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Cheryl Leanza

@cleanza.bsky.social
141 followers 120 following 235 posts

25+ years in communications policy to nonprofit clients, like @uccmediajustice.org, bit.ly/ALHLLC & local govt clients @ BBKLaw bit.ly/CALBBK

PostsRepliesMedia
Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Credit to Disney for standing up to the Administration’s censoring, bullying tactics.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
This is a good example of why we need independent local media. Note the point at the end of the article explaining Sinclair owner Smith financed a lawsuit covered by his station and didn't disclose it. www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
thebanner.com
Sinclair’s David Smith threatens to sue Wes Moore as feud intensifies
An attorney for Smith sent Moore and his communications staff a letter on June 29 demanding that Moore retract a statement and apologize.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 26/06/2026
BIG NEWS: Dr. Ruha Benjamin (@ruha9.bsky.social) will deliver the 44th Annual Parker Lecture and Richard Prince (@princeeditor.bsky.social) will be honored with the Parker Award. 🎟️ Join us in D.C. or online on September 10: buff.ly/mrSp3KG #ParkerLecture2026
uccmediajustice.org
Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Journalist Richard Prince to Headline 44th Annual Parker Lecture on September 10
Join us on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C.!
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 15/07/2026
Today, the FCC announced it wants to eliminate the 39% national television ownership cap, the same law we’ve been fighting to enforce in filings at the FCC and in our case against the Nexstar/TEGNA merger. We will fight this.
uccmediajustice.org
The FCC wants to decide who gets to own your local TV station, with no limits
The FCC announced it wants to eliminate the 39% national television ownership cap, the same law we’ve been fighting to enforce in filings at the FCC and in our case against the Nexstar/TEGNA merger.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Today's announcement from the #FCC about relaxing the National TV Ownership cap is a blatant grab at more untrammeled power for the FCC.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
www.linkedin.com/posts/cheryl...
linkedin.com
The Supreme Court and the future of agency independence | Cheryl Leanza
As we all await the Supreme Court's decisions in Cook and Slaughter, I'm lifting up this great analysis done for #UCCMediaJustice by Georgetown Law student Bhawna Motwani under the guidance of Prof. L...
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Glad to be at this national @unitedchurch.bsky.social event RIGHT NOW - standing with the @justiceucc.bsky.social UCC DC Policy Office - Defending Dignity bsky.app/profile/unit... Also lifting up the @uccmediajustice.org campaign: buff.ly/rIOpFyq
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Tell the FCC: LGBTQ+ families are not a content warning
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has opened a proceeding asking whether the TV ratings system should create new warnings for programs that include transgender and nonbinary characters. The proceeding treats the...
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Excited to be out as part of #NationalDigitalInclusionAlliance lobby day on behalf of @uccmediajustice.org helping the Connectivity Policy Corp. Great meetings, great allies & companions !
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 18/05/2026
Our Policy Advisor @cleanza.bsky.social discussed the dangers from Chair Carr’s threats against broadcasters at @civilrightsorg.bsky.social’s All Eyes on Tech convening last week. His actions chill speech by making clear which topics he & the President do not like. We must continue to fight them.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 13/05/2026
One year ago, President Trump declared the Digital Equity Act “unconstitutional” and “racist and illegal” in a post on Truth Social. The next day, the Department of Commerce sent cancellation letters to every grantee. We’re fighting back. #SaveDigitalEquity
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Our fight to stop the illegal cancellation of the Digital Equity Act
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance is suing to stop the illegal cancellation. UCC Media Justice is supporting that effort by coordinating an amicus brief written by the Samuelson Law, Technology…
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The time to speak out, push back loud and clear is now! This is a good sign. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/b...
nytimes.com
ABC Accuses Government of Violating First Amendment
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 01/05/2026
Most major media companies have stood by or aggressively acquiesced as President Trump & FCC Chair Brendan Carr pressured them through lawsuits and baseless investigations. @cleanza.bsky.social breaks down the consequences of compliance in the wake of new FCC attacks on free speech & expression:
uccmediajustice.org
The broadcast industry’s silence costs us all
We are reaping the fruit of the industry’s cowardice. In the last few days, Carr has gone after the most vulnerable and the most powerful in quick succession.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The broadcast industry is reaping the fruit of its own cowardice. They have stood by mostly silent as the President and FCC Chair Carr invent baseless investigations to determine what content is acceptable to them.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Great news -- the court ordered a preliminary injunction keeping TEGNA held separate from Nexstar until trial, barring a successful appeal. www.npr.org/2026/04/17/n...
npr.org
Judge halts local TV giant Nexstar's takeover of rival Tegna until trial
U.S. Judge Trevor Nunley ruled that consumers could suffer irreparable harm if Nexstar integrated Tegna's stations into its own operations ahead of an antitrust trial.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 15/04/2026
We're in federal court blocking the largest broadcast merger in U.S. history. But corporate consolidation is only half the problem. Congress cut $1.1 billion from public media and hasn't restored a dime. The FY2027 appropriations process is moving now. Take action with us:
actionnetwork.org
Tell Congress to restore public media funding!
