Joseph Torres
@josephtorr.bsky.social
Media activist, writer, Free Press/Media 2070, News for All the People: Epic Story of Race & the American Media (co-author). Boricua proud.
Pinned
Joseph Torres
@josephtorr.bsky.social
· Sep 16
The Media 2070 Project Denounces the Washington Post's Firing of Columnist Karen Attiah
This latest media capitulation to Trump will result in more biased news coverage that undermines the rights of Black communities and other communities of color.
www.freepress.net
@media2070.bsky.social statement on the firing of @karenattiah.bsky.social. It's latest example of powerful media companies helping to fuel our nation’s constitutional collapse and empowering an authoritarian effort to dismantle civil-rights laws and infrastructure. @freepress.bsky.social
Reposted by Joseph Torres
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
COMPLICIT: Corporate Media's Capitulation to Trump's Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This comprehensive report sheds new light on the ongoing capitulation of major media, tech and telecom companies to the dictates of a bigoted and corrupt administration.
www.freepress.net
January 22, 2026 at 8:36 PM
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
I like this @angryblacklady.blacksky.app. As my colleague Tom Saenz says, “we have to use the whole Constitution.”
In which I explain that the Third Amendment—the one nobody ever talks about—allows hotels to refuse to house Kristi Noem’s ICE goons.
Opinion: Hotels Have a Constitutional Right Not To House ICE Agents
The Third Amendment prohibits the government from forcing people to “quarter” troops. ICE is essentially a paramilitary force—so why would hotels let them stay?
rewirenewsgroup.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:15 PM
I like this @angryblacklady.blacksky.app. As my colleague Tom Saenz says, “we have to use the whole Constitution.”
Reposted by Joseph Torres
i think powell's response here is a demonstration of the folly of the idea that democratic accountability requires presidential control. what if the president is not acting in the public interest? you want independent agencies to be able to push back and pursue their *congressional mandate*
Powell, showing more guts than almost any GOP legislators:
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Fed setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Fed setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
January 12, 2026 at 1:43 AM
i think powell's response here is a demonstration of the folly of the idea that democratic accountability requires presidential control. what if the president is not acting in the public interest? you want independent agencies to be able to push back and pursue their *congressional mandate*
Reposted by Joseph Torres
I am reminded here to tap the sign encouraging you all to support independent, worker run, billionaire free newsrooms how and where you are able
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump reut.rs/3YWbo3K
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump
Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with a heavy hand for more than 12 years, presiding over deep economic and social crises and resisting pressure from domestic opponents and foreign governments for political change.
reut.rs
January 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I am reminded here to tap the sign encouraging you all to support independent, worker run, billionaire free newsrooms how and where you are able
Reposted by Joseph Torres
In case there was any doubt about where big tech stands.
Google is hosting a CBP app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants, while simultaneously removing apps that report the location of ICE officials because Google sees ICE as a vulnerable group. “Big tech has made their choice.”
www.404media.co/google-has-c...
www.404media.co/google-has-c...
Google Has Chosen a Side in Trump's Mass Deportation Effort
Google is hosting a CBP app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants, while simultaneously removing apps that report the location of ICE officials because Google sees ICE as a vulnerable…
www.404media.co
December 28, 2025 at 11:33 PM
In case there was any doubt about where big tech stands.
Reposted by Joseph Torres
I am outraged but not surprised that “60 Minutes” pulled a segment critical of the Trump administration.
This is the chilling effect of an administration that has made it clear that it expects censorship in exchange for regulatory favors.
This is the chilling effect of an administration that has made it clear that it expects censorship in exchange for regulatory favors.
December 22, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I am outraged but not surprised that “60 Minutes” pulled a segment critical of the Trump administration.
This is the chilling effect of an administration that has made it clear that it expects censorship in exchange for regulatory favors.
This is the chilling effect of an administration that has made it clear that it expects censorship in exchange for regulatory favors.
Reposted by Joseph Torres
The Weiss Effect:
Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi "sent an indignant internal memo to colleagues saying that pulling the segment 'is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.'The memo was immediately leaked..."
ca.news.yahoo.com/60-minutes-p...
Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi "sent an indignant internal memo to colleagues saying that pulling the segment 'is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.'The memo was immediately leaked..."
ca.news.yahoo.com/60-minutes-p...
‘60 Minutes’ Abruptly Pulls Segment on Trump Deportees Sent to El Salvador Megaprison
"60 Minutes" abruptly dropped a segment about Trump deportees sent to a megaprison in El Salvador Sunday — two hours before it was set to air.
ca.news.yahoo.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The Weiss Effect:
Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi "sent an indignant internal memo to colleagues saying that pulling the segment 'is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.'The memo was immediately leaked..."
ca.news.yahoo.com/60-minutes-p...
Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi "sent an indignant internal memo to colleagues saying that pulling the segment 'is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.'The memo was immediately leaked..."
ca.news.yahoo.com/60-minutes-p...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
December 22, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Sadly @poynterinstitute.bsky.social left off the horrific unconstitutional treatment of journalist Mario Guevara. Guevara was arrested covering a protest in ATL, detained over 100 days in rural GA, deported to El Salvador for his journalistic work filming police. www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
A Poynter Report special: the 2025 year in media - Poynter
From attacks on the press and regulatory power plays to newsroom upheaval and unexpected cultural flashpoints, these moments defined media in 2025
www.poynter.org
December 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Sadly @poynterinstitute.bsky.social left off the horrific unconstitutional treatment of journalist Mario Guevara. Guevara was arrested covering a protest in ATL, detained over 100 days in rural GA, deported to El Salvador for his journalistic work filming police. www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
Is this fight fix?
December 20, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Is this fight fix?
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Has anyone asked Brendan Carr whether he told staff to scrub the word "independent" from the FCC websites so that it retroactively aligned with his shocking (and incorrect) claim that the agency served Donald Trump instead?
www.youtube.com/live/cHY0dP5...
www.youtube.com/live/cHY0dP5...
Chairman Cruz Announces FCC Oversight Hearing
YouTube video by CommerceRepublicans
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Has anyone asked Brendan Carr whether he told staff to scrub the word "independent" from the FCC websites so that it retroactively aligned with his shocking (and incorrect) claim that the agency served Donald Trump instead?
www.youtube.com/live/cHY0dP5...
www.youtube.com/live/cHY0dP5...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Amid the AI investment boom, cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data centers, writes Jenna Ruddock. From Maryland to Missouri, at least fourteen states are home to towns or counties that have implemented moratoriums: a complete pause on data center development.
The Real Race for an AI Moratorium: Stopping Data Centers | TechPolicy.Press
Cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data center development, writes Jenna Ruddock.
buff.ly
December 18, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Amid the AI investment boom, cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data centers, writes Jenna Ruddock. From Maryland to Missouri, at least fourteen states are home to towns or counties that have implemented moratoriums: a complete pause on data center development.
Reposted by Joseph Torres
This was posted on X by the Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commn.
It’s not that we talk about “identity” & “race” too much. It’s that they wanted to hijack the language,legitimacy & infrastructure we created to vindicate the rights of Black people & women for THEIR race & identity.
It’s not that we talk about “identity” & “race” too much. It’s that they wanted to hijack the language,legitimacy & infrastructure we created to vindicate the rights of Black people & women for THEIR race & identity.
December 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This was posted on X by the Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commn.
It’s not that we talk about “identity” & “race” too much. It’s that they wanted to hijack the language,legitimacy & infrastructure we created to vindicate the rights of Black people & women for THEIR race & identity.
It’s not that we talk about “identity” & “race” too much. It’s that they wanted to hijack the language,legitimacy & infrastructure we created to vindicate the rights of Black people & women for THEIR race & identity.
Reposted by Joseph Torres
tired: a federal moratorium blocking states from regulating AI
wired: local moratoriums blocking tech companies' AI-fueled resource grabs
me for @techpolicypress.bsky.social with a big thanks to the folks I talked to and everyone in these fights across the US
www.techpolicy.press/the-real-rac...
wired: local moratoriums blocking tech companies' AI-fueled resource grabs
me for @techpolicypress.bsky.social with a big thanks to the folks I talked to and everyone in these fights across the US
www.techpolicy.press/the-real-rac...
The Real Race for an AI Moratorium: Stopping Data Centers | TechPolicy.Press
Cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data center development, writes Jenna Ruddock.
www.techpolicy.press
December 17, 2025 at 10:41 PM
tired: a federal moratorium blocking states from regulating AI
wired: local moratoriums blocking tech companies' AI-fueled resource grabs
me for @techpolicypress.bsky.social with a big thanks to the folks I talked to and everyone in these fights across the US
www.techpolicy.press/the-real-rac...
wired: local moratoriums blocking tech companies' AI-fueled resource grabs
me for @techpolicypress.bsky.social with a big thanks to the folks I talked to and everyone in these fights across the US
www.techpolicy.press/the-real-rac...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Simple question from @lujan.senate.gov: "Is the FCC an independent agency?"
FCC's Carr: "The FCC is not an independent agency."
Trusty: "I have not seen the FCC website."
Gomez (correctly): "Yes, and it should be."
FCC's Carr: "The FCC is not an independent agency."
Trusty: "I have not seen the FCC website."
Gomez (correctly): "Yes, and it should be."
December 17, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Simple question from @lujan.senate.gov: "Is the FCC an independent agency?"
FCC's Carr: "The FCC is not an independent agency."
Trusty: "I have not seen the FCC website."
Gomez (correctly): "Yes, and it should be."
FCC's Carr: "The FCC is not an independent agency."
Trusty: "I have not seen the FCC website."
Gomez (correctly): "Yes, and it should be."
Reposted by Joseph Torres
The Senate oversight hearing is heating up. @markey.senate.gov to FCC's Brendan Carr: "You have turned the FCC into the Federal Censorship Commission. ... You should resign."
December 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
The Senate oversight hearing is heating up. @markey.senate.gov to FCC's Brendan Carr: "You have turned the FCC into the Federal Censorship Commission. ... You should resign."
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Here’s my thread for today’s #FCCOversight hearing in the #SenateCommerce Committee, where Trump’s Censorship Czar Brendan Carr finally answers for trashing the #1stAmendment.
Before it starts: my @freepress.bsky.social piece explains how Carr will dodge and spin. pressingissues.org/another-carr...
Before it starts: my @freepress.bsky.social piece explains how Carr will dodge and spin. pressingissues.org/another-carr...
Another Carr Wreck
How the current FCC chairman is ignoring the truth about free speech
pressingissues.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Here’s my thread for today’s #FCCOversight hearing in the #SenateCommerce Committee, where Trump’s Censorship Czar Brendan Carr finally answers for trashing the #1stAmendment.
Before it starts: my @freepress.bsky.social piece explains how Carr will dodge and spin. pressingissues.org/another-carr...
Before it starts: my @freepress.bsky.social piece explains how Carr will dodge and spin. pressingissues.org/another-carr...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Today, we saw a raft of business (and politics) news stories indicating that Paramount's hostile bid to take over Warner Bros. Discovery is in shambles ...
December 16, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Today, we saw a raft of business (and politics) news stories indicating that Paramount's hostile bid to take over Warner Bros. Discovery is in shambles ...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
"Netflix or Paramount? isn’t the only choice here, and it’s the wrong question to ask," writes @notaaroncraig.bsky.social.
"A better one: Do media mega-mergers like this ever do anything good for anyone who isn’t a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) lawyer or investment banker?"
"A better one: Do media mega-mergers like this ever do anything good for anyone who isn’t a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) lawyer or investment banker?"
In Media MergerMania 2025, We All Lose
Whoever comes out on top of the scramble to gobble up Warner Bros. Discovery, media consumers will lose out as a smaller and smaller number of rich people determine what our media looks like.
jacobin.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:56 PM
"Netflix or Paramount? isn’t the only choice here, and it’s the wrong question to ask," writes @notaaroncraig.bsky.social.
"A better one: Do media mega-mergers like this ever do anything good for anyone who isn’t a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) lawyer or investment banker?"
"A better one: Do media mega-mergers like this ever do anything good for anyone who isn’t a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) lawyer or investment banker?"
Reposted by Joseph Torres
🚨SCOOP: Google gave lawmakers gifts up to $2,000 to attend a secret perk-filled summit touting AI & data centers as lawmakers consider AI dereg & data center subsidies, according to documents reviewed by @levernews.com.
Lawmakers got hotel rooms costing up to $500 per night & a Wrigley Field party.
Lawmakers got hotel rooms costing up to $500 per night & a Wrigley Field party.
Google Bankrolled Secret Summit For Key State Lawmakers
Disclosure documents show the tech giant treated state legislators to a perk-filled Chicago junket this fall; now those officials are considering legislation that could impact Google’s bottom line.
www.levernews.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:38 AM
🚨SCOOP: Google gave lawmakers gifts up to $2,000 to attend a secret perk-filled summit touting AI & data centers as lawmakers consider AI dereg & data center subsidies, according to documents reviewed by @levernews.com.
Lawmakers got hotel rooms costing up to $500 per night & a Wrigley Field party.
Lawmakers got hotel rooms costing up to $500 per night & a Wrigley Field party.
Reposted by Joseph Torres
Paramount’s hostile bid for WBD is backed by billions from Saudi Arabian & Qatari sovereign wealth funds.
Additional money comes via Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's Saudi-financed equity firm.
Now, Trump says he's going to be "involved" in any final ownership decision.
Let's unpack that ...
Additional money comes via Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's Saudi-financed equity firm.
Now, Trump says he's going to be "involved" in any final ownership decision.
Let's unpack that ...
December 9, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Paramount’s hostile bid for WBD is backed by billions from Saudi Arabian & Qatari sovereign wealth funds.
Additional money comes via Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's Saudi-financed equity firm.
Now, Trump says he's going to be "involved" in any final ownership decision.
Let's unpack that ...
Additional money comes via Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's Saudi-financed equity firm.
Now, Trump says he's going to be "involved" in any final ownership decision.
Let's unpack that ...
Reposted by Joseph Torres
This practice was endorsed by a Supreme Court Justice.
#KavanaughStop
#KavanaughStop
US citizen Maria Greeley, a Latina who was adopted, was walking home from work downtown when masked agents zip tied her. They said she “doesn’t look like a Greeley.” This is how the government treats people under current deportation policies.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/15/l...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/15/l...
November 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
This practice was endorsed by a Supreme Court Justice.
#KavanaughStop
#KavanaughStop
Reposted by Joseph Torres
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
holy shit: “Among the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported more than 3 million Africans to the Caribbean, 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Caribbean reparations leaders in ‘historic’ first UK visit to press for justice
CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain’s colonial legacy and its lasting impact
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
Reposted by Joseph Torres
"Our government is embarking on a totally unprovoked military assault and regime change operations in Latin America."
November 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
"Our government is embarking on a totally unprovoked military assault and regime change operations in Latin America."