Media Say “Wow”!

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 11/4/126

Headline: “Opinion | As Democrats swept the midterms, news anchors struggled to find the words”

Subhead:  “‘Wow’ was the word of the night as a historic blue wave stunned election-night broadcasters”

“. . .On Tuesday night, the word “wow” might have been uttered on TV more than any other interjection ever. Anchors, analysts, election experts — you name it — all ran out of words to express their surprise at a variety of races. NBC’s Steve Kornacki might have been the league leader in ‘wows.’ Or it might have been CNN’s Jake Tapper. Or maybe it was MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/2026-midterms-democratic-sweep-election-night-media-coverage/

MAGA Media at Odds

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 11/4/26

Headline:  “A MAGA media civil war erupts over who’s to blame for the GOP’s thrashing”

Subhead:  “Trump’s allies cite the Iran war, the economy and one another after Republicans’ election rout exposed deep divisions in the MAGA media world.”

“. . .These pronouncements from the Republican Party’s two standard-bearers did little to quell the finger-pointing from right-wing influencers and media personalities after the massive blue wave on election night.

“By Wednesday morning, the party’s media firebrands sought not only answers but also scapegoats. Commentators and influential right-wing personalities offered sharply different accounts of what went wrong. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/11/04/maga-media-civil-war-erupts-over-whos-blame-gops-thrashing/

Fox News Falling

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 11/4/26

Headline:  “Fox News suffers ratings slump on bleak election night for Republicans”

Subhead:  “In early, preliminary figures, the news channel trailed several other networks in prime-time viewership”

“On a midterm election night that was a huge disappointment for Republicans, with Democrats taking control of the US House and Senate, the country’s most prominent conservative television network felt the brunt of viewer disillusionment with Donald Trump and his party, according to preliminary audience numbers.

“The Fox News Channel, which often leads in viewership on election night, appears to have come out far behind the competition. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/nov/04/fox-news-midterm-ratings

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 11/4/26

Headline:  “The midterm results are a crushing rebuke to Fox News’ Trump propaganda”

“. . .For Fox’s troubles, the network received a significant drop in viewership leading up to Election Day — one apparently triggered by disaffected Republicans changing the channel — and election night attacks from a president who called in and lashed out at the network for being insufficiently supportive. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/midterm-results-are-crushing-rebuke-fox-news-trump-propaganda

MAGA-Media Apocalypse?

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Article in The Bulkwark by Will Sommer, 11/2/26

Headline:  “MAGA Preps for the World to End—Literally”

Subhead: “With Republicans fearing electoral doom, right-wing pundits send their audience to the bunker.”

“ROUGHLY TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FROM NOW, the Republican party could be looking at a set of catastrophic results in the midterm elections. If polls are to be believed, the party’s defeat could be severe enough to represent a repudiation of the party’s entire direction over the past decade.

“Yet pro-Trump media figures are urging their audiences to focus their attention on an even more dire possibility: a total global apocalypse. Whether it’s the prospect of a world-ending war, a debilitating cyberattack, or some other kind of catastrophe, luminaries on the right increasingly feel the end may be nigh. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/maga-preps-doomer-prepper-for-the-world-to-end-literally

Media Michigan Shockwave

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 11/2/26

Headline: “Haley Stevens’ stunning endorsement set off a media firestorm. Will Michigan voters care?”

Subhead:  “The Michigan Democrat withdrew her support for Abdul El-Sayed and endorsed Republican Mike Rogers just days before Election Day”

“. . .The New York Times’ Bayliss Wagner, Reid J. Epstein and Tim Balk wrote, “The extraordinary development reflected both the bitter disagreements over Israel and the personal animosity between the two prominent Michigan Democrats. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/haley-stevens-endorses-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-race/

Some Reporters are Partial

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Article in Media Matters by Hanne MacDonald & Jack Wheatley, 11/2/26

Headline:  “These 49 figures within the right-wing media ecosystem are claiming they have had contact with Donald Trump or the White House”

Subhead: “Since May, media personalities and election denial activists have made at least 123 claims about speaking with Trump or White House staff and even influencing policy”

“. . .Many of these individuals — who range from prominent election deniers to Fox News personalities and influential podcasters — claim to have discussed policy during phone calls and texts with Trump, meetings in the Oval Office, or other interactions with White House staff. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/these-49-figures-within-right-wing-media-ecosystem-are-claiming-they-have-had-contact

Press Missing Something?

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Article in FAIR by Pete Tucker, 11/2/26

Headline:  “When Trump’s Prosecutions Become Persecutions, Headlines Should Say So”

“With the midterm elections shaping up to be a stinging rebuke of his gold-plated presidency, the tempo of Donald Trump’s political prosecutions—a hallmark of his second term—has increased. Headlines and story-framing lead paragraphs, however, routinely fail to highlight the authoritarian nature of these persecutions. . .”

Read the full Article at:

https://fair.org/home/when-trumps-prosecutions-become-persecutions-headlines-should-say-so/

The Shredding of Political Journalism

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 11/2/26

Headline: “‘Let’s Get Rid of Her’”

Subhead: “Voters may punish Donald Trump at the polls this week. But he has already shattered the norms of political journalism.”

“. . .Tracey Tully, a New York Times reporter who covers New Jersey, waiting with a pen and pad. She had asked to enter the event, but had been told that it was private and members of the media were not welcome. . .”

“. . .On July 18 in Waynesville, North Carolina, a reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times—part of the USA Today Network, and owned and operated by Gannett—said he was “physically blocked entry” to a campaign event for Michael Whatley, a Republican Senate candidate. . .”

“. . .On October 13, at a public briefing in Cambridge, Maryland, Andy Harris, a congressman from Maryland, told Cat Murphy—a journalism graduate student at the University of Maryland, credentialed as a reporter for the Capital News Service—“I’m disinviting you.” . . .”

Rad the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/lets-get-rid-of-her-trump-midterms-voters-norms-shattered-neely-tully-kean-johnson.php

Hear, Hear Mr. President?

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Article in AlterNet by Sarah K. Burris, 10/30/26

Headline: “Morning Joe has a new theory behind Trump’s ‘crazed rage’ at the media”

“. . .Jonathan Lemier noted that aides inside the White House have been saying for a while that the president simply can’t hear anymore and he frequently must lean in and ask people to repeat themselves. As his niece Mary Trump has noted several times, Trump doesn’t like to show weakness. So needing a hearing aid would likely make him feel weak. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/trump-mental-health-2678170734/

TV News Evolving

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Article in Poynter by Kerwin Speight, 10/30/26

Headline: “Opinion | Scripps is cutting anchors and adding reporters. Is this the future of local TV news?”

Subhead: “Anchorless newscasts offer an early look at what viewers could gain — and lose — as local TV evolves”

“CEO Adam Symson announced the job cuts Tuesday, marking the second wave of layoffs this year. In August, 268 employees were let go. Most notable among that group were news anchors at some stations.

At the same time, Scripps’ WMAR-TV in Baltimore debuted newscasts without anchors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/scripps-anchorless-local-tv-news-reporters/