The Media Institute – Working for a Strong First Amendment and Sound Communications Policy

Luncheon Speakers

Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom, shared his thoughts on the telecom industry in a fireside chat with Media Institute President Richard Kaplar on … Read More »

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Issue Watch

FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter’s Home

The FBI executed a search warrant Wednesday morning, Jan. 14, at a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of an investigation into a government … Read More »

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes To Dissolve Organization

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress to steward the federal government’s investment in public … Read More »

Carr Tells Senators FCC Is No Longer Independent Agency

Democratic senators on Dec. 17 hammered the Federal Communications Commission’s leader for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel … Read More »

Media & Communications Policy Blog

Informed and thoughtful commentary on a variety of First Amendment and communications policy issues.

Why Innovation Needs the First Amendment
By Guest Author Gary Shapiro

Our American democracy and our freedoms have long been models for others. For some 250 years, our ability to argue, debate, clash, and ultimately come … Read More »

TV Consolidation – A Moat Against Extinction
By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

Broadcast television, once the unquestioned center of American life, now stands at the edge of obsolescence. What was once a cultural hearth has been … Read More »

The Future of Conservative Media
By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

The slaying of conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk as he spoke at a campus rally in Utah was a tragedy on many levels … Read More »

Richard E. Wiley To Step Down as Media Institute Board Chairman; Prominent Media Attorney Kathleen A. Kirby Named Successor

FOR RELEASE: January 7, 2026 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-506-8986 Vienna, Va., Jan. 7, 2026 – Richard E. Wiley, who has chaired The Media Institute’s Board of [...]

New Book by Media Institute’s Stuart N. Brotman Examines First Amendment Threats and Prospects for Rebuilding a Culture of Free Expression

FOR RELEASE: December 15, 2025 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-506-8030 Vienna, Va., December 15, 2025 – A new book by Stuart N. Brotman examines the unprecedented [...]

Richard T. Kaplar To Step Down as Media Institute President and CEO; Former Government Official Michael O’Rielly Named Successor

FOR RELEASE: December 10, 2025 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-506-8986 Vienna, Va., Dec. 10, 2025 – Richard T. Kaplar, who joined The Media Institute in 1981 [...]

Law & Policy

The Institute participated with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and other media groups recently in the following friend-of-the-court briefs and letter.

TMI Comments To FCC

Media Institute Comments on FCC’s News Distortion Policy

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U.S. v. Team Finance

Intervention by Media Outlets To Challenge Access Restrictions Is Essential

VIEW Brief

Amin v. Winslow

Physician’s Public-Official Status Is Key Under California Anti-SLAPP Law

VIEW Brief

Digital Media Center

Digital Media Center Partners With Parks Associates

Parks Associates 2026 “Future of Video” Conferences

Stay tuned for the schedule of 2026 conferences!

Net Vitality 3.0: Identifying the Top-Tier Global Broadband Internet Ecosystem Leaders

CLICK HERE

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

2025 ‘FREE SPEECH AMERICA’ GALA

The Institute’s “Free Speech America” Gala took place on October 29, 2025, at The Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. We honored Gary Shapiro with our Freedom of Speech Award and Hans Vestberg with our American Horizon Award. The evening’s Featured Speaker was FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty. Institute Board Chairman Richard E. Wiley was the Master of Ceremonies.