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Epstein in Media Again

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 7/7/25

Headline:  “MAGA media eat their own after Trump administration denies their Epstein conspiracy theories”

“. . .The White House brought 15 MAGA influencers in to meet with Bondi in February, sending them home with glossy binders labeled ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1.’ When those binders did not satisfy the MAGA faithful, the attorney general reportedly tasked ‘hundreds of FBI employees’ with reviewing Epstein investigation documents for release. In May, Patel and Bongino were sent to Fox to make the case, with the fervor of the converted, that Epstein had actually killed himself. And now the FBI and DOJ have produced a memo detailing their findings and released footage taken from outside Epstein’s cell in the hours surrounding his suicide.

“The final result left Trump’s most zealous online allies with two options: They could finally acknowledge that they had been peddling nonsense for years — or they could insinuate that the Trump administration itself is part of the cover-up. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/maga-media-eat-their-own-after-trump-administration-denies-their-epstein-conspiracy

How do you Cover Extremism?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Liam Scott

Headline: “How Local Reporters Manage the Dangers of Covering Extremism”

Subhead: “The extremism beat has gone mainstream—but in local markets, it’s still intensely personal.”

“Last Thanksgiving, Steven Monacelli was awoken early in the morning by the sound of police officers knocking on the door of his Dallas home. Someone had called the cops to report that Monacelli, a freelance investigative correspondent for the Texas Observer, was abusing his girlfriend. Monacelli’s girlfriend—who has since become his fiancée—came to the door to demonstrate that the abuse claims were false.

Monacelli was disturbed—but not particularly shocked. ‘I pretty much immediately knew why they were there,’ he said. For more than four years, he’s been covering the rise of far-right extremism across the state of Texas, including stories about right-wing influence in Texas schools and a so-called ‘white nationalist fight club.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/local-reporters-dangers-covering-extremism.php

End of Political Broadcasting Humor?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/8/25

Headline:  “Ellison’s Late Night Limbo

“Subhead:  “As the Ellisons Prepare to Take Over Paramount,  the Future of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and CBS’ Appetite for Political Comedy Hangs in the Balance”

“Jon Stewart opened Monday’s episode of ”The Daily Show’ not mincing words, calling Paramount’s settlement with Donald Trump ‘shameful.’ Just as he was digging in, a fake Arby’s ad suddenly appeared on screen, as if to cut him off mid-rant for criticizing Comedy Central’s parent company. ‘Did they? Son of a bitch!’ Stewart exclaimed, playing along with the bit—yet nodding to a deeper fear that his commentary might soon be silenced amid all the corporate upheaval.

“Later in the episode, Stewart continued to needle Paramount, sitting down with former ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Steve Kroft for a candid and unsparing conversation. Kroft described the settlement in clear terms: ‘It was a shakedown.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

State Violence Against Journalists?

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Article in Poynter by Kelly Kimball, 7/8/25

Headline:  “As police face lawsuits over attacks on journalists during LA protests, experts warn press safety is disappearing across the US”

“Lawsuits after ICE raids and No Kings march say officers targeted reporters, raising alarms about press freedom even in states with strong protections . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/journalists-injured-la-police-protests-press-freedom-lawsuit/

Evangelists Destroy Rt. Wing Network?

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Article in Raw Story by Matthew Chapman, 7/3/25

Headline:  “Dr Phil sues televangelist network for ‘sabotaging’ his bankrupt media company”

“Daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw’s startup right-wing cable network is declaring bankruptcy — and he’s suing a prominent televangelist broadcast network he had partnered with to get it set up.

“According to Variety, “Merit Street filed for bankruptcy and the related lawsuit naming TBN [Trinity Broadcast Network] as a defendant with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Texas on Wednesday (July 2). The complaint alleges that TBN, which was Merit Street’s broadcast partner, reneged on its obligations and instead ‘abused its position as the controlling shareholder.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/dr-phil/

A Sad Day for Journalism?

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Article in The Guardian by Anna Betts, 7/3/25

Headline:  “Former CBS anchor slams Paramount settlement with Trump: ‘It was a sellout’ “

Subhead:  “Dan Rather laments ‘sad day for journalism’ after company settles for $16m over 60 Minutes Kamala Harris interview”

“A former CBS News anchor and 60 minutes correspondent, Dan Rather, has blasted the $16m settlement between Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, and Donald Trump, calling it a ‘sad day for journalism’.

“ ‘It’s a sad day for 60 Minutes and CBS News,’ Rather, a veteran journalist who was a CBS News anchor for over 20 years, told Variety in an interview published on Wednesday. ‘I hope people will read the details of this and understand what it was. It was distortion by the president and a kneeling down and saying, “yes, sir,” by billionaire corporate owners.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/03/dan-rather-cbs-paramount-settlement-trump

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Kyle Paolettam 7/2/25

Headline:  “Paramount Will Pay President Trump $16 Million to Settle 60 Minutes Lawsuit”

Subhead:  ” ‘It is a dark day for independent journalism,’ says Sen. Bernie Sanders.”

“Late last night, Paramount, the corporate parent of CBS News, agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle the president’s lawsuit over the network’s editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. This agreement comes six months after ABC paid $15 million to Trump’s foundation to end his suit over how George Stephanopoulos characterized the president’s sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll. Taken together, these settlements represent a troubling compromise of editorial independence for two of the standard-bearers of American broadcast journalism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/paramount-will-pay-president-trump-16-million-to-settle-60-minutes-lawsuit.php

Blackmailing the Media

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Article in The Washington Post by Sara Ellison & Jeremy Barr, 7/2/25

Headline:  “How Trump’s media war brought Paramount to its knees”

Subhead:  “Tuesday night’s $16 million settlement with Trump followed months of tension between CBS’s journalistic mission and its corporate interest.”

“The breaking point came on a Saturday night in the middle of May. CBS President George Cheeks called news division chief Wendy McMahon with a suggestion: “It’s probably time.”

“Two days later, McMahon announced her departure.

“The forced resignation marked a turning point: The network of Edward R. Murrow, which stood against McCarthyism and once defined American broadcast journalism, was capitulating to White House pressure as its corporate owner sought approval for a lucrative merger. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/02/trump-paramount-cbs-settlement-media/

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Article in The Washington Post by Eric Wemple, 7/2/25

Headline:  “Paramount betrays ‘60 Minutes’ and the rest of us

Subhead:  “Parent company caves to baseless suit by Donald Trump.”

“. . .On Tuesday night came the news that Paramount had agreed to pay $16 million to settle the suit, which stemmed from a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with then-vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The money, which covers the president’s legal fees and costs, will go to his future presidential library.

What happened between disputation and capitulation? . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/02/paramount-settlement-trump-betrayal/

Talk Show Bias?

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Article in FAIR by Keiwana Grant-Floyd & Julie Hollar, 