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Craig Aaron

@notaaroncraig.bsky.social

1.7K followers 570 following 570 posts

Co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action and guy with two first names freepress.net (No, not *The* Bari Weiss one. We love journalism, democracy and public media!) Subscribe to my Pressing Issues newsletter: https://pressingissues.org/

pressingissues.org

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · Sep 26

Your pressure made Disney, Sinclair and Nexstar back down. But don’t let up. They’re still pushing for deals that will let them get bigger and swallow up more stations. And don’t let them rewrite what happened either. We all saw the coercion and censorship with our own eyes.

Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · Sep 26

"Trump's war on free speech is no joke—and it's not over. Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates with mafia-like threats because his boss in the White House didn't like Kimmel's views, a chilling violation that would've forced previous FCC chairs to resign." - @notaaroncraig.bsky.social

'The Fight Doesn’t End Here': Despite Kimmel's Return, Accountability Demanded for Trump's FCC Chair, Media Execs | Common Dreams

Despite Jimmy Kimmel's return to the air, advocates say the fight against the Trump administration's war on dissent "doesn’t end here." They called for investigations into FCC chair Brendan Carr and the media executives who caved to his censorship demands.

www.commondreams.org

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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 4d

I think we see once again how ordinary citizens are grappling better with this situation than sundry political and business elites. the jury pretty clearly was like "this is bullshit" www.lawfaremedia.org/article/sand...

Sandwich Guy, Thrower of Hoagie–Or Hero?

The trial ended in an acquittal. But the proceedings felt like a strange sort of performance art—highly amusing and highly menacing at the same time.

www.lawfaremedia.org

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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 6d

To understand how we've gotten so close to rising authoritarianism and a crumbling Fourth Estate, Sunday's 60 Minutes interview with Trump tells you everything you need to know.

@notaaroncraig.bsky.social explains how we reclaim the airwaves.

READ: https://pressingissues.org/good-night-and-wtf/

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Sasha Costanza-Chock @schock.cc · 6d

Tbh I'm not even mad about 'On Your Marx, get set, Zo!'

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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 7d

Here’s the full speech

youtu.be/kOQT_4A1eb8

FULL SPEECH: Zohran Mamdani's victory speech following historic NYC mayoral win

YouTube video by ABC News

youtu.be

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 7d

New Pressing Issues: 60 Minutes, the death of hypocrisy, plus Andy Rooney!

Toss a few softballs, avoid fact checking and provide a little sane-washing of Trump’s more unhinged rants, and you can apparently do all the editing you want. You might even get a multibillion-dollar merger out of it.

Good Night and WTF?

Under the new rules of corporate journalism, editing is only a crime when it makes Trump look bad

pressingissues.org

Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 13d

The Black Future Newsstand is headed to Texas!

www.freepress.net/blog/front-p...

Front Porches, Trail Rides and Stories of Black Futures

Media 2070’s Black Future Newsstand exhibit in Houston is documenting powerful histories and stories that connect the past, present and future.

www.freepress.net

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 18d

Uh oh, the FCC Chairman is podcasting again.

Brendan Carr’s supposed efforts to “reinvigorate the public-interest standard” are really about bullying timid media executives and transforming their newsrooms into Trump mouthpieces.

New Pressing Issues out now! Subscribe!

Uh Oh, the FCC Chairman Is Podcasting Again

To Brendan Carr, the ‘public interest standard’ means whatever helps King Trump

pressingissues.org

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 21d

The great @timkarr.bsky.social explores why our nation's legacy media outlets are so allergic to covering protests in the newest edition of Pressing Issues.

pressingissues.org/to-the-natio...

(You'd already know how great this piece is if you were a subscriber!)

To the Nation’s Dominant Media, No Kings Means No Coverage

Why many legacy media outfits are allergic to protest reporting

pressingissues.org

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 22d

And @brianbeutler.bsky.social has one for newsrooms, too: "Why is trust in news so low? Because fascists told lies and we chose to appease them."

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 22d

You should just go ahead and stick this on a yellow banner above the door like Ted Lasso in every Democratic office: "The largest mass protest in American history was called No Kings, not No Health Insurance Premium Increases."

Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 22d

Many of my liberal peers see clearly how mainstream outlets have ruined their already imperiled businesses by capitulating to bad-faith right-wing criticism. They have a harder time seeing that the Democratic Party has fallen victim to the same kind of self-sabotage.

Democrats Fell Prey To The Same Toxic Dynamics That Destroyed Mainstream News

Instead of fighting smears, they appeased the smear merchants.

www.offmessage.net

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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 22d

"OpenAI has subpoenaed a wide range of nonprofits that have been critical of the company’s controversial for-profit restructuring. ... But in practice, recipients and legal experts say, they seem more like a campaign of intimidation with very real costs." www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

These nonprofits lobbied to regulate OpenAI — then the subpoenas came

OpenAI’s legal battle with Elon Musk has caught company critics in the crossfire.

www.theverge.com

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 22d

America As No-Longer-Democracy and Not-Yet-Dictatorship

Where does the country stand after the largest day of protest in U.S. history? Putting “No Kings” in perspective.

Some thoughts from my new piece:

America As No-Longer-Democracy and Not-Yet-Dictatorship

Where does the country stand after the largest day of protest in U.S. history? Putting “No Kings” in perspective

steady.page

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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 25d

As millions of Americans prepare to take the streets to peaceably assemble at #NoKings protests tomorrow, I take on the GOP’s mounting threats to this core constitutional right.

Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 25d

Free Press Co-CEO @jgo4justice.bsky.social has a powerful piece on how GOP leaders are criminalizing protests and portraying progressive activists as terrorists.

https://pressingissues.org/gop-escalates-opposition-to-peaceful-protest/

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Julio Ricardo Varela @juliorvarela.com · 25d

Welcome @jgo4justice.bsky.social of @freepress.bsky.social to the growing list of PressingIssues.org contributors!

The GOP Escalates Opposition to Peaceful Protest

The GOP Escalates Opposition to Peaceful Protest

Republican leaders reveal blatant hypocrisy about mass dissent

pressingissues.org

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jenna ruddock @ruddock.bsky.social · 26d

Less than 48 hours before protests kick off across the country on Saturday, the LAPD is [checks notes] begging a judge for permission to assault journalists without being held in contempt of court
laist.com/news/politic...

LAPD wants judge to lift an order restricting use of force against the press

The police department filed an emergency order ahead of this Saturday's No Kings protest.

laist.com

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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 27d

NEW for @washingtonpost.com:

Pentagon reporters exited the building in unison Wednesday after turning in their badges, having refused to sign the Defense Department's press policy.

@nancyayoussef.bsky.social called it a “sad day for those who support a free press.”

Reporters leave Pentagon en masse after refusing to sign on to new rules

After turning in their press credentials, journalists covering the Defense Department walked out rather than comply with its restrictive new policies.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 27d

The Supreme Court’s majority right wing indicated in oral arguments that they think racism is over on the same day that the vice president defended the “I love Hitler” guy, and that the NYT reported that the current administration plans to accept only white, English-speaking refugees.

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 27d

NEW @motherjones.com: Nobody in that GOP group chat praising Hitler or making racist comments was a “kid,” as JD Vance claimed today

I tracked down their ages. (Weirdly, it seems nobody else did.)

Eight of the 11 in the group chat range from 24 to 35. Ages of others are unclear.

But… no “kids”!

No one in the GOP Hitler chat was a "kid"

We checked. Sorry, JD Vance.

www.motherjones.com

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 27d

This guy is going places.

newrepublic.com/article/2011...

How I Became a Populist

My time at the Federal Trade Commission—before Donald Trump fired me—totally changed the way I see our political divide.

newrepublic.com

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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 28d

Turns out your assumptions about what republican group chats are like is correct www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 28d

I'm sorry, is the Trump Administration talking to a tech platform?

Is it...requesting content moderation?

Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target @ICEgov agents in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.

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Jayson Stark @jaysonst.bsky.social · Oct 11

On the 575th pitch!

What. A. Game.

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · Oct 11

JORGE POLANCO WALKS IT OFF

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Siva @sivav.bsky.social · Oct 8

The “compact” for higher ed is an unserious document written by unserious people from a position of spectacular ignorance. No one should take it seriously. Sadly, my bosses are taking it seriously.

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · Oct 8

And another one. Apple is endangering people -- and it's not masked agents of ICE www.404media.co/apple-banned...

Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses

Eyes Up's purpose is to "preserve evidence until it can be used in court." But it has been swept up in Apple's crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.

www.404media.co

Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · Oct 8

Shame on Apple. Tim Cook's commitment to capitulation is remarkable.

migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-appl...

SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class

Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.

migrantinsider.com

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