You gotta love my fellow freedom-loving Iowans:

Earlier this year, we announced that Iowa Public Radio and NPR will partner to produce two live national presidential debates in Des Moines on January 9-10, to be offered on public radio and online.

Debates are a core part of our public service mission, and our goal is to give the broadest audience the widest opportunity to use the candidates’ ideas and words. To achieve that in today’s media environment, NPR and Iowa Public Radio have decided that we will make our recordings of these debates fully accessible to everyone, without license restrictions, following each of our original NPR Member station broadcasts/webcasts.

The issue of full, non-exclusive public access to debate content is currently a subject of discussion among media organizations, with varying viewpoints. NPR believes that placing these recordings in the public domain will help raise public awareness and bolster civic participation in the election process, and will serve as a natural extension of our mission.

This conveniently follows hot on the heels of NPR’s previous declaration supporting the protection and freedom of internet radio. The two of these events occurring so closely together is not a coincidence. NPR and PBS are trying very hard to demonstrate that they support freedom of information. It just happens to be a bonus that this all begins with Iowa Public Television and the upcoming presidential debates.

Fantastic news! My favorite radio station and favorite television station — together for information freedom!