Bilal Baydoun
@bilalb.bsky.social
Director of Democratic Institutions @rooseveltinstitute.org and Roosevelt Forward. #FirstGen Go Blue.
Happy 25th anniversary to @wikipedia.org, which we need to protect at all costs. Authoritarians and oligarchs hate Wikipedia because they can't control it, and because a democratic public with access to facts might hold them accountable.
January 15, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Happy 25th anniversary to @wikipedia.org, which we need to protect at all costs. Authoritarians and oligarchs hate Wikipedia because they can't control it, and because a democratic public with access to facts might hold them accountable.
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Bitcoin was invented 16 years ago. If crypto provided any utility beyond buying drugs online, creating a new form of gambling or indulging Libertarian anti-state fantasies, it would have broken into the mainstream by now.
Fed Kashkari still hating on crypto: "It's still basically useless for consumers. I mean, there's, there's nothing you can do with Bitcoin or a stablecoin that you can't already do with Venmo or with your traditional banking products, other than circumventing banking regulation."
January 14, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Bitcoin was invented 16 years ago. If crypto provided any utility beyond buying drugs online, creating a new form of gambling or indulging Libertarian anti-state fantasies, it would have broken into the mainstream by now.
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
The feds raided a Washpost reporter’s home today, seizing her phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch. The reporter isn’t the focus of the investigation, apparently.
And yes, this is highly unusual.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
And yes, this is highly unusual.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
The feds raided a Washpost reporter’s home today, seizing her phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch. The reporter isn’t the focus of the investigation, apparently.
And yes, this is highly unusual.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
And yes, this is highly unusual.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
NOW: Congress is holding an oversight hearing of the FCC.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has weaponized his authority against comedians, tv networks, and the First Amendment.
The FCC should be defending the Constitution - not Donald Trump’s fragile ego. tiny.cc/FCC-Oversigh...
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has weaponized his authority against comedians, tv networks, and the First Amendment.
The FCC should be defending the Constitution - not Donald Trump’s fragile ego. tiny.cc/FCC-Oversigh...
C&T Subcommittee: Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing com...
tiny.cc
January 14, 2026 at 3:15 PM
NOW: Congress is holding an oversight hearing of the FCC.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has weaponized his authority against comedians, tv networks, and the First Amendment.
The FCC should be defending the Constitution - not Donald Trump’s fragile ego. tiny.cc/FCC-Oversigh...
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has weaponized his authority against comedians, tv networks, and the First Amendment.
The FCC should be defending the Constitution - not Donald Trump’s fragile ego. tiny.cc/FCC-Oversigh...
Remarkable to watch Brendan Carr use localism to justify mass consolidation and the elimination of some of the last remaining ownership regulations.
January 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Remarkable to watch Brendan Carr use localism to justify mass consolidation and the elimination of some of the last remaining ownership regulations.
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
We can’t fix our democracy without fixing our media crisis. Deregulation, disinvestment, and disregard for press freedom are all policy choices—@bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social, & @victorpickard.bsky.social explain the need to reverse course on all three fronts.
https://bit.ly/4rUvr01
https://bit.ly/4rUvr01
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform dominance threaten democratic infrastructure and sow fert...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:19 PM
We can’t fix our democracy without fixing our media crisis. Deregulation, disinvestment, and disregard for press freedom are all policy choices—@bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social, & @victorpickard.bsky.social explain the need to reverse course on all three fronts.
https://bit.ly/4rUvr01
https://bit.ly/4rUvr01
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
“Decades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function, leaving the press structurally vulnerable at precisely the moment independent journalism matters most.”
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
The Media Is Essential Democratic Infrastructure
‘The press matters because it is vital to the project of self-government.’
pressingissues.org
December 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM
“Decades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function, leaving the press structurally vulnerable at precisely the moment independent journalism matters most.”
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Read the full report from @victorpickard.bsky.social, @bilalb.bsky.social and @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org called "The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis."
HERE: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
HERE: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 16, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Read the full report from @victorpickard.bsky.social, @bilalb.bsky.social and @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org called "The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis."
