Founder of Women's Institute for Freedom the Press

Submitted by Martha Allen, Washington, DC: Donna Allen was an activist (economist advocating disarmament, anti-war leader, civil rights activist) who turned her attention to media issues speaking and writing about media consolidation and control in the late sixties. She founded the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) in 1972, and founded and edited Media Report to Women, covering media democracy and what women were doing to change the communications media. WIFP still publishes the Directory of Women's Media and works for media democracy & justice.

She initiated national and international conferences on planning a communications system for women (WIFP conferences). Out of these conferences came the satellite teleconferences between the World Decade Conferences for Women and women in other cities. Donna Allen died in 1999. She was one of the earliest pioneers of media activism. The organization she founded is still active, carried on by her daughters and others.

When Donna began speaking out about media issues few were doing so. She encouraged discussion media democracy ideas and developed approaches to the radical restructuring of communications. Some of her philosophies and ideas can be found on the WIFP website, as well as her progressive activities and history. While her influence on her colleagues on the left did not make significant inroads (there was resistance, perhaps because she was a female), her influence on women activists and media women were indeed significant.