irst it was the Wall Street Journal. Now it’s Newsday. What’s next?

Last week, Rupert Murdoch announced plans to buy Newsday, his third New York newspaper. (Murdoch already owns the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and two television stations in this single community!)

We can put a stop to this runaway media consolidation, but first we need to win a critical vote in the U.S. Senate and we expect a vote any day. To do that, we need your help.

Donate to Stop Rupert Murdoch and Big Media

Last Thursday, we won a key committee vote in the Senate to “veto” new Federal Communications Commission rules. If allowed to go into effect, those rules would gut media ownership limits and make more consolidation like Murdoch’s Newsday takeover possible.

Now, we need to pass the “resolution of disapproval” in the full Senate. Time is of the essence. Senate rules require a floor vote on the bill within the next few weeks. We need your immediate contribution to win.

With your support today, the Free Press Action Fund will:

  • Line up more senators to support the resolution. We’ve already secured 25 co-sponsors, and we need to exert serious pressure to get the rest. (Murdoch’s greedy grab for Newsday will help, but you can be sure he’ll be fighting us every step of the way.)
  • Counteract Big Media’s misinformation campaign. Huge newspaper conglomerates like Murdoch’s News Corp. and Tribune Co. are spending heavily to convince Congress that the FCC rules don’t go far enough. They want to swallow up even more local media.
  • Set the record straight. If we can raise enough funding today, part of your contribution will pay for ads to get the attention of Washington decision-makers.
  • Reach out to our hundreds of thousands of media reform activists — and allied groups throughout the country — to make sure they flood the Senate with letters, phone calls and e-mails.

Help get this job done — donate now!

Since the FCC plan was announced in December, more than 250,000 activists have called on Congress to block it. Last week’s senate committee vote is the result — proof that when we pull together behind a clear strategic goal, we get results, even though industry lobbyists outspend us in Washington more than 200-to-1.

The time to stop Murdoch and Big Media is now. We must win full passage of the FCC “veto” in the full Senate within the next few weeks. I urge you to make your contribution right away.

Gratefully,

Alexandra Russell
Program Director
Free Press Action Fund
www.freepress.net

P.S. The clock is ticking. We must win full Senate approval of the FCC veto within the next few weeks. That means we must start right now. Please chip in today to win this essential victory for media reform!