Will you send a letter to your Members of Congress today?
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
As if we needed more evidence that consolidation is not good for news.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 14/03/2026
ICYMI—The 44th Annual Parker Lecture & Awards Luncheon will be held on September 10 in Washington, D.C.! At a time when the times we face are scary and difficult, this is a chance to come together for community and reflection. We hope to see you there: uccmediajustice.org/save-the-dat...
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 19/03/2026
Great news! After UCC Media Justice @CWAUnion and @FreePress filed at the FCC, eight states sued to block the Nexstar/TEGNA merger! buff.ly/f9LTur7 Check out our analysis and filings at the FCC here: buff.ly/59tcCGY
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Attorney General Bonta Files Lawsuit Seeking to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar/Tegna Broadcasting Merger
Merger would create a media giant covering 80% of U.S. television households OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, alongside a coalition of eight attorneys general, filed a lawsuit…
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I has the pleasure of listening in to the World Council of Churches webinar today considering the risks of artificial general intelligence: how should faith communities respond? www.oikoumene.org/events/the-r...
oikoumene.org
The risks of artificial general intelligence: how should faith communities respond?
An online panel discussion entitled “The risks of artificial general intelligence: how should faith communities respond?” will be hosted by the World Council of Churches on 25 February.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The U.S. lost a giant. I was pleased to have met Rev. Jackson and gratified that he recognized the importance of media justice. My condolences to the Jackson family and Rainbow PUSH.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Thanks @pallone.house.gov for this important letter highlighting the danger that the current @FCC is subverting the law for the benefit of two huge broadcast companies. democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
democrats-energycommerce.house.gov
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
So this decision is bad for many reasons. Among the many bad things: 1) this was made by the Media Bureau, not the FCC, 2) it authorized combinations of top-4 TV stations in a single market. Not only is combining 2 of the top 4 TV stations in a market bad policy, the Bureau can't legally do that.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Thanks to Commissioner Gomez for sounding the alarm. Unfortunately it is hardly a surprise that the second Trump FCC is continuing efforts to deprive low-income people of connectivity.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 11/11/2025
Ethical journalism demands independence — especially from the industries it covers. By teaming up with Securus on a "correctional telecom" event — a company that profits from prison phone + video calls — Broadband Breakfast is platforming industry interests while silencing those most affected.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
I'm out this morning with @uccmediajustice.org to protest the @FCC ruling to increase rates for incarcerated people. #phonejustice
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
The Steep Cost of Data Centers Soon after Microsoft opened a data center near La Esperanza in central Mexico last year, the town began suffering power outages. A doctor stitched up children by flashlight and turned away patients when equipment stopped working. nytimes.com/2025/10/22/w...
nytimes.com
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
New FCC regulations threaten law that bars companies from raising telephone and internet rates to incarcerated persons www.ucc.org/new-fcc-regu...
ucc.org
New FCC regulations threaten law that bars companies from raising telephone and internet rates to incarcerated persons - United Church of Christ
More than a decade of successful advocacy by the United Church of Christ’s Media Justice Ministry now faces a new threat—proposed Federal Communications
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Startling and excellent article showing how a loss of privacy can cost you money every day. The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Column | The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more
Starbucks tracked my every purchase — then gave me fewer deals. It’s called surveillance pricing.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
I'm here in Boston this morning for the appellate court argument on last year's #phonejustice decision at the @FCC.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
Just what we need ... David Ellison’s appointment of a opinion journalist Bari Weiss to helm the network of legacy broadcasters Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite has set the stage for a culture clash. ...
washingtonpost.com
This billionaire Trump ally and his son are building an unprecedented media empire
Larry and David Ellison’s holdings span movies, TV networks, CBS and soon a stake in TikTok, in a paradigm-shifting portfolio with huge influence.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Today on the first day of the next phase of public media, from @uccmediajustice.org The impact of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutting down and what you can do uccmediajustice.org/public-media...
Picture of a radio broadcast microphone.
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
The Kimmel suspension is a much bigger deal than you know. It's really about a growing alliance between Trump and the companies that own America's local TV stations - like Nexstar - to turn local TV into Trump propaganda. 1/ Let me tell you the short story. It's chilling.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Thanks to @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social and the House Dem9cratic Leadership team for this democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-...
democraticleader.house.gov
JOINT LEADERSHIP STATEMENT ON THE SUSPENSION OF JIMMY KIMMEL
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu, Assistant Leader Joe Neguse and DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene released the following s...
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Important words from @agomezfcc.bsky.social Trump administration ‘weaponizing’ FCC authority, commissioner says thehill.com/homenews/adm...
thehill.com
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 18/09/2025
FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC affiliates over Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air comments. It’s not the first time networks have bowed to power—and history warns us what’s at stake. Read our latest blog from UCC Media Justice board treasurer Sara Fitzgerald:
uccmediajustice.org
Echoes of Fred Friendly: When networks bow to power
What is really concerning about Kimmel’s suspension is the role that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendon Carr—and by extension President Trump—played in threatening to pull the broadcas...
