• More Fluff, More Crime and More Copycat Newscasts?

    Corie Wright
    August 1, 2012
    It’s another record-breaking year for TV news, at least according to a recent survey from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Regrettably, the real story is a lot less exciting— and it raises a lot more questions.

  • FCC Ignores Public by Pushing Failed Ownership Policies

    Corie Wright
    December 22, 2011

    On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission proposed rules that would further weaken media ownership limits for local newspapers and broadcast stations. The agency's proposal is strikingly similar to one adopted in 2007 under former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Those rules were met with overwhelming public opposition from across the country, as well as from bipartisan leaders in Congress, and were thrown out by a federal appeals court last summer.

  • Free Press Tells the FCC: Time for Media Transparency

    Corie Wright
    October 3, 2011

    At today’s FCC hearing on the Information Needs of Communities, Free Press Policy Counsel Corie Wright made the case for why we need a new era of broadcaster transparency. Through a few simple changes, Wright argues, the FCC could make available vital information about how the media serve local communities — and enable citizens, journalists and public interest groups to hold media accountable.

    The text of Corie Wright’s speech, delivered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University, follows below.

  • The Comcast-NBC Merger: Why the FCC Should Be Held to a Higher Standard

    Corie Wright
    January 24, 2011

    Question: Two federal agencies review the same merger. Both agencies have jurisdiction to review the merger under U.S. law. The agencies review the merger during the same time period, and ultimately they reach the same decision – to approve the merger with conditions. One is right, the other is wrong. Why?

    This is not an SAT question – it really happened.

  • Hate Speech Inquiry Is About Promoting Dialogue, Not Censorship

    Corie Wright
    June 4, 2010

    Recently, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), a non-profit organization with a long and respected history of civil rights advocacy, submitted a joint filing with 30 other organizations, including Free Press, calling for an FCC inquiry into the prevalence of hate speech in the media.