Mission

The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt research and education organization founded in 1972. As of 2020 our focus is primarily on research on media democracy. WIFP believes we need a radical reconstruction of the communications media where everyone can speak for themselves rather than the current system where corporate mass media conglomerates own 90% of the media. Those few corporate conglomerate media must not continue to set the narrative and control what information is heard. We need a radical restructuring of the communications media in this country in order to have a democracy.

WIFP has operated as a national and international network of associates: media women and media-concerned women, as well as men who join with us.

We seek to democratize the communications media by expanding freedom of the press (all forms of media and communication) to enable all people; all economic levels, people of color, LGBTQIA+, those of us with disabilities — all of us — to have the equal opportunity to speak directly to the whole public.

WIFP encourages projects that move us toward these democratic communication goals. It is a place where new ideas about making communication more democratic are encouraged and researched. WIFP sees a unique role for women as the majority in democracy, as well as men, to build a communication system that permits everyone to be heard equally and all critical information to be heard.

WIFP is in the process of sharing our founder Dr. Donna Allen’s theoretical foundation for the radical reconstruction of the communications media.