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From naming the press an “enemy of the people” and destroying Net Neutrality to advancing mega-mergers and fighting a war on the poor, the past three years of the Trump administration have been an unmitigated disaster for anyone who cares about an open internet, the future of journalism or creating an equitable media system.

In a time of impeachment, looming climate disaster and kids being caged at the border, media and tech issues haven’t always topped the list of debate topics. But they’re closely intertwined with all of these pressing concerns and increasingly central in the campaign, as seen in Donald Trump’s relentless ads attacking the media or Democratic disputes over what the hell to do about Facebook.

“Whichever candidate you support, there’s never been a more crucial time to ask them what they plan to do not only to reverse the relentless attacks on communications rights in the Trump era.”

There’s growing and widespread recognition that the next president will have to address the digital divide, the crisis in journalism and the power that big tech and telecom companies hold over our lives.

So who’s best positioned to clean up this mess?

On Thursday, Free Press Action released its 2020 “Right to Connect Voter Guide,” an analysis of presidential candidates’ positions on vital media and technology policies. It analyzes the positions of nine Democratic and Republican presidential candidates polling at 3 percent or above in recent national polls. (We’ll update when other candidates reach that threshold, including third-party candidates.)

Here’s an emoji-fied snapshot of how the leading candidates stack up so far:

The short summary is that Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren stand out for their proposals to invest billions to expand internet access and rein in steep broadband prices that keep low-income families and people of color offline. Sanders has also offered the most concrete ideas to address the crisis in journalism. Sen. Amy Klobuchar also receives high marks in most categories.

The records of the other leading candidates are decidedly mixed or incomplete. Searches for detailed policy positions on these issues from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg or former Gov. William Weld have come up blank. But Trump’s record is clear: Based on the past three years, the president is failing in every subject.

Our guide weighs each candidate’s positions against the Right to Connect policy platform Free Press Action released last summer. We sent the platform to every campaign and pored over candidate websites, policy papers, press statements and legislative records (footnotes and sources can be found in the guide). We narrowed in on six main categories:

At Free Press Action, we don’t do electoral politics. We don’t endorse or oppose any candidates for office. But we hope our guide can offer an independent analysis that helps inform voters. And for any candidates who don’t like our analysis: It’s not too late! Each day offers a new opportunity to take better or clearer positions. As the campaign season continues, we’ll update the voter guide with new information.

Whichever candidate you support, there’s never been a more crucial time to ask them what they plan to do not only to reverse the relentless attacks on communications rights in the Trump era, but to put forth a bold, concrete vision for a just and equitable media system.

Citations

[1] One year inside Trump's monumental Facebook campaign | Donald Trump | The Guardian ➤ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/28/donald-trump-facebook-ad-campaign-2020-election[2]https://righttoconnect2020.com/voter-guide[3]https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html[4]https://righttoconnect2020.com/voter-guide[5]https://righttoconnect2020.com/2020-platform[6]https://righttoconnect2020.com/voter-guide[7] Joe Biden Holding Kickoff Fundraiser At Comcast Exec's Home | HuffPost Latest News ➤ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-2020-campaign-lobbyist-money_n_5cc111dce4b0764d31dc8586[8] Op-Ed: Bernie Sanders on his plan for journalism - Columbia Journalism Review ➤ https://www.cjr.org/opinion/bernie-sanders-media-silicon-valley.php