12-18.
55. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Free Press. 2021. Schedule I, Part II.