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
House Democratic leaders issue a joint statement calling on FCC’s Brendan Carr to resign, labeling his actions a “corrupt abuse of power.”
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Thanks to @uccmediajustice.org board member and journalist's post on the travesty with Jimmy Kimmel: uccmediajustice.org/when-network...
uccmediajustice.org
Echoes of Fred Friendly: When networks bow to power
What is really concerning about Kimmel’s suspension is the role that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendon Carr—and by extension President Trump—played in threatening to pull the broadcas...
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Commissioner Gomez is the only voice of reason left at the FCC. Every journalist covering Kimmel’s suspension should be calling her today. She is an expert and she has stood firmly for upholding the Constitution.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 15/09/2025
We’re honored to welcome @safiyanoble.bsky.social as this year’s #ParkerLecture2025 lecturer. In this 2024 interview, Dr. Noble breaks down how AI systems perpetuate discrimination—and what that means for all of us:
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How AI discriminates and what that means for your Google habit: A conversation with internet studies scholar Safiya Noble
The UCLA professor who put the study of algorithmic discrimination on the map turns her focus to our AI-powered future.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 16/09/2025
📢 Families shouldn’t have to choose between food and hearing a loved one’s voice. We helped organize a coalition letter urging the FCC to reverse its unjust rollback of fair prison phone & video rates. #PhoneJustice Read more on our blog:
uccmediajustice.org
Prison Phone Justice Delayed — What’s at Stake and What You Can Do
On September 15, UCC Media Justice helped organize a coalition letter of faith and public interest groups urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to overturn its unjust and unlawful suspens...
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Great #FCC filing in support of #phonejustice by 8 AGs! Thanks to @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @massago.bsky.social @ilattygeneral.bsky.social @oagmaryland.bsky.social @newjerseyoag.bsky.social @newyorkstateag.bsky.social @AGEllison @AGNeronha www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/...
fcc.gov
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Families are suffering with the FCC's betrayal of families on #phonejustice. oklahomawatch.org/2025/09/12/w...
oklahomawatch.org
With Little Notice, Oklahoma Prison Phone Call Rates More Than Double - Oklahoma Watch
A June 30 FCC order cleared the way for phone call rates, and commission payments to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, to increase.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 12/09/2025
The internet never stops—but we can. The final Know Peace Online pillar, Know Your Limits, invites us to pause, step back, and set boundaries that honor our health, our relationships, and God’s Creation. Read more: buff.ly/VfVk6GK #KnowPeaceOnline
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Know Peace Online: Know Your Limits
Across many faith traditions, the message is the same: stepping away from the scroll creates space to hear more clearly what truly matters.
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 26/08/2025
BIG NEWS: @safiyanoble.bsky.social will deliver the 43rd Annual Parker Lecture, Brandi Collins-Dexter will be honored posthumously with the Parker Award, & FCC Commissioner @agomezfcc.bsky.social will receive the Minow Award. 🎟️ Join us in D.C. or online: buff.ly/zwW1uIK #ParkerLecture2025
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
@princeeditor.bsky.social contributes another really excellent piece of journalism: www.journal-isms.com/tribal-tradi... I am sure there are many views on this and I would love to hear more. Really interesting piece on the complicated free press issues for native journalists.
journal-isms.com
Tribal Traditions Still Hold Back a Free Press - journal-isms.com
Indigenous Journalists Honor Their Culture, but . . .
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Thanks to Rep. Barragán & 22 Reps for urging the @FCC to reverse its unlawful decision to halt implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act. barragan.house.gov/wp-content/u...
barragan.house.gov
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UCC Media Justice Ministry @uccmediajustice.org · 06/08/2025
Facts are sacred. This week’s #KnowPeaceOnline pillar—Know Your Facts—invites us to slow down and take stock of what we're seeing on our feed. UCC Media Justice board member and educator Marti Weston explores how faith communities can respond to "information disorder" with care and clarity:
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Know Peace Online: Know Your Facts
As we navigate the digital landscape, each of us needs to steer carefully, developing the skill to ask questions, evaluate, and double-check the veracity of the information we encounter.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Glad to see this coverage. But what is up with a photo of me from 2007??? broadbandbreakfast.com/groups-chall...
broadbandbreakfast.com
Groups Challenge FCC's Bureau-Level Order Suspending Prison Phone Rate Cap
The groups argue that the bureau's order delaying compliance to 2027 violates federal law.
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Read this one! #phonejustice
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Cheryl Leanza @cleanza.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
I hate to harp, but not only is the entire federal government falling into lawlessness, but with increasing frequency, the laws are actually not available. The @FCC's site cannot conduct a search in the electronic docket right now and now this -- ALL of Title 47 of the CFR is down for maintenance??
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