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victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard
@victorpickard.bsky.social
15K followers 1.3K following 580 posts

Professor who writes about the history and political economy of media, politics of media policy, and democratic theories of journalism. Author of "Democracy Without Journalism? Confronting the Misinformation Society." Co-director of the MIC Center at Penn. .. more

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Victor Pickard is an American media studies scholar. He is a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He works on the intersections of U.S. and global media activism and politics; the history and political economy of media institutions; and the normative foundations of media policy. .. more

Communication & Media Studies 46%
Political science 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos
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victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · Apr 15
New piece in The Nation arguing that we need public media more now than ever. We must defend what we have with an eye toward expanding and restructuring public media in the future.
We Must Save Public Media to Change It
We need public media more than ever—it’s too precious to let Trump defund it. But to live up to its democratic promise, we must support public media to serve our needs.
www.thenation.com

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 7h
Thank you, Jay. I am honored!

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 9h
I am so sorry to hear this, Jay.

Reposted by Victor Pickard

mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social
The Media and Democracy Project @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social · 11h
Great thread @simko-bednarski.bsky.social love this. Not enough people have and share these insights. Thanks.

We remind folks that supporting local journalism is a pro-democracy action.

Our 50-state 2,200+ searchable local outlet directory
www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org/journalism-d...
Local Journalism Directory | Media and Democracy Project
We created a directory to help you find local journalism and local news sources in your area worth reading and supporting.
www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 2 more

dburbach.bsky.social
David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 12h
NYT provides no evidence here, probably because the claim is flatly untrue. See eg recent Pew data, or many posts on the subject from @gelliottmorris.com this year

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...

Reposted by Victor Pickard

asc.upenn.edu
Annenberg School at Penn @asc.upenn.edu · 1d
As Paramount mounted a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, we asked Annenberg professor @victorpickard.bsky.social, co-director of the Media, Inequality & Change Center, to weigh in on the potential consequences.

Reposted by Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards, Victor Pickard

annaleighclark.bsky.social
Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 2d
" The total number of student news programs in the country that distribute work to local outlets is now roughly two hundred and fifty.

"... the addition of a student-run paper is a lifeline for community news."

via @columjournreview.bsky.social
How students are trying to save local news.
Across the country, university programs are filling gaps in the coverage.
www.cjr.org

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers , and 8 more

marietjeschaake.bsky.social
Marietje Schaake @marietjeschaake.bsky.social · 2d
In a major escalation against the EU, alongside civil society representatives the Trump Administration sanctions former Commissioner Breton for work he did in official capacity ↘️ www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 2d
Really enjoyed this timely conversation!
asc.upenn.edu Annenberg School at Penn @asc.upenn.edu · 2d
As media institutions lose their funding, Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser invited professors @victorpickard.bsky.social and Duncan Watts (@csspenn.bsky.social) to discuss the role of journalism in our democracy. Listen to Annenberg Conversations on your favorite podcast app, or visit our website.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Victor Pickard, Mark Rice

sulliview.bsky.social
Margaret Sullivan @sulliview.bsky.social · 2d
Journalism is supposed to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted,” but Bari Weiss has it backwards. My new column https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/23/bari-weiss-60-minutes-cecot-episode-censorship?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Bari Weiss yanking a 60 Minutes story is censorship by oligarchy | Margaret Sullivan
Weiss ought to cut her losses, green-light the piece, and try to start acting like an editor – not like a cog in the machine of authoritarian politics and oligarchy
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Victor Pickard

asc.upenn.edu
Annenberg School at Penn @asc.upenn.edu · 2d
As media institutions lose their funding, Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser invited professors @victorpickard.bsky.social and Duncan Watts (@csspenn.bsky.social) to discuss the role of journalism in our democracy. Listen to Annenberg Conversations on your favorite podcast app, or visit our website.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Bruce D. Baker, Victor Pickard

kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2d
No, you can’t do that, airhead. It’s not within your authority and it violates several laws.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d
Sean Duffy on blue states: "What I can do is I can pull their money. That's the leverage I do have ... I guarantee you that the federal taxpayer is not going to fund their roads and bridges and their systems when they are putting illegals on the roads."

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 3d
All the more relevant given the recent censorship at 60 Minutes.

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Peter Thorne, Dawn J. Wright , and 16 more

marisakabas.bsky.social
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 3d
!! Here’s a link to full video of the 60 Minutes segment that Bari Weiss killed last minute, via @jasonparis.bsky.social:

is.gd/paU8Ko

(It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)

Reposted by Victor Pickard

scottnover.bsky.social
Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 3d
Tanya Simon, the E.P. of "60 Minutes" told the show's staff she stood by the shelved segment but could not allay the concerns of the network’s editor in chief, Bari Weiss.

"She wanted changes, and I ultimately had to comply."

Updated w/ @liamjscott.bsky.social:
‘I ultimately had to comply’: ‘60 Minutes’ EP faces fallout after Bari Weiss shelves story
CBS News postponed a “60 Minutes” segment about El Salvador’s CECOT prison one day before it was set to air because the Trump administration declined to participate.
www.washingtonpost.com

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 3d
We need to be calling out this pattern for what it is: Censorship.
brianstelter.bsky.social Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 3d
Earlier this month, after Trump blasted "60 Minutes" for interviewing Marjorie Taylor Greene, correspondents noticed a change behind the scenes. "Bari Weiss got personally involved," specifically with stories about politics, a source at the program says.

Reposted by Victor Pickard, Nathan P. Kalmoe, David Darmofal

agomezfcc.bsky.social
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez @agomezfcc.bsky.social · 3d
A free press cannot function if the government is able to exercise veto power over critical reporting simply by refusing to engage.

The public has the right to question how CBS will ensure the independence and integrity of its journalism going forward.

Reposted by Colin F. Camerer, Rosemary A. Joyce, Ryan Enos , and 3 more

alexshephard.bsky.social
Alex Shephard @alexshephard.bsky.social · 3d
The full Weiss memo is dogshit
-who cares if administration figures “regret” sending people to CECOT
-who cares about the criminal histories of the people we sent to CECOT, we sent them to a torture prison
—who cares about the “debate” over the legality of sending people to a torture prison

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet, Victor Pickard

brianstelter.bsky.social
Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 3d
Earlier this month, after Trump blasted "60 Minutes" for interviewing Marjorie Taylor Greene, correspondents noticed a change behind the scenes. "Bari Weiss got personally involved," specifically with stories about politics, a source at the program says.

Reposted by Matthew P. McAllister

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
This message could/should be extended to a wide range of academic fields and areas of study. My field, communication, has too often dismissed media ownership concentration as a serious concern.
pculpepper.bsky.social Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 5d
Political scientists should pay attention to concentration of media ownership as a key challenge for democracy.
victorpickard.bsky.social Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
Excellent piece by @sulliview.bsky.social in @theguardian.com. Grateful that she references our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report on the media crises facing US democracy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Reposted by Victor Pickard, Jack Stilgoe

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 5d
Political scientists should pay attention to concentration of media ownership as a key challenge for democracy.

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
Good catch!

Reposted by Victor Pickard

mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social
The Media and Democracy Project @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social · 5d
A🧵
Who inspired you in 2025?

Every month, The Media and Democracy Project honors exemplary individuals & publications for their commitment to journalism, democracy, & press freedom.

We are grateful to and inspired by our 2025 heroes! We hope you are too.

Who are they? Why are they heroes?👇
How many do you recognize? Ann Telnaes, Editorial Cartoonist Daisy Veerasingham & Julie Pace, The Associated Press Ruth Marcus Bob McChesney ProPublica, 404Media, Wired, TechDirt Scott Pelley CBS 60minutes Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News Marisa Kabas, independent journalist Karen Attiah, journalist Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer Chicago Headline Club Colorado Sentinel Mary Bruce ABC News Monthly hero award images Ann Telnaes, Editorial Cartoonist Daisy Veerasingham & Julie Pace, The Associated Press Ruth Marcus Bob McChesney ProPublica, 404Media, Wired, TechDirt Scott Pelley CBS 60minutes Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News Marisa Kabas, independent journalist Karen Attiah, journalist Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer Chicago Headline Club Colorado Sentinel Mary Bruce ABC News

Reposted by Victor Pickard

theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 5d
The tug-of-war over CNN shows how dysfunctional US media has become | Margaret Sullivan
The tug-of-war over CNN shows how dysfunctional US media has become | Margaret Sullivan
The network’s fate has become a battle of corporate ownership, not a question of what benefits Americans
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Greg Linden, Pepper D. Culpepper

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
Excellent piece by @sulliview.bsky.social in @theguardian.com. Grateful that she references our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report on the media crises facing US democracy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The tug-of-war over CNN shows how dysfunctional US media has become | Margaret Sullivan
The network’s fate has become a battle of corporate ownership, not a question of what benefits Americans
www.theguardian.com

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
(not sure why the photos aren't going through)

Reposted by Victor Pickard

uconnaaup.bsky.social
UConn AAUP @uconnaaup.bsky.social · 5d
inthesetimes.com/article/high...
In an Attempt to Cause Fear and Demobilize, the Trump Administration Increases Threats on Higher Education
Educators and organizers from the AAUP how the Trump administration is systematically dismantling higher education as we know it.
inthesetimes.com

victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 5d
John Bellamy Foster published a special Monthly Review issue to commemorate and engage with Bob McChesney's legacy. My contribution focuses on Bob’s "unfinished project" of designing a new kind of local journalism based on public funding and democratic governance: monthlyreview.org/articles/rei...

Reposted by Victor Pickard, Manisha Sinha

larryglickman.bsky.social
Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 7d
A no-brainer for any Democratic aspirant for the presidency is to vow to remove Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center and to tear down his White House ballroom to be replaced by a refurbished East Wing.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...
The White House Says the Trump-Kennedy Center Vote Was ‘Unanimous.’ But Someone Was Muted.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Victor Pickard

nicholsuprising.bsky.social
John Nichols @nicholsuprising.bsky.social · 7d
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”

Here’s how it went:
Zohran Mamdani on FDR, LaGuardia—and Trump
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the mayor-elect goes behind the scenes of his meeting with the president and talks about some of his political heroes.
www.thenation.com

Reposted by Victor Pickard

karlbode.com
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 7d
I'd like you to notice how while Carr was dragged before Congress yesterday to address his ham-fisted attempts to censor a comedian, NOBODY asked him ANY questions about his efforts to completely destroy consumer protection and media consolidation limits.

The press couldn't care less, either.
F.C.C. Chair Says Agency ‘Isn’t Independent,’ Breaking From Tradition
www.nytimes.com