Josh Silver (nonprofit director)
Encyclopedia
Josh Silver is the founder of the Democracy Fund. He is also the former CEO and president of Free Press
, the nonpartisan
, nonprofit organization he co-founded with Robert W. McChesney
and John Nichols
in 2002 to engage the American public in media policy. He was previously campaign manager for the successful "Clean Elections
in Arizona
" ballot initiative; director of development for the cultural arm of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; and director of an international youth exchange program. He has published widely on media, telecommunications, campaign finance and other public policy issues. Silver has been profiled the Wall Street Journal and featured in outlets including the New York Times, The Washington Post
, USA Today
, Newsweek
, Los Angeles Times
, Christian Science Monitor, Salon.com
, C-SPAN
, and NPR
. He speaks regularly on media and technology issues and blogs at The Huffington Post
.
and moved to Shelburne
, Massachusetts
when he was four years old. He grew up on a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) former dairy farm in the foothills of the Berkshires. His mother, Genie Zeiger,a creative writing teacher, died in 2009. His father, Carl Silver, is a clinical psychologist in western Massachusetts. He has one sister. After high school, Josh Silver lived in Europe
for a year - mostly in France
. The next two years he was a full-time "ski bum" in Colorado
before starting college. He spent much of his 20s adventure traveling around the world to some of the most remote places on the globe. In 1995, Silver was on a river trip in Peru with a friend. They were ambushed and shot. Silver was gravely wounded and survived. His friend did not survive.
, and The Evergreen State College
in Olympia
, Washington.
reform. His quest to foster more critical, investigative journalism
led him to start Free Press
, arguably the most effective organization in the media policy reform space. His focus is stopping media consolidation, ensuring that the Internet
is fast, neutral
and affordable, fostering more critical, independent journalism, and a more robust, politically insulated public media system.
He also sits on the board of directors
of Change Congress
, Voter Action and Commonwealth Center for Change (C3).
On Jan 31, 2011, Silver addressed the Commonwealth Club of California
with an address titled, "The Future of Journalism and Internet Access -- The Nexus of Media, Technology, Policy and Politics". He addressed Internet policy, journalism policy, and public media policy -- and how we can help solve this crisis at an individual level. The 1-hour presentation is viewable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52xmRsYL9X4
Free Press (organization)
Free Press is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization working to reform the media in the United States.It was founded in 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, The Nation contributor John Nichols, and Josh Silver, current CEO of the Democracy Fund, a foundation challenging the influence...
, the nonpartisan
Nonpartisan (American organizations)
A nonpartisan organization, in American politics, is a non-profit organization organized under United States Internal Revenue Code that qualifies for tax-exempt status because it refrains from engaging in certain prohibited political activities...
, nonprofit organization he co-founded with Robert W. McChesney
Robert W. McChesney
Robert Waterman McChesney is an American professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication. His work concentrates on the history and political economy of communication, emphasizing the role media play in democratic...
and John Nichols
John Nichols (journalist)
John Nichols is an American journalist and author. He is a political correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times. Books authored or co-authored by Nichols include: The Genius of Impeachment and The Death and Life of American Journalism.- Biography :Nichols holds a...
in 2002 to engage the American public in media policy. He was previously campaign manager for the successful "Clean Elections
Clean elections
"Clean Elections" is a term used to describe a particular system of government financing of political campaigns, in which the government provides a grant to candidates who agree to limit their and private fundraising efforts and limit their campaign-spending.- In the United States :Clean Election...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
" ballot initiative; director of development for the cultural arm of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; and director of an international youth exchange program. He has published widely on media, telecommunications, campaign finance and other public policy issues. Silver has been profiled the Wall Street Journal and featured in outlets including the New York Times, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Christian Science Monitor, Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
. He speaks regularly on media and technology issues and blogs at The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
.
Background
Silver was born in New York, NYNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and moved to Shelburne
Shelburne, Massachusetts
Shelburne is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,058 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.The village of Shelburne Falls is located in the town.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
when he was four years old. He grew up on a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) former dairy farm in the foothills of the Berkshires. His mother, Genie Zeiger,a creative writing teacher, died in 2009. His father, Carl Silver, is a clinical psychologist in western Massachusetts. He has one sister. After high school, Josh Silver lived in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for a year - mostly in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The next two years he was a full-time "ski bum" in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
before starting college. He spent much of his 20s adventure traveling around the world to some of the most remote places on the globe. In 1995, Silver was on a river trip in Peru with a friend. They were ambushed and shot. Silver was gravely wounded and survived. His friend did not survive.
Education
He attended the University of Grenoble, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
in Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, Washington.
Media Reform and activism
Silver is one of the leading figures in the growing movement for mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
reform. His quest to foster more critical, investigative journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
led him to start Free Press
Free Press (organization)
Free Press is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization working to reform the media in the United States.It was founded in 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, The Nation contributor John Nichols, and Josh Silver, current CEO of the Democracy Fund, a foundation challenging the influence...
, arguably the most effective organization in the media policy reform space. His focus is stopping media consolidation, ensuring that the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
is fast, neutral
Network neutrality
Network neutrality is a principle that advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in the Internet...
and affordable, fostering more critical, independent journalism, and a more robust, politically insulated public media system.
He also sits on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Change Congress
Change Congress
Change Congress is an American organization that aims to end perceived corruption in the United States Congress by reducing what it considers the distorted influence of money in that legislative body...
, Voter Action and Commonwealth Center for Change (C3).
On Jan 31, 2011, Silver addressed the Commonwealth Club of California
Commonwealth Club of California
The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States...
with an address titled, "The Future of Journalism and Internet Access -- The Nexus of Media, Technology, Policy and Politics". He addressed Internet policy, journalism policy, and public media policy -- and how we can help solve this crisis at an individual level. The 1-hour presentation is viewable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52xmRsYL9X4
National Conference for Media Reform
As executive director of Free Press, Silver plays a large role in convening the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), the largest and highest-profile gathering of media reform advocates in the nation. NCMR brings together thousands of activists, media makers, educators, journalists, scholars, policymakers, and engaged citizens to meet, tell their stories, share tactics, listen to great speakers and build the movement for better media in America.External links
- Free Press – Official Website (Home page) of the Free PressFree Press (organization)Free Press is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization working to reform the media in the United States.It was founded in 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, The Nation contributor John Nichols, and Josh Silver, current CEO of the Democracy Fund, a foundation challenging the influence...
, organization led by Josh Silver. - The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) – Official Website (Home page), sponsored, presented, and hosted by Free PressFree Press (organization)Free Press is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization working to reform the media in the United States.It was founded in 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, The Nation contributor John Nichols, and Josh Silver, current CEO of the Democracy Fund, a foundation challenging the influence...
.