Minneapolis to Host Media Reform

Minneapolis to Host 2008 National Conference for Media Reform

WASHINGTON -- Free Press, the national, nonpartisan media reform group, today announced that the fourth National Conference for Media Reform will be held on June 6-8, 2008, in Minneapolis. Thousands of activists, artists, policymakers, journalists and concerned citizens from all 50 states are expected to attend the conference -- the only national event devoted exclusively to reforming the media.

"Through the tremendous activism of millions of everyday citizens, media is rapidly becoming an unavoidable political issue," said Robert W. McChesney, president and co-founder of Free Press. "The National Conference for Media Reform is about harnessing this expanding movement and going on offense to create a better media system."

The National Conference for Media Reform will focus the national spotlight on issues like media consolidation, public media, quality journalism and the future of the Internet.

The Minneapolis event will build on the success of last year's conference in Memphis, which was attended by nearly 3,500 media reformers who participated in more than 100 interactive panels and workshops. They drew inspiration from rousing speeches by headliners Bill Moyers, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis and Danny Glover. Previous conferences were held in St. Louis and Madison, Wis.

"People from all walks of life understand that fixing the problems of the media is the first step toward progress on any issue we care about," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. "After years of fighting to prevent a bad system from getting worse, this conference can focus on pushing reforms that will create the kind of open and democratic media this country needs."

For more information, visit www.freepress.net/conference