HERE: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
HERE: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Thanks to the @freepress.bsky.social for having @bilalb.bsky.social & me for this Q&A discussion about our new @rooseveltinstitute.org report, where we explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that we need to rethink our policy approach to this vital democratic infrastructure
“Decades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function, leaving the press structurally vulnerable at precisely the moment independent journalism matters most.”
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
@bilalb.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social of @rooseveltinstitute.org discuss a new report:
The Media Is Essential Democratic Infrastructure
‘The press matters because it is vital to the project of self-government.’
pressingissues.org
December 17, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Thanks to the @freepress.bsky.social for having @bilalb.bsky.social & me for this Q&A discussion about our new @rooseveltinstitute.org report, where we explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that we need to rethink our policy approach to this vital democratic infrastructure
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
The richest 0.001% now have three times as much wealth as the poorer half of humanity combined.
www.commondreams.org/news/world-i...
www.commondreams.org/news/world-i...
Richest 0.001% Now Own Three Times More Wealth Than Poorest Half of Humanity Combined | Common Dreams
A landmark report on global inequality shows that
the chasm between the richest slice of humanity and everyone else
continued to expand this year
www.commondreams.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The richest 0.001% now have three times as much wealth as the poorer half of humanity combined.
www.commondreams.org/news/world-i...
www.commondreams.org/news/world-i...
Useful thread!
Quick take on potential Netflix takeover of Warner Bros. Discover vs Paramount SkyDance or Comcast NBCU. Key point: it's the least worse deal, especially wrt Trump loyalist Ellison family controlled Paramount SD. Here's what the US TV, film & online video market looks like premerger. 1/
December 5, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Useful thread!
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
"today’s media crisis wasn’t inevitable but the consequence of policymakers’ embracing a corporate libertarian approach to media policy." 🔥
When journalism is trapped inside a commercial straitjacket, it can’t fight back.
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A New Roosevelt Institute Report Confronts the Roots of Our Media Crisis—and Calls for Breaking Up Corporate Media
Today’s journalism crisis wasn’t inevitable, but it’s time to free journalism from the straitjacket of turning a democratic obligation into a profit-maximizing business model.
www.thenation.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:03 PM
"today’s media crisis wasn’t inevitable but the consequence of policymakers’ embracing a corporate libertarian approach to media policy." 🔥
When journalism is trapped inside a commercial straitjacket, it can’t fight back.
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A New Roosevelt Institute Report Confronts the Roots of Our Media Crisis—and Calls for Breaking Up Corporate Media
Today’s journalism crisis wasn’t inevitable, but it’s time to free journalism from the straitjacket of turning a democratic obligation into a profit-maximizing business model.
www.thenation.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:59 PM
When journalism is trapped inside a commercial straitjacket, it can’t fight back.
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Our new piece on how hyper commercialism, oligarchy, and state coercion have converged to threaten the press — based on our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
New @thenation.com piece by @bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social and myself that draws from our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report to argue for structural media reform: www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A New Roosevelt Institute Report Confronts the Roots of Our Media Crisis—and Calls for Breaking Up Corporate Media
Today’s journalism crisis wasn’t inevitable, but it’s time to free journalism from the straitjacket of turning a democratic obligation into a profit-maximizing business model.
www.thenation.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:28 PM
New @thenation.com piece by @bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social and myself that draws from our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report to argue for structural media reform: www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Over at the @rooseveltinstitute.org, a new report by @bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social, and @victorpickard.bsky.social examines the political economy of the US media system.
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Over at the @rooseveltinstitute.org, a new report by @bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social, and @victorpickard.bsky.social examines the political economy of the US media system.
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
"[D]ecades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function... consolidation that concentrated power in fewer hands, the abandonment of meaningful public-interest standards, and the rise of platform monopolies with virtually no accountability."
Thrilled to announce the publication of our @rooseveltinstitute.org report that uncovers the policy roots of the current crises facing our news, information & communication systems. We argue that media reform must become central to a US pro-democracy movement. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"[D]ecades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function... consolidation that concentrated power in fewer hands, the abandonment of meaningful public-interest standards, and the rise of platform monopolies with virtually no accountability."
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Really excited to share this new report I wrote with my brilliant colleagues, @bilalb.bsky.social & @victorpickard.bsky.social!
We explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that a truly democratic information ecosystem must be protected from both state *&* commercial coercion⤵️
We explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that a truly democratic information ecosystem must be protected from both state *&* commercial coercion⤵️
NEW📰: Democracy requires both an informed citizenry and a free press. But how do these ideals show up in public policy?
Today, we have a paper out that looks at how media has become highly concentrated, commercialized, and drained of its public interest potential.
Today, we have a paper out that looks at how media has become highly concentrated, commercialized, and drained of its public interest potential.
December 4, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Really excited to share this new report I wrote with my brilliant colleagues, @bilalb.bsky.social & @victorpickard.bsky.social!
We explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that a truly democratic information ecosystem must be protected from both state *&* commercial coercion⤵️
We explore the roots of the crises facing our media system & argue that a truly democratic information ecosystem must be protected from both state *&* commercial coercion⤵️
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
New from @rooseveltinstitute.org @bilalb.bsky.social @victorpickard.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social "The next chapter of democracy reform must treat our media system as a core infrastructure that makes democracy possible & thus demands protection from both state control & commercial capture."
Thrilled to announce the publication of our @rooseveltinstitute.org report that uncovers the policy roots of the current crises facing our news, information & communication systems. We argue that media reform must become central to a US pro-democracy movement. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
New from @rooseveltinstitute.org @bilalb.bsky.social @victorpickard.bsky.social @shahrzadshams.bsky.social "The next chapter of democracy reform must treat our media system as a core infrastructure that makes democracy possible & thus demands protection from both state control & commercial capture."
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
The real con, says Director of Democratic Institutions @bilalb.bsky.social: A tax giveaway to billionaires while starving communities of healthcare, food assistance, and reliable public media sources.
Here’s some intel on the impact on the media: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Here’s some intel on the impact on the media: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The real con, says Director of Democratic Institutions @bilalb.bsky.social: A tax giveaway to billionaires while starving communities of healthcare, food assistance, and reliable public media sources.
Here’s some intel on the impact on the media: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Here’s some intel on the impact on the media: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
"When commercial imperatives override democratic needs, and when policymakers treat media as just another market rather than essential civic infrastructure, we create a media system susceptible to pressure from all directions."
Thrilled to announce the publication of our @rooseveltinstitute.org report that uncovers the policy roots of the current crises facing our news, information & communication systems. We argue that media reform must become central to a US pro-democracy movement. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM
"When commercial imperatives override democratic needs, and when policymakers treat media as just another market rather than essential civic infrastructure, we create a media system susceptible to pressure from all directions."
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
A big part of the erosion of democracy is corporate capture of news media. This is a crucial report. Thanks @rooseveltinstitute.org
Thrilled to announce the publication of our @rooseveltinstitute.org report that uncovers the policy roots of the current crises facing our news, information & communication systems. We argue that media reform must become central to a US pro-democracy movement. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:43 PM
A big part of the erosion of democracy is corporate capture of news media. This is a crucial report. Thanks @rooseveltinstitute.org
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
Any serious agenda for democratic renewal requires us to recognize that news should be treated as a public good, not a commodity.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Any serious agenda for democratic renewal requires us to recognize that news should be treated as a public good, not a commodity.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Reposted by Bilal Baydoun
"Market supremacy has shrunk both our understanding of what a civic information economy ought to provide in a democracy, and our imagination about how to better guarantee the public access to reliable, diverse information."
new from @rooseveltinstitute.org rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
new from @rooseveltinstitute.org rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
rooseveltinstitute.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
"Market supremacy has shrunk both our understanding of what a civic information economy ought to provide in a democracy, and our imagination about how to better guarantee the public access to reliable, diverse information."
new from @rooseveltinstitute.org rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
new from @rooseveltinstitute.org rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...