Blogs by Author | Free Press

Knocking AT&T’s Deal to Devour T-Mobile
Stevie Converse
March 23, 2011
AT&T wants you to think that its takeover of T-Mobile will lower your wireless bills and give you more choices for plans. Industry analysts are already filling our TV screens with prognostications to prop up AT&T’s promises of a bright new wireless future.
Canadians Step Up to Stop the Meter
Stevie Converse
March 2, 2011
Canadian Internet users rose up to defend Internet freedom when they beat back an attempt by the big telecoms to meter broadband usage. After a public outcry, both the liberal and conservative parties came together to stop the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission – the Canadian version of the U.S.
San Francisco Public Press in Big Print
Stevie Converse
June 11, 2010
The San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit online news organization, is about to launch a pilot print edition. In an era where other newspapers are shrinking in size, the SF Public Press is going big – with 28 full-size broadsheet pages full of news and features – with no paid advertising.

In this week's Media Minutes, SF Public Press Director of Operations Lila LaHood talks about why she thinks print is still important. She also hints at some of the creative ways the paper will be telling the news. The audio and the transcript can be found here.
Net Neutrality and the Future of the Arts
Stevie Converse
April 30, 2010
Americans for the Arts brings advocates who are working in the arts to Washington, D.C., for a one-day conference every year. The conference gives people a 101 training in doing advocacy work and the current issues that are affecting all aspects of the arts, from funding to creation to distribution.
New Journalism Centers Created for Public Media
Stevie Converse
April 2, 2010
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced a major journalism initiative that will increase original local reporting in seven regions around the country. Media Minutes has the story this week.

The CPB is funding the creation of seven Local Journalism Centers that would combine the resources of participating public TV and radio stations to tackle important but under-reported regional news stories.

Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, says that the public media system is uniquely structured to increase regional reporting.
Prioritizing Internet Traffic Will Cause Problems
Stevie Converse
November 16, 2009
Internet service providers like Comcast and AT&T want to speed up voice and video applications while downgrading others. And while that might not seem as dramatic as outright blocking or slowing down their competitors’ applications, prioritization can still cause problems for Internet users.
Media Minutes Extra: Downie and Schudson on Reconstructing American Journalism
Stevie Converse
October 30, 2009
This week on Free Press' radio show Media Minutes, Len Downie and Michael Schudson discuss their new report, "The Reconstruction of American Journalism." They continue their conversation in a Media Minutes Extra segment. You can listen to the audio or read the transcript below:

The Reconstruction of American Journalism, a new report from the Columbia School of Journalism, surveys a wide swath of the journalism landscape and suggests a path forward in this new era of digital news.
Artists and Community Media Centers: Skin in the Game
Stevie Converse
September 17, 2009
Public access television stations across the country are transforming into media and technology centers. In Minnesota, the nonprofit St. Paul Neighborhood Network started 25 years ago as part of the public access TV movement.
Listen: Pentagon's Secret Journalist Profiling Program Revealed
Stevie Converse
September 11, 2009
The Pentagon has been compiling secret background profiles of journalists seeking to embed with the military, the newspaper Stars & Stripes reported last month.