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Internet Stars for Internet Freedom
Jun 15, 2010
Nobody knew who Greyson Chance was a few weeks ago. But when a video of Chance
singing a Lady Gaga song at a school talent show began circulating
on the Internet, it became an instant sensation, with more than 25
million people getting to hear a voice that otherwise might never have
traveled beyond Chance's hometown of Edmond, Okla.
That's the power and the beauty of the open Internet - anyone with a
connection can freely share their talents and thoughts with the world,
thanks to Net Neutrality, the principle that protects our freedom to
express ourselves online.
Today, a handful of young "stars" who have made their careers on the
Internet released this video -- in collaboration with
SavetheInternet.com and the Harry
Potter Alliance -- urging the Federal Communications Commission -
and you - to take action to protect Net Neutrality and preserve the open
Internet.
Watch the video:
With YouTube subscribers and Twitter followers numbering from the
thousands to the millions, these Internet celebrities use the Internet
to showcase their music, their comedy, their books, their blogs and
vlogs, their projects for social justice, and even their TV show on the
Discovery Channel.
The video includes John and Hank Green of the vlogbrothers; actor
and blogger Wil Wheaton; Maureen Johnson,
New York Times bestselling author for young adults and
"Mashable's Most Interesting Twitter User to Follow" (@maureenjohnson); Shawn Ahmed from the
UnculturedProject, one of the most viewed and most subscribed to YouTube
channels on global poverty; vloggers and musicians Kristina Horner (italktosnakes)
and Luke Conard (lukeconard);
and Adam Savage from Mythbusters.
While the Internet allows people to create and share their work with
the world without anyone's permission, phone and cable companies like
Comcast and AT&T want to control the Internet - deciding which
content loads fast, and which doesn't load at all. They could
effectively silence artists and media makers everywhere, and you, too.
The group in the video joins nearly 1.8 million people who have told
the FCC to safeguard Net Neutrality. Will
you add your voice? The FCC has the power to protect the Internet
and our free expression online, and to ensure that we all get to keep
using the Internet the way we want to.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Megan Tady
Megan Tady runs Word-Lift, a consulting and copywriting service in western Massachusetts. Previously, she was Campaign Coordinator for Free Press. Prior to joining Free Press, Megan was a national political reporter for In These Times, The New Standard, and worked extensively as a freelance journalist.
Nobody knew who Greyson Chance was a few weeks ago. But when a video of Chance
singing a Lady Gaga song at a school talent show began circulating
on the Internet, it became an instant sensation, with more than 25
million people getting to hear a voice that otherwise might never have
traveled beyond Chance's hometown of Edmond, Okla.
That's the power and the beauty of the open Internet - anyone with a
connection can freely share their talents and thoughts with the world,
thanks to Net Neutrality, the principle that protects our freedom to
express ourselves online.
Today, a handful of young "stars" who have made their careers on the
Internet released this video -- in collaboration with
SavetheInternet.com and the Harry
Potter Alliance -- urging the Federal Communications Commission -
and you - to take action to protect Net Neutrality and preserve the open
Internet.
Watch the video:
With YouTube subscribers and Twitter followers numbering from the
thousands to the millions, these Internet celebrities use the Internet
to showcase their music, their comedy, their books, their blogs and
vlogs, their projects for social justice, and even their TV show on the
Discovery Channel.
The video includes John and Hank Green of the vlogbrothers; actor
and blogger Wil Wheaton; Maureen Johnson,
New York Times bestselling author for young adults and
"Mashable's Most Interesting Twitter User to Follow" (@maureenjohnson); Shawn Ahmed from the
UnculturedProject, one of the most viewed and most subscribed to YouTube
channels on global poverty; vloggers and musicians Kristina Horner (italktosnakes)
and Luke Conard (lukeconard);
and Adam Savage from Mythbusters.
While the Internet allows people to create and share their work with
the world without anyone's permission, phone and cable companies like
Comcast and AT&T want to control the Internet - deciding which
content loads fast, and which doesn't load at all. They could
effectively silence artists and media makers everywhere, and you, too.
The group in the video joins nearly 1.8 million people who have told
the FCC to safeguard Net Neutrality. Will
you add your voice? The FCC has the power to protect the Internet
and our free expression online, and to ensure that we all get to keep
using the Internet the way we want to.
Megan Tady
Megan Tady runs Word-Lift, a consulting and copywriting service in western Massachusetts. Previously, she was Campaign Coordinator for Free Press. Prior to joining Free Press, Megan was a national political reporter for In These Times, The New Standard, and worked extensively as a freelance journalist.
Nobody knew who Greyson Chance was a few weeks ago. But when a video of Chance
singing a Lady Gaga song at a school talent show began circulating
on the Internet, it became an instant sensation, with more than 25
million people getting to hear a voice that otherwise might never have
traveled beyond Chance's hometown of Edmond, Okla.
That's the power and the beauty of the open Internet - anyone with a
connection can freely share their talents and thoughts with the world,
thanks to Net Neutrality, the principle that protects our freedom to
express ourselves online.
Today, a handful of young "stars" who have made their careers on the
Internet released this video -- in collaboration with
SavetheInternet.com and the Harry
Potter Alliance -- urging the Federal Communications Commission -
and you - to take action to protect Net Neutrality and preserve the open
Internet.
Watch the video:
With YouTube subscribers and Twitter followers numbering from the
thousands to the millions, these Internet celebrities use the Internet
to showcase their music, their comedy, their books, their blogs and
vlogs, their projects for social justice, and even their TV show on the
Discovery Channel.
The video includes John and Hank Green of the vlogbrothers; actor
and blogger Wil Wheaton; Maureen Johnson,
New York Times bestselling author for young adults and
"Mashable's Most Interesting Twitter User to Follow" (@maureenjohnson); Shawn Ahmed from the
UnculturedProject, one of the most viewed and most subscribed to YouTube
channels on global poverty; vloggers and musicians Kristina Horner (italktosnakes)
and Luke Conard (lukeconard);
and Adam Savage from Mythbusters.
While the Internet allows people to create and share their work with
the world without anyone's permission, phone and cable companies like
Comcast and AT&T want to control the Internet - deciding which
content loads fast, and which doesn't load at all. They could
effectively silence artists and media makers everywhere, and you, too.
The group in the video joins nearly 1.8 million people who have told
the FCC to safeguard Net Neutrality. Will
you add your voice? The FCC has the power to protect the Internet
and our free expression online, and to ensure that we all get to keep
using the Internet the way we want to.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.