Welcome to the July 2024 edition of the Free Press Update, our newsletter recapping as much of our work from the last month as we can fit into one email. Let’s get into it:

UPDATES FROM FREE PRESS

How the Supreme Court Used Fish to Undermine Government Agencies

Image: Flickr user Angela N

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a longstanding legal principle called the Chevron doctrine.

This devastating ruling will affect any area that federal agencies regulate, including environmental issues, reproductive justice and telecom policy. Our Policy Counsel Yanni Chen breaks down the ramifications on our blog.

More from SCOTUS: The Supreme Court Preserves Strong First Amendment Protections for Content Moderation

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The Supreme Court returned two pivotal cases to lower courts for reconsideration. The cases concern laws in Florida and Texas that forbid platforms from taking down or even deemphasizing public posts that violate a company’s content-moderation rules.

Social-media companies have a crucial role in shaping public attitudes, especially during election years. Regulations that give state officials control over private companies’ content-moderation decisions run afoul of the First Amendment and risk forcing platforms to keep up lies and other content that violate their terms of service. Read our press release to learn more about the decision.

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 — but be sure to stay in the loop by following Free Press on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X.

• On Instagram, we shared a reel highlighting Free Press VP Matt Wood’s interview with Politico’s Steven Overly. Matt broke down what comes next in the fight over laws in Florida and Texas that aim to prevent social-media platforms from moderating political speech. Watch.
• On TikTok, Free Press Editor Amy Kroin broke down the top findings from our nationwide public-opinion poll on media, technology and democracy. Learn more.
• On Twitter/X, we shared excerpts from Policy Counsel Yanni Chen’s interview with Tech Policy Press. Check it out.
• And also on Twitter/X, we were excited to see HuffPost Deputy Editor Phil Lewis share a link to the outlet’s piece on media reparations, which highlighted the important work of our Media 2070 project! Read it now and retweet.

UPDATES FROM FREE PRESS ACTION

Add Your Name to Endorse Our 2024 Media and Technology Policy Platform

People from across the political spectrum believe that the media and tech ecosystem is failing to give them the tools they need to connect and communicate freely and safely in a democracy.

Join us by urging Congress to uphold their constituents’ rights to connect and communicate: Add your name in support of our Free Press Action 2024 Media and Technology Policy Platform today.

Find Us on Social Media

If you’re interested in learning more about our new platform — and all the great work our team is up to — make sure you’re following Free Press Action on Facebook and Twitter/X!

A VIEW FROM THE FIELD

Free Press Policy Counsel Jenna Ruddock (left) at the Take Back Tech conference

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 — you can read the entire post here!

• Policy Counsels Yanni Chen and Jenna Ruddock hosted “Supreme Court Report,” a Free Press Action webinar about cases impacting federal regulators and the ability of social-media platforms to combat disinformation and moderate against hateful content. Watch the webinar.
• At its June meeting, the Free Press-led Media Power Collaborative — a space for media workers, movement organizers and researchers — discussed the latest policy efforts to strengthen local journalism. Participants also explored who the MPC should partner with in its efforts to transform local news. Journalism Program Manager Alex Frandsen and Senior Director of Journalism and Civic Information Mike Rispoli organized the gathering, which Mike hosted.
• News Voices: Philadelphia Program Manager Cassie Owens led a care practice at a youth justice and media workshop in Philadelphia. Learn more about Cassie’s transformative work in Philly.

Thank you for reading! The info here represents only a tiny fraction of what Free Press and Free Press Action are doing every day to fight for your rights to connect and communicate. With so much important work on our plate in the months ahead — such as urging tech platforms to do more to combat election disinformation — your support couldn’t come at a better time, friend. Will you make a gift today? We rely on contributions from grassroots donors like you because we don't take a cent from business, government or political parties.

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

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