Free Press

Media Capitulation Index A new tool from Free Press that you should know about

New from me: This week @freepress.bsky.social launched a Media Capitulation Index. I cover what it is, why it matters, and how we can use it to organize. ctrlaltrightdelete.substack.com/p/media-capi...

A better media is possible.

Free Press' @timkarr.bsky.social s recent paper is a great start.

Read and share A MORE PERFECT MEDIA: Saving America’s Fourth Estate from Billionaires, Broligarchy and Trump.

www.freepress.net/sites/defaul...

The FCC’s racist inception made way for its descent into authoritarianism today.

@josephtorr.bsky.social's "Reckoning with the Federal Communications Commission’s history of structural racism" with @objectivejournos.bsky.social is a must-read: ‪

objectivejournalism.org/2025/07/reck...

Dissenting FCC Commissioner: Paramount Chose “Capitulation Over Courage” In Dealing With Trump “Despite this regrettable outcome, this Administration is not done with its assault on the First Amendment. In fact, it may only be beginning," Anna M. Gomez said.

When large media companies choose "capitulation over courage", we pay the price.

“Despite this regrettable outcome, this Administration is not done with its assault on the First Amendment. In fact, it may only be the beginning." - @agomezfcc.bsky.social

www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...

Stephen #Colbert called Paramount's $16 million settlement a "big fat bribe" for the FCC's approval of Skydance Media's $8 billion bid to acquire Paramount, the parent company of CBS.

Then his show was cancelled.

Learn more: www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

In its latest research, Free Press found that the owners of America’s largest media firms are caving to pressure from an authoritarian-minded president and his captured federal agencies.

Paramount is just one recent example: www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Let's get into a weekend 🧵 on media capitulation, shall we?

What does it mean when free speech & press freedom are undermined? How did we get here? And why does it matter?

When companies sell out to Trump tyranny, and our independent agencies comply, it poses a crisis of a different scale.

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Who Owns the Media Who owns the 35 most powerful media companies in America? Learn how these giants came to dominate the U.S. media landscape through mergers, acquisition and manipulation. Free Press rates their ability to defend democracy during a time of authoritarianism.

If you've ever wondered who owns the media, this Media Capitulation Index is a must read.

Free Press rates the independence of 35 Big Tech companies then analyzes their ability to defend democracy at a time of domestic and international authoritarianism.

https://www.freepress.net/who-owns-media

A Solemn Day for U.S. Public Media The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced that Trump’s budget cuts are forcing the organization to wind down operations later this year. 

The elimination of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting is part of the Trump regime's systematic efforts to end accountability, pump out propaganda and sow the kind of chaos and disinformation under which authoritarianism thrives.

https://www.freepress.net/blog/solemn-day-us-public-media

Trump's AI Action Plan addresses the acceleration of AI adoption using federal resources at a time when Congress is cutting critical funding to public media, healthcare, disaster relief, and scientific research.

Free Press' advocacy director, @ruddock.bsky.social offers a quick breakdown:

public media funding has been gutted over "bias" while corporate media is canceling shows and signing off on massive payoffs to appease Trump. we're beyond media capture.

A Solemn Day for U.S. Public Media The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced that Trump’s budget cuts are forcing the organization to wind down operations later this year. 

The elimination of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting is part of the Trump regime's systematic efforts to end accountability, pump out propaganda and sow the kind of chaos and disinformation under which authoritarianism thrives.

https://www.freepress.net/blog/solemn-day-us-public-media

Shuttering the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Will Undermine Democracy and Endanger Communities Nationwide The end of CPB is the direct result of the deep and corrupt failure of Congress and the Trump administration to invest in informing the American public. They have trashed decades of democracy-building...

"It will take years of organizing to rebuild what the Trump regime has demolished in six months. This is about fighting for democracy and recognizing that if we don't keep fighting we stand to lose a lot more than this." - FP co-CEO @notaaroncraig.bsky.social

www.freepress.net/news/shutter...

BREAKING: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is looking into shutting down due to July's funding cuts from Congress at Trump's urging. Authoritarianism grows in the absence of strong, independent media. If you want to rip the heart out of a democracy, go after the facts.

Billion-dollar companies do not need our help in their negotiations with the even larger and powerful national networks.

This will do nothing to help the small, independent, and local broadcast stations that are at-risk of closing shop.

In South Memphis, Elon Musk’s Colossus Operated Gas Turbines Without Appropriate Permits, Residents and Activists Claim - Inside Climate News In an area long plagued by air pollution, permitting irregularities have opponents of what’s predicted to be the world’s largest supercomputing facility fearing the world’s richest man is getting spec...

Trump's companion executive order also aims to make it easier to bring certain types of energy online to power these massive projects. In particular, gas and, yes, coal.

insideclimatenews.org/news/1707202...

Zuckerberg says Meta will build data center the size of Manhattan in latest AI push CEO says company plans to spend hundreds of billions on developing artificial intelligence products

While Mark Zuckerberg has been bragging about a planned project that's expected to be the size of Manhattan and takes as much energy as a small city to run.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

xAI announces $200m US military deal after Grok chatbot had Nazi meltdown Defense department also inked contracts with other leading AI firms including Google, Anthropic and OpenAI

Companies like OpenAI and Elon Musk's XAI have increasingly been courting the Defense Department and its very deep pockets.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Trump's AI Action Plan addresses the acceleration of AI adoption using federal resources at a time when Congress is cutting critical funding to public media, healthcare, disaster relief, and scientific research.

Free Press' advocacy director, @ruddock.bsky.social offers a quick breakdown:

The Making of Free Press’ Media Capitulation Index Learn more about the creation of the Media Capitulation Index, the sweeping Free Press investigation that rates the independence of America's 35 largest media companies, including the conglomerates th...

Here's a look at how @freepress.bsky.social's new media capitulation index came together, and why its lead author, @timkarr.bsky.social, found that some many media conglomerates are big, fat chickens. www.freepress.net/blog/making-...

There's Now a Report Card for Media Capitulation, and It's Full of Chickens Free Press mapped out the ownership, donations, and compromises behind 35 major media companies. The results aren't pretty.

The Media Capitulation Index reveals just how many news organizations are trading independence for access. www.readtpa.com/p/theres-now...

Free Press ‘Media Capitulation Index’ Reveals How the Nation’s Biggest Media Companies Are Responding to Trump The sweeping investigation into the 35 largest American media conglomerates finds many are failing to defend democracy and a free press against authoritarian threats.

Too many billionaire media owners are cozying up to Trump and putting profits before our democracy.

Learn more from Free Press' new Media Capitulation Index: https://www.freepress.net/news/free-press-media-capitulation-index-reveals-how-nations-biggest-media-companies-responding-trump

​Why Is So Much of Corporate Media Caving to Trump? | Common Dreams A new ranking of the 35 largest media conglomerates finds a systemic failure to protect democracy against authoritarianism.

We need to... understand how such accumulation of power and wealth makes it next to impossible for these media giants to fulfill the social compact embodied in the notion of the Fourth Estate, writes @timkarr.bsky.social of @freepress.bsky.social.
www.commondreams.org/opinion/corp...

We love this idea, @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social.

Who's up next?

The Media Capitulation Index is an online resource tracking the independence of 35 of the largest media companies.

Free Press' @timkarr.bsky.social gives us a quick overview of the index with an explanation of the ranking system. 🐔

Learn more: www.freepress.net/who-owns-media

Fantastic work by @timkarr.bsky.social and team @freepress.bsky.social

“Media capitulation Index”

bsky.app/profile/atto...

Will FCC Chair Brendan Carr be launching similar inquiries into Fox? Sinclair? Nexstar?

Or just the broadcast conglomerates that he perceives to be opposed to the President’s agenda?

www.newsmax.com/newsfront/br...

Welcome to Pressing Issues This is Pressing Issues — the new twice-weekly Free Press newsletter with ideas and analysis about everything happening at the intersection of media, technology and democracy.

Sneak preview: @julito77.bsky.social and I launched a new @freepress.bsky.social newsletter.

It's called Pressing Issues.

Subscribe (it's free!) for twice-weekly takes on the future of media and tech -- and what you can do about it.

Going big in September, but the cool kids are signing up now!

Welcome to Pressing Issues This is Pressing Issues — the new twice-weekly Free Press newsletter with ideas and analysis about everything happening at the intersection of media, technology and democracy.

In other news, we @freepress.bsky.social launched a blog. We're feeling very Y2K & I'm very here for it. Sign up for updates -- you'll get to see some friendlies in your inbox like @julito77.bsky.social, @notaaroncraig.bsky.social, sometimes even me. pressingissues.org/welcome-to-p...

Free Press is where media capitulation is tracked; The Free Press is where media capitulation is performed. Important distinction.