Friend,

Welcome to the May 2025 Free Press Update, our monthly newsletter recapping as much of our work from the last month as possible into one email. This one has a little extra info since we missed our April newsletter as we’ve been extra-busy! Let’s get started:

Free Press Action on the CREDO Ballot This Month!

You can help us raise money without donating a cent, friend. This month, Free Press Action is one of three groups on the ballot to receive a grant of up to $30,000 from the generous folks at CREDO Mobile.

That’s money we could use in a moment as big as the one we’re facing right now as the Trump administration attacks public media, journalists and basic human rights. And the only way we win is by getting as many votes as possible. Will you vote for us right now? It takes just a few seconds, and you don’t have to be a CREDO member to vote!

Reflecting on Grave Threats to Journalists on World Press Freedom Day

Photo: Flickr user Gage Skidmore

While World Press Freedom Day is global in scope, its urgency was felt deeply this year in the United States.

The second Trump administration has attacked journalists, threatened some of the country’s most prestigious media outlets, introduced laws that limit access to public records and spread general distrust of the critical work reporters produce daily. Check out the Free Press blog to learn more about the dire threats facing journalists right now.

Tell Congress: Protect Public-Media Funding!

The Trump administration sent Congress a request to claw back nearly $1.1 billion in already-approved federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It also issued an executive order to end federal support of NPR and PBS “to the maximum extent allowed by law.”

In other words, Trump and Musk are doing everything in their power to destroy the kind of journalism that holds the administration and its cronies accountable. If you haven’t already, please join us in urging Congress to protect public media.

Local News Is Disappearing and Lawmakers Can Do Something About It

Photo: Wikimedia Commons user M.O. Stevens

We have ample evidence that our current media system — dominated by corporate chains, hedge funds and wealthy commercial broadcasters — is too often beholden to shareholders instead of community members. On the flip side, we know that building a diversified and sustainable local-media system will require a strong stable of independent newsrooms, nonprofit outlets, ethnic media outlets and public-media options.

So why are Democratic lawmakers in states across the country introducing legislation that could further entrench the power of the Sinclairs, the Gannetts and the Foxes of the world while marginalizing — and in a worst-case scenario, harming — smaller independent publishers? Learn how lawmakers can support journalism that serves communities and protects democracy.

A View from the Field

Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González.

Check out the latest updates from the field as our team works alongside our amazing allies and activists to create a more just and equitable media system. Below are snippets from our latest View from the Field blog — read the entire post!

• Co-CEO Jessica J. González took part in the California Latino Legislative Caucus Policy Summit, where she spoke during the panel discussion “Effective Communication in the New Information Age.” The conversation examined the shift away from traditional media, the lack of Latino representation in the media, and the roles of ethnic and community newsrooms.
• Senior Advisor of Reparative Policy and Programs Joseph Torres and Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights Nora Benavidez each took part in workshops that were part of the “Media Reparations in Our Digital Era” series at UMass Amherst. Featuring leading historians, policy advocates and scholars, the workshops aimed to inspire reflection and advance ideas on how to respond to communities’ information needs.
• Vice President of Policy and General Counsel Matt Wood spoke out against FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion during a panel discussion with Broadband Breakfast. Earlier this year, Carr said he would block any mergers from companies that promote DEI.

Get Us In Your Feeds

Are you connected with Free Press on social media? If not, we’ve featured some posts from the past month below — and you can stay in the loop by following Free Press on platforms like Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

• On TikTok, we broke down the ugly, uglier and ugliest moments of the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Surprising no one, there was a lot to cover. Check it out.
• On Bluesky, we shared a Vanity Fair article featuring remarks from Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron on how the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to NPR and PBS could spell disaster for states across the country. Read it here.
• On Instagram, we featured highlights from our community conversation in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, where we brainstormed and strategized about what information and news are missing in the area — and imagined what a transformed news system could look like. Take a look.
• And on Facebook, we highlighted a video breaking down the Media Power Collaborative's policy-tracking tool to help you stay informed on the bad bills moving in your state that could further entrench the power of mega broadcasters like misinformation machine Sinclair. Learn more.

Thank you for reading!

Free Press has an important role to play in the months and years ahead. Our team has specialized skills that will be needed to confront and combat the country’s slide toward authoritarianism. We’ve fought a Trump administration and the media moguls enabling it before, and we’ll do it again. Will you rush a donation to Free Press today? Your gift will help us do what’s needed to fight authoritarianism.

Thank you for everything you do to help power our movement,

All of us at Free Press and Free Press Action
freepress.net