The recent U.K. government report on “rampant law breaking” at News Corp. was by any measure a devastating critique not so much of one man and his son, but of a power elite that has for too long considered itself beyond scrutiny or accountability. Rarely in British political history has there been such a united front against the perils of concentrated media power. This is the real story behind the report.

This week, Free Press joined a wide-ranging array of groups in signing a letter opposing a cybersecurity bill under consideration in the Senate. 

The bill — the Cyber Security Act of 2012 (S. 2105) — is co-sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins. Like the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which passed last month in the House, this bill would make it easier for companies like Facebook and Google to share our personal information with federal authorities. 

According to press reports, Sen. Jim DeMint and Rep. Doug Lamborn are circulating letters in the Senate and House to rally support for cutting all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its nearly 1,300 local stations. The letters argue that the $445 million CPB budget is an “enormous” cost to taxpayers.

The letters come just a month before the CPB is supposed to deliver a report to Congress outlining how it could operate without federal funding. This timing is particularly troubling in light of a recent federal appeals court decision that opened the door to political ads on NPR and PBS stations.

The merger of two legendary R&B radio stations in New York City is a major blow to diversity on the dial, and signals — yet again — that black radio is on the decline.