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Associated Press: New Twitter rules expose election offices to spoof accounts

“Because Twitter is dropping the ball on verification, the burden will fall on voters to double check that the information they are consuming and sharing is legitimate,” said Jill Greene, voting and elections manager for Common Cause Pennsylvania.

Money & Influence 03.7.2023

Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court’s ‘Dark Money’ Rulings Anchor Defense in Ohio Political Corruption Trial

“This trial is not just about what the former speaker of the House did, it’s also about the terrible system we have,” said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, which advocates for more transparency in government.

Media & Democracy 02.24.2023

TEGNA-Standard General-Apollo Merger Dealt Blow with Hearing Designation Order

Today, the Federal Communications Commission issued a Hearing Designation Order referring certain questions regarding the TEGNA-Standard General-Apollo Global Management before an Administrative Law Judge. The Order specifically questions how the transaction could artificially raise prices for consumers and result in newsroom job losses. Common Cause has filed a petition to deny and other pleadings opposed to this merger.

Media & Democracy 02.19.2023

Salon: Joe Biden's agenda faces an unprecedented onslaught of dark money: The FCC is just the start

"It's clear the industry sees no problems with the status quo," said Getachew. "In a Senate where the Democratic majority is not high, they only need a couple of Democrats to tilt the balance in their favor." Lobbying campaigns against Sohn, Getachew noted, have included those from the Fraternal Order of Police, which has opposed Sohn on the grounds that she personally supports end-to-end encrypted messaging (over which the FCC has no jurisdiction). The FOP argues it can delay police efforts to access cell phone records. Everyone involved understands that "law enforcement access issues are not in the purview of the FCC," said Getachew. The FOP's opposition to Sohn, he suggested, is "driven by a larger industry."

Media & Democracy 01.31.2023

Common Cause Calls on Senate to Condemn Smear Campaign Against Gigi Sohn and Rapidly Confirm Her to FCC

In recent weeks, industry and big money opposition have continued to run a smear campaign to stall Gigi Sohn’s confirmation to serve as FCC commissioner. These attacks have now turned to a more bigoted and hateful nature in an effort to keep the FCC deadlocked. A deadlocked FCC is unable to advance key priorities that address the communications needs of all households. Common Cause calls on the Senate to condemn these attacks and rapidly confirm her to the FCC.

Media & Democracy 01.28.2023

Salon: "Groyper" guru Nick Fuentes returns to Twitter (briefly): Hateful content keeps flowing

Yosef Getachew, a media and democracy program director at Common Cause, said allowing a blatantly bigoted and disruptive user like Fuentes back on Twitter sends a clear signal that the platform is failing to enforce its own policies, he added. "You're creating an environment where users may feel threatened, harassed or attacked, or you could be inciting others to engage in offline violence," Getachew said. "That's essentially how the [Jan. 6] insurrection started, given that millions of users were exposed to harmful content and were asked to organize and mobilize offline to try and overthrow our government. It's the same type of pattern." "There are reports out there that these groups are organizing, that they're harassing individuals, that they're building momentum," Getachew said. "A lot of times, those kinds of things are not taken into account. Platforms are just looking to see what's going on in this particular moment, rather than the bigger picture."

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