Coercing Reporter to Reveal Sources

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Riddhi Setty, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Private Matters”

Subhead:  “Catherine Herridge, a former Fox News reporter, is being compelled to pay $800 a day until she reveals confidential sources.”

In 2003, Toni Locy, a former reporter for USA Today, published a series of articles about the FBI’s investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks . . . Along the way, she reported on Steven Hatfill, a former Army scientist who was the initial focus of the FBI’s probe. In 2003, Hatfill filed a civil lawsuit under the Privacy Act. . . As part of his legal efforts, in 2004 he pressed Locy and other journalists to testify and reveal their sources.

In February of 2008, a federal judge held Locy in contempt of court for refusing to do so.

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/private-matters-catherine-herridge-fox-news-confidential-sources-reveal-privacy-act-lawsuit.php

Teeing-up Court Fight Over Press Freedom

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Article in The Guardian by AP, 7/15/26

Headline: “New York Times files motion to quash justice department’s subpoenas”

Subhead:  “Journalists who had reported on security concerns around the new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, received summons”

“. . .’As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish the Times for its coverage. They violate the constitutional rights of the Times and its journalists. We are going to court to defend our journalists’ rights to report freely on the administration and to provide the public with stories that matter,’ David McCraw, the newspaper’s senior vice-president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/new-york-times-subpoenas-air-force-one

Stomping Out Reporting?

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Article in The Guardian by Margaret Sullivan, 7/14/26

Headline: “With New York Times subpoenas, Trump is brazenly escalating his attacks on the press”

Subhead:  “Federal agents showed up at reporters’ homes, targeting journalists for doing exactly what the first amendment protects”

“To non-journalists, receiving a government subpoena is a serious thing but probably not a violation of basic rights. . .”

” ‘“When the public’s right to know is crushed, as the Trump administration is trying to do … all of us suffer irreparable harm,’ responded Stephen Adler, chairperson of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/14/new-york-times-subpoenas-trump-media

Media Crash by Paramount?

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Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng, 7/14/26

Headline:  “Paramount-Warner Bros. May Face Devastating Delay With State Antitrust Suit | Analysis”

Subhead:  “The state attorneys general’s effort lives and dies on whether it gets its request for a preliminary injunction to halt the merger granted”

“A dozen states have thrown the long-awaited wrench into the Paramount deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the prospect that its plan faces a delay it can ill afford.

“The 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, on Monday filed their lawsuit challenging the $110 billion merger, alleging the deal would reduce competition in the distribution of films and give the combined company too much power when negotiating with TV distributors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-what-happens-next-after-ags-lawsuit/

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:  “USA: It’s up to state attorneys general to save the US news ecosystem from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger”

“Time is running out to stop the proposed $111 billion merger between media conglomerates Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place some of the most influential news brands in the US and worldwide under the control of a single owner. . . Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges state attorneys general (AGs) to block this merger, warning that it would reduce Americans’ access to reliable information and undermine media pluralism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-it-s-state-attorneys-general-save-us-news-ecosystem-paramount-warner-bros-merger

To Air or Not to air? That is the question

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 7/14/26

Headline:  “AOC Says News Stations Have ‘Ethical Obligation’ Not To Air Trump’s Speech About Election ‘Lies’”

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said it is incumbent upon television news stations not to air a speech by President Donald Trump set for Thursday.

On Monday, Trump announced in vague fashion on Truth Social that he will deliver an address at 9 p.m. on Thursday, and did not elaborate as to its contents. Reporting indicates that the president will rehash his false claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/aoc-says-news-stations-have-ethical-obligation-not-to-air-trumps-speech-about-election-lies/

Right Sites Wrong Now?

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Article in The Righting by Howard Polskin , 7/13/26

Headline:  “Visits to All Top Right-Wing News Websites Drop for Second Straight Month”

“For the second consecutive month, year-over-year (YOY) visits to all of the 20 most popular right-wing news websites declined. According to TheRighting’s exclusive analysis of mobile and desktop traffic based on Similarweb data in June, 17 of top 20 right-wing news websites tracked regularly by TheRighting experienced double-digit decreases.

“The ongoing negative trend in traffic is bad news for news websites,” said Howard Polskin, President, TheRighting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://therighting.com/traffic-reports/visits-to-all-top-right-wing-news-websites-drop-for-second-straight-month/

Making TV Propaganda Arm?

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Article in NPR’s ‘On The Media’ by Staff, 7/10/26

Headline: “The FCC’s Pressure Campaign to Reshape Broadcast TV”

“ABC has enlisted the help of its audience to defend The View and Jimmy Kimmel against attacks from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift television to the right. Plus, the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on the networks. . . Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with  Jim Rutenberg, writer-at-large for the New York Times. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

 

Ellison’s Merger Off the Rails?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s California Nightmare” as it and 11 other states sue to block it on antitrust grounds. . .”

“David Ellison may have been California dreamin’ about getting his Warners deal cleared by the Golden State – but he’s now facing a nightmare. . .”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-states-lawsuit-rob-bonta

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:   “State Attorneys General Sue to Stop Paramount Skydance’s Corrupt Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Free Press hails state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control  media “

“On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. . .”

“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/index%2ephp/news/state-attorneys-general-sue-stop-paramount-skydances-corrupt-takeover-warner-bros-discovery

Next Step – Subpoena Reporters

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Article by Jeremy Barr in The Guardian, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Is Donald Trump winning his war against the media?”

Subhead:  “President and allies have sued, cut access and issued subpoenas, but experts say media still producing strong work”

“Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on the media to a level without precedent in American history in the first 17 months of his second presidency.

“But have Trump and his allies won their war against the media – or at least put the industry on a weaker footing than in the past? The answer isn’t so straightforward.

“The list of assaults is dizzying. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/13/trump-war-on-media

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Article in Daily Kos by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Trump’s ugly war on journalists goes airborne”

“News broke over the weekend that the administration had subpoenaed multiple New York Times journalists over the crime of reporting unfavorably on the antics of Dear Leader.

“The administration is very unhappy that the Times reported on the big switcheroo where President Donald Trump, after soaking the taxpayers for untold millions for his fancy new bribe plane, was forced to use his old, sad, shabby existing Air Force One when flying out of Turkey. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/13/800069346/media/trumps-ugly-war-on-journalists-goes-airborne/