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March 28, 2025

Robert McChesney, Free Press Co-Founder and Staunch Defender of Media and Democracy, Has Died
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Robert Mc Chesney, co-founder of the advocacy group Free Press and a
tireless defender of media and democracy, has died at the age of 72. Mc
Chesney was a prolific author, with nearly three dozen books on media,
democracy and digital rights, including "Rich Media, Poor Democracy." He
was also a beloved professor at the University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign. Bob Mc Chesney appeared on Democracy Now! multiple
times over the years. In 2016, he addressed corporate consolidation and
control over the internet.

Robert Mc Chesney: "We have to really have a serious discussion in this
country about why do we pay so much more for broadband access and
cellphone service than almost any other country in the world, sometimes
by double, triple the rates for crappier service. Is having these
private companies, which are the equivalent of the health insurance
companies, gouging us and setting super high prices and paying off the
regulators and politicians a very rational way for a free society to
have the central component of our communication infrastructure
controlled?"

That was Robert Mc Chesney speaking in 2016. He's just died at the age
of 72. "Click here to see all our interviews with Robert Mc
Chesney*:https://www.democracynow.org/appearances/robert_mcchesney.


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