Timothy Karr Journalist Profile

Articles

Fighting Disinformation Must Be Part of Disaster-Relief Efforts

Jan 13, 2025 | freepress.net | Timothy Karr

Misleading claims about California’s efforts to combat the fires ravaging greater Los Angeles have taken a nasty turn as prominent public figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump have posted disinformation on online platforms to politicize the most destructive disaster in the city’s history. It’s gotten so bad that many officials focused on fighting the fires have had to divert time and resources to confront and fact check the scourge of lies about the disaster.
Elon Musk's Plan to Defund Public Media and Defend Trumpism

Nov 25, 2024 | freepress.net | Timothy Karr

Lurking in the 10th paragraph of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's cost-cutting screed on the new Department of Government Efficiency is a line that should worry anyone who cares about the future of public media — and its ability to hold Trump and other authoritarians accountable.
Tracking Platform Integrity on the Eve of the Election

Nov 1, 2024 | benton.org | Nora Benavidez |Timothy Karr

In April 2024, Free Press released a report on social-media companies’ commitments to 2024 election integrity. We analyzed 12 major technology companies’ readiness to address political disinformation, manipulation and hate on their networks. Free Press scored the companies’ responses (or lack thereof) as either “Adequate,” “Partial,” “Insufficient” or “Fail.” Now, less than a week before Election Day, Free Press has revisited and updated its April analysis.
FCC Reasserts Its Authority To Protect The Open Internet

Apr 25, 2024 | popularresistance.org | Timothy Karr

Above photo: Federal Communication Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, then a commissioner, rallies against repeal of net neutrality rules in December 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. And Safeguard Online Users. Washington, DC – On Thursday, in a 3–2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission voted to restore Net Neutrality protections and reclassify high-speed-internet access services as telecom services subject to Title II of the Communications Act.
Net Neutrality Returns ... Again. What You Need to Know.

Apr 4, 2024 | freepress.net | Timothy Karr

Earlier this week, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her plan to return to the FCC the authority to act as a strong advocate for a user-powered, open internet. The agency will vote on April 25 on whether to reclassify high-speed-internet access services as telecom services subject to Title II of the Communications Act. Title II authority allows the FCC to safeguard Net Neutrality and hold companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon accountable to internet users across the United States.
Opinion: Big tech companies are saying the right thing about fighting deepfakes. But will they?

Feb 23, 2024 | cnn.com | Timothy Karr

Editor’s Note: Timothy Karr is the senior director at Free Press, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that advocates for a more just and democratic media system. The views expressed here are his own. Read more opinion on CNN. Last Friday, 20 technology platforms agreed to better label and curtail AI-generated disinformation that’s being spread online to deceive voters during a busy election year.
Opinion: Big tech companies are saying the right thing about fighting deepfakes. But will they?

Feb 23, 2024 | newsbreak.com | Timothy Karr

He thought the guy he met on vacation was just a fling. He turned out to be the love of his life
To ‘Save Local News,’ Policymakers Need to Understand What Needs Saving

Feb 23, 2024 | techpolicy.press | Timothy Karr

Timothy Karr is the senior director of strategy and communications at Free Press Action, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for a more just and democratic media system. As lawmakers around the world struggle with ways to “save local news,” it’s worth asking who this sort of journalism benefits and whether new policies prioritize their needs. That’s why new research from Northwestern University’s State of Local News Project is so important.
Media Bits and Bytes - November 28, 2023

Nov 28, 2023 | portside.org | Amy Goodman |Hamilton Nolan |Timothy Karr |Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

Media Bits and Bytes – November 28, 2023 Published November 28, 2023 Death Toll for Journalists in Gaza AI and Journalism: Writing the Rule Book Media Enabling Trump’s Fascist Poison Feminist Media and Democracy Sam Altman Bounces Back Hack Attack on Climate Activists Musk Sues Media Matters Goodbye to NYT’s Sports Section “Protecting Kids” from Social Media The First Amendment and Social Media Posts Death Toll for Journalists in Gaza By Amy Goodman Democracy Now! The Committee to Protect...
The Media Must Atone for Enabling Trump's Fascism

Nov 16, 2023 | freepress.net | Timothy Karr

There is no bottom for MAGA’s top man. At a speech delivered on Veterans Day, Donald Trump used rhetoric nearly identical to that used by Adolf Hitler 80 years earlier. Rather than honoring veterans as one might expect of a political speech on this day, Trump used the occasion to label his adversaries “vermin” — promising that, if elected, he would use his power to “root out” all his political enemies.