What a loss at a time we need his clarity, integrity and leadership more than ever.

Free Press Mourns the Death of Co-Founder and Scholar Robert W. McChesney Robert W. McChesney, the eminent media scholar and co-founder of Free Press, died on Tuesday, March 26, in Madison, Wisconsin. McChesney was a brilliant scholar whose ideas and insights revealed to ma...

With great sadness, I'm sharing the news that media scholar and Free Press co-founder Robert W. McChesney died on Tuesday in Madison, Wisconsin. He was 72.

His work changed the course of my life. He was a mentor and friend for more than 25 years.

May his memory be a blessing.

Very sad to hear this. I know that John had the privilege of working directly with Bob. I interviewed him a few times over the years and read a few of his books. One important lesson he taught me: deregulation is just as much of a form of government action as regulation.

Sad news for critical media researchers all around. His work has been incredibly important not only for analyzing media policy, organizations and markets, but also for practical policy-making.

This is a tragic loss. And a superb appreciation by @nicholsuprising.bsky.social. And read to the end please.

Robert McChesney, the Great Champion of Journalism and Democracy, Has Died The academic and activist inspired generations of people to challenge corporate power and support a media reform movement that lives on.

The great champion of independent, speak-truth-to-power journalism, and of the democracy that can only survive if the press is free, Robert W. McChesney, has died at age 72. He fought the media oligarchs and the politicians who served them — and often won.

Now, we must carry the fight forward.

Bob McChesney was such a vital part of the movement for a more democratic media--as a scholar, a critic and an organizer. He was also such a big-hearted, down-to-earth mensch.

Robert W. McChesney, a Scholar/Activist Who Fought for Media Democracy No one did more to analyze the negative impacts of our media systems being controlled by giant, amoral corporations.

Sad to hear about the passing of Bob McChesney. He was a tireless advocate of a democratic and open media sphere.

fair.org/home/robert-...

Robert W. McChesney, America’s leading left-wing critic of corporate media, has died After studying the early days of radio, McChesney developed a holistic critique of media structures that exposed how open they were to manipulation by those in power.

New by me —>

An appreciation of the late Bob McChesney, the leftist media scholar and critic.

His critique of media’s vulnerability to those in power was dead on, and he had a reformer’s heart.

(Plus, learn about his NBA-blogging pseudonym, Elrod Enchilada.)

www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/robe...

What an amazing man Bob McChesney was. I first met him when I worked at @fairmediawatch.bsky.social (late 90s-early'00s), when he was on the board. His media criticism work -- and later, his media activism -- was transformational, his spirit expansive.

What a mensch. May his memory be a revolution.

Robert W. McChesney, a Scholar/Activist Who Fought for Media Democracy No one did more to analyze the negative impacts of our media systems being controlled by giant, amoral corporations.

RIP Bob McChesney

EXCLUSIVE: Banned Yale Scholar Speaks Out After AI-Generated Accusations of Terror Ties Watch now (47 mins) | Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi tells Drop Site: "This is about making sure that no one dares to challenge the narratives in corporate media and Western academia."

EXCLUSIVE: Banned Yale Scholar Speaks Out After AI-Generated Accusations of Terror Ties

Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi tells me: "This is about making sure that no one dares to challenge the narratives in corporate media & Western academia." Watch below 📺 🔽
www.dropsitenews.com/p/exclusive-...

Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.

“If the state can deprive an individual of his freedom simply because of his politics, which is what appears to have happened [to Mahmoud Khalil], then no one is safe,” @adamserwer.bsky.social writes:

American taxpayers should not be left to pay the bill for Elon Musk’s illegal actions, which are now being challenged in court.

I introduced the Nobody Elected Elon Musk Act, which would ensure that Musk and other Special Government Employees in charge of DOGE are liable for their illegal actions.

“This is the precise moment we should be studying Palestine in order to understand ourselves and what's coming and our responsibility in the world as an imperial power,” says Palestinian scholar Noura Erakat.

By Rejecting Evidence of Genocide in Gaza, the US Is Following a Familiar Pattern For decades, Washington has denied, downplayed and rationalized atrocities by its allies

Most mainstream U.S. media outlets have refused to acknowledge a genocide is taking place — or even allow others to say so.

newlinesmag.com/essays/by-re...

As Cervical Cancer Deaths Plummet, Experts Credit HPV Vaccine HPV can cause a variety of cancers, including cervical. New mortality data for women under 25 point to the success of the HPV vaccine.

A recent study found that cervical cancer deaths in young women have plummeted since the introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

“There is no way to put your head down and survive this moment,” says Palestinian scholar Noura Erakat. "The only way to protect yourself is to protest in this moment. Your silence will be a target, not a shield."

MYTH: Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. FACT: Actually this is true, no wait it’s a myth now, and, fuck, no wait.

Trump’s North American Tariffs: Myth Vs. Fact
theonion.com/trumps-...

Lovely tribute.

Sami Michael Broke New Ground by Centering Arabs in His Hebrew Novels The Iraqi-born writer introduced characters previously marginalized or omitted from Israeli literature

In one novel, Michael began his lifelong pattern of introducing characters previously marginalized or omitted in Hebrew literature: immigrants, Mizrahim, women — and, especially, Arabs.

newlinesmag.com/review/sami-...

Columbia University Gives Students Option To Finish Classes From Prison NEW YORK—Emphasizing that it was their only option amid the rampant protests that had erupted on campus, Columbia University announced Monday that it had given students the option to finish classes fr...

From The Archives: Columbia University Gives Students Option To Finish Classes From Prison

Elon Musk Creates Federal Employee Revenge Porn Database WASHINGTON—Promising to use the U.S. DOGE Service to usher in a new age of government accountability and transparency, Elon Musk ordered the creation of a federal employee revenge porn database this week. “Federal employees have been lazy and unmotivated for years, so to ensure productivity going forward, all government workers must email me private nudes […]

“Federal employees have been lazy and unmotivated for years, so to ensure productivity going forward, all government workers must email me private nudes they would never want leaked,” said Elon Musk
theonion.com/elon-mu...

Trying to erase history, firing educators, and dismantling the Department of Education — does any of this seem normal?

We stand with the Dept. of Ed and all of the educators out there who are impacted, feeling the weight of this moment, and wondering what comes next.

We will fight back.

A New Discovery Sheds Light on Malcolm X’s Journey to Islam The civil rights leader’s lone poem, written from prison, reveals his love of language — and his quest for truth

NEW: Behind prison walls, Malcolm X developed his mind and his faith, honing his love for language. It was a formative time, best understood by considering what he read and appreciating what he wrote. newlinesmag.com/essays/a-new...

The Lebanese Villages Recently Destroyed by Israel From southern Lebanon, Drop Site's Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports on the gratuitous and total destruction wrought by Israel, much of it since the "ceasefire" began in November.

From southern Lebanon, Drop Site's Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports on the gratuitous and total destruction wrought by Israel, much of it since the "ceasefire" began in November 🔽

www.dropsitenews.com/p/southern-l...

The Past Is Being Destroyed in Palestine — As Well as the Present Amid widespread damage to historical sites, images of Israeli soldiers posing with ancient artifacts in Gaza highlight the risk to heritage beyond the bombs

EDITOR’S PICK: The destruction in Gaza has caused untold damage to archaeological sites. Recent images of Israeli soldiers posing with ancient artifacts have heightened fears for the history being lost in the violence. newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

A defining policy battle is about to come to a head in this country. The Republican budget will force everyone - especially Congress and the White House - to make plain whether they are prepared to harm the rest of us in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest.

There’s something happening in this country.