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Tim Karr

@timkarr.bsky.social

6.7K followers 850 following 1.8K posts

A crash-scene investigation at the crossroads of new media & public policy. Against media concentration; for robust local journalism & digital democracy. Still attempting to master the cold take. www.freepress.net

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · Aug 4

Learn more about our plans to continually update the Media Capitulation Index and 'award' more chickens to the cowering conglomerates and stars to those with more courage.

www.freepress.net/who-owns-media

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 1h

Brockman's Chicago station (WGN) is owned by Nexstar, the broadcast conglomerate that's capitulating to Trump (see Kimmel), hoping the FCC will approve its planned merger w/another massive owner (TEGNA).

Hopefully, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook will defend her First Amendment right to record... hopefully.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 2h

CHICAGO — WGN News editor/producer Debbie Brockman grabbed by Trump’s ICE goons.. who then intentionally ram a bystander’s car as they peel away.

More: www.fox32chicago.com/news/wgn-new...

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 2h

Another major scientific study citing the life-saving benefits of the Covid vaccines and boosters.

And by major I mean 300,000 participants.

#MAHA

www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 3h

Speaker Johnson has "had it" with people exercising their First Amendment rights.

"I'm beyond words," he says.

Well we're not. We'll be using our words on Oct. 18 to defend American democracy from an autocrat and his cowardly lackeys.

#NoKings

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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Reposted by Tim Karr

David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 5h

The No Kings rallies have been peaceful. But when was there ever a protest with violence in Washington, DC? I'm racking my brain on that one....Oh yeah, when YOUR people showed up to overturn an election, beat up cops, and threatened Dem. and Repub. legislators. Trump pardoned all those thugs.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 4h

Yes, because Vladimir Putin's endorsement is the surest path to winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 6h

This is how you do it.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Tim Karr

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 8h

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 8h

Even Pope Leo gets it:

www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

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Reposted by Tim Karr

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 8h

Congress mandated these broadband "nutrition labels" in 2021 as part of the infrastructure bill.

Carr doesn't want you noticing he's openly ignoring congress to help Comcast, so he's going to weaken the standards then never enforce the rules, which will have the same effect as killing them

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 9h

Yep - he's yet to post following the Nobel Prize announcement.

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 12h

Coincidence?

Not to take anything away from Machado's brilliant and inspiring work, but the Nobel Committee's choice of a Venezuelan also seems to send a veiled message to Trump wrt his extrajudicial killings in international waters.

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 12h

The Nobel Committee thought otherwise ...

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Reposted by Tim Karr

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 1d

you'd think a prominent news outlet like the New York Times might mention that "antifa" isn't an actual organization in a long story about antifa, but nope!

and the subhead helps props up a false claim this professor was up to something seedy as something up for debate

NYT headline: "Rutgers Expert on Antifa Tries to Flee to Spain After Death Threats"

subheadline: "Mark Bray was teaching courses on antifascism. Turning Point USA accused him of belonging to antifa, which he denies. His flight to Spain was canceled abruptly on Wednesday night."

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 1d

... and by "new" I mean new-ish

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 1d

Chairman Brendan Carr took a moment away from his busy schedule as Trump's censor-in-chief to push for abolishing a rule that requires your ISP (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, et al) to list all of the often suspicious fees it charges on your monthly bill.

Always looking out for the "public interest."

ISPs created so many fees that FCC will kill requirement to list them all

ISPs complained about Biden-era rule, said listing every fee was too hard.

arstechnica.com

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 1d

In his new substack, @dicktofel.bsky.social believes the entire White House press corps "should have refused to go places from which AP was banned."

"It is a sorry statement that our nation’s TV comics have shown more solidarity in the face of Trump’s censorship than have its leading newspapers."

Freedom of the Press Isn’t Just a Legal Issue

Why constitutional values are even more important than case law

dicktofel.substack.com

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 1d

The Media Capitulation Index downgraded Apple's chicken rating from two (🐔🐔=compromising) to three (🐔🐔🐔=capitulating), following news that it had banned apps that aggregate info & images by those exercising their 1A right to record the police (& ICE) in public:

www.freepress.net/who-owns-med...

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 2d

Apple (🐔🐔🐔) is not just gifting Trump with solid-gold, knick-knacks, it's now erasing incriminating evidence in its craven bid to curry favor with an autocrat.

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

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Reposted by Tim Karr

Matt Wood @mattfieldwood.bsky.social · 2d

Gene Kimmelman cites not only Carr’s #FCC threatening broadcasters for speech Trump doesn’t like, but also the FCC’s plan to let Nexstar control 265 TV stations reaching 80% of the country. Lack of competition hurts diversity of viewpoint and free speech too. #SenateCommerce #FirstAmendment #1A

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 2d

In a desperate bid to snuff out speculation about right-wing violence, Fox News jumps to a conclusion about Judge Goldstein's house fire that distorts what arson investigators actually said.

They've not "ruled out" arson, but have thus far found "no evidence the fire was caused by an explosion."

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 2d

"When someone talks about the importance of supporting a 'free press,' don’t confuse the sentiment with the billionaire-controlled media outfit that likes to wrap itself in the rhetoric of press freedom to serve the interests of an autocrat."

Talking truth about Bari Weiss:

What's in a Name: This Free Press Isn't 'The' Free Press

While Bari Weiss borrowed our name, our two organizations could not be more different. Here’s why.

www.freepress.net

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Reposted by Tim Karr

Amy Kristin Sanders @amykristinsanders.bsky.social · 2d

Six federal circuits—the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th—all agree that the First Amendment protects the right to record police performing their duties in public.

Taught my students last week that they have a First Amendment right to record in Pennsylvania. So do folks in Chicago and Portland.

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 2d

New from me at The Dispatch: DHS says it's illegal to videotape ICE agents. That's not what the courts say. @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social

DHS Says Videotaping ICE Agents Is Illegal. Federal Courts Disagree.

Filming law enforcement serves important goals central to a free republic.

thedispatch.com

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 2d

The central figure in Trump's push to silence Kimmel et al is now in full damage control, trying to rewrite the history of what just happened, while offloading onto Democrats blame for his unconstitutional campaign of censorship.

Free Press' @mattfieldwood.bsky.social exposes all of Carr's lies:

Another Carr Wreck

How the current FCC chairman is ignoring the truth about free speech

pressingissues.org

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Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 3d

Read Matt's complete disassembly of Carr's spin at Pressing Issues:

pressingissues.org

Pressing Issues

The future of media and tech. And what you can do about it.

pressingissues.org

Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 3d

Wood breaks down Carr's evasive answers to good questions posed by The Guardian's Jeremy Barr, Bloomberg's @kelcee.bsky.social, and Deadline's @tedstew.bsky.social.

Watch Carr's nervous and evasive response to Johnson's (Deadline) questions about Carr's censorship doublespeak:

September 2025 Open Commission Meeting

YouTube video by Federal Communications Commission

youtu.be