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Reposted by The Media, Inequality & Change Center

Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d

🚨 New article out, great colab w/ @davidberman.bsky.social, assessing the primary U.S. response to the digital divide: the corporate subsidy. Using mixed methods, we show how networked "digital equity" reinforces network monopoly. @miccenter.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2BPFG...

ABSTRACT
This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Using Philadelphia as our case study, we analyze municipal efforts to enroll low-income communities in low-cost commercial broadband plans supported by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Like many other U.S. cities in the neoliberal era, Philadelphia sought to organize its digital equity initiative as a decentralized network of public agencies, commercial broadband providers, and nonprofits. Drawing on expert interviews, focus groups with ACP-eligible subscribers, and policy documents, we find that despite the city’s goal of achieving universal service, the networked initiative ultimately advanced the economic interests and market position of Comcast, the city’s monopoly broadband provider – with only minimal gains in connectivity. We argue that the evolving relationship between Comcast and the city of Philadelphia exemplifies what we refer to as the dialectic of the network. While often assumed as opposing forms of economic and social organization, the monopoly – centralized, vertically organized, hierarchical – and the network – decentralized, horizontal, leaderless – actively reinforce and legitimize one another as part of the neoliberal conquest of America’s communication infrastructure.

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · 5d

Local news plays a vital role in helping people stay safe, healthy, and connected to their communities.

@theine.bsky.social and Carlotta Verita look at how well Philly’s local news media keep residents informed about the issues that matter most in this new report: buff.ly/jJO22o8

Informing Philadelphia: Strengths and Gaps in Local Media's Coverage of Critical Information Needs
Title in white text on red backdrop next to an image of the Philadelphia skyline.

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Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 19d

Talked to Jim Rutenberg at the NYT about whether there were any historical precedents in the U.S. for Trump's frontal assault on our media, especially this kind of FCC intervention focused on silencing dissent, directly violating free speech, etc. Could think of none: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/b...

Trump Administration Wields Its Full Toolbox to Bring Media to Heel

www.nytimes.com

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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · Sep 4

If there was ever a time for bold new public infrastructure to support local news and informed communities, this is it.

This is too important to miss.

Join us w/ @reprabb.bsky.social @victorpickard.bsky.social @abigailhiggins.bsky.social @mikerispoli.bsky.social next week.

RSVP: bit.ly/fpabbsoc9

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Media@Risk @ascmediarisk.org · Aug 20

American journalism has serious problems. But how did we get here? @bzelizer.bsky.social’s new book 📚 How the Cold War Broke the News📚 uncovers the surprising roots of journalism’s decline and offers a plan to make it better. Pre-order now: bit.ly/4mqcr68

book cover with a red background featuring four missile silhouettes. The title "HOW THE COLD WAR BROKE THE NEWS" is displayed in white capital letters at the top. Below the title is an image of a folded newspaper. The subtitle reads "The Surprising Roots of Journalism's Decline." At the bottom, the author's name "BARBIE ZELIZER" is written in white capital letters.

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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · Aug 26

"Big media conglomerates would rather cave to the president than stand up for their constitutional rights." -- Free Press' @timkarr.bsky.social

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-nbc-abc-licenses

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Annenberg School at Penn @asc.upenn.edu · Jul 25

Last week, the House voted to cut roughly $535 million a year in federal funding for PBS, NPR and local stations nationwide. We asked Annenberg experts to explain how this sweeping move could reshape the landscape of public broadcasting:

Public Media Cuts: Annenberg Answers

Experts comment on Congress’s elimination of $535 million a year in federal funding for PBS, NPR, and local stations across the country.

www.asc.upenn.edu

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Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · Jul 18

Really enjoyed this conversation about the structural media reform that we need with the wonderful Janine Jackson for @fairmediawatch.bsky.social's CounterSpin: fair.org/home/iman-ab...

Iman Abid on the Economy of Genocide, Victor Pickard on Paramount Settlement

The UN's Albanese has long opposed Israel’s genocide of Palestinians—but what broke US warmongers was her naming corporations profiting from that genocide.

fair.org

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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · Jul 22

Sharing my latest pub, "News Inside: What Mainstream Journalism Can Learn From the Radical Humanism of Prison Journalism." Particularly proud b/c incarcerated/formerly incarcerated folks can teach us a lot about democracy & media. A pleasure to collaborate w/ @lizhallgren.bsky.social on this:

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jul 16

What viable pathways exist for building equitable, publicly accountable AI systems in the face of entrenched corporate and state power?

"Is Another AI Possible?" by @anismedia.bsky.social addresses this question and explores alternatives focused on public interest.

Read here: buff.ly/vLo5vLt

The Media, Inequality, and Change Center Publishes “Is Another AI Possible? Platforms, Political Economies, and Alternatives”

www.asc.upenn.edu

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jul 9

"In the face of government strong-arming, profit-seeking media organizations predictably sacrifice their journalistic principles rather than jeopardize their commercial interests."

Read @victorpickard.bsky.social's newest article on the implications of Paramount's settlement with Trump:

The Media’s Profits Trump Democracy, Once Again

Paramount’s settlement with Trump is a symptom of deep structural rot in our corporate media system.

www.thenation.com

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 21

At 4:15pm today at UDC:

Make sure to catch "The Dialectic of Broadband" presented by @sydneyforde.bsky.social in Cherry Parkes 105.

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Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · Jun 21

Great discussion today at @uniondemcomm.bsky.social about the future of nonprofit journalism and whether it preserves old forms or leads to new democratic relationships in local communities. @miccenter.bsky.social @davidberman.bsky.social

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 21

Today at 9:30am at UDC:

@davidberman.bsky.social @victorpickard.bsky.social and Aaron Hyzen will present "Between Restoration and Transformation in Pennsylvania’s Nonprofit News Ecosystem" in Cherry Parkes 106.

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 20

Also in Cherry Parkes 105 at 2:30pm:

"Research Capture: Assessing Big Tech Funding of Academic Research on Digital Platforms" presented by @sydneyforde.bsky.social @theine.bsky.social @ppopiel.bsky.social followed by a panel titled "Corporate Power Beyond Media Ownership Concentration"

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 20

2:30pm today at UDC, catch these presentations in Cherry Parkes 105:

First, Aaron Hyzen presents "Capture and Corruption: how the AI industry can be dominated by a narrow elite"

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 20

Today at @uniondemcomm.bsky.social's 2025 conference at 9:30am:

@sydneyforde.bsky.social @abbysimmerman.bsky.social @christopherali.bsky.social‬ present "The Voldemort of Broadband Policy: The discursive dismissal of 'rate regulation'" in Cherry Parkes 106.

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Annenberg School at Penn @asc.upenn.edu · Jun 16

For decades, scholars at the Annenberg School for Communication have been researching not just misinformation but also what it means to be a citizen, to be able to participate in free elections, and to experience the privileges of our constitution.

Why Annenberg Matters: In Service of an Informed Democracy

YouTube video by Annenberg School for Communication

youtu.be

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 16

At 1:30pm today at ICA in Centennial G (Regency 3):

@victorpickard.bsky.social will be a discussant in the session "The Infrastructure Turn in Journalism Studies."

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 16

Also at 12pm in Mineral B (Regency 3):

"Increasing and High Media Concentration Across Telecoms and Internet Access Infrastructure, Online Advertising, and Online Search: Findings From the US" @sydneyforde.bsky.social @theine.bsky.social @christopherali.bsky.social @ppopiel.bsky.social

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 16

12pm today at ICA in Capitol 1 (Regency 4):

@victorpickard.bsky.social will be a discussant in the "All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: Capitalism and the Media" session.

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 16

Also at 9am today in Granite (Regency 3):

@victorpickard.bsky.social will present "The Market’s Hidden Hand: Confronting Capitalist Logics of Censorship and Discrimination With Non-Reformist Policies."

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 16

If you're at ICA make sure to catch this presentation at 9am today in Centennial C (Regency 3):

"Competitive or Concentrated? An Analysis of Trends and Dynamics in US Media and Communications Markets" @sydneyforde.bsky.social @theine.bsky.social @christopherali.bsky.social @ppopiel.bsky.social

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 15

Attention ICA attendees!

At 10:30am catch "Epistemic Welfare, Public Service Media and Artificial Intelligence: A Framework to Guide Value-Driven Algorithmic Recommender Systems" presented by MIC Postdoc Aaron Hyzen in Mineral B (Regency 3).

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The Media, Inequality & Change Center @miccenter.bsky.social · Jun 14

Attending the @icahdq.bsky.social‬ 2025 conference this weekend?

Today at 3pm @sjjphd.bsky.social presents "Ethical and Effective Public Scholarship: Reflective on Fugitive Ethics and Public Engagement in Communication" in Mt. Columbia (Grand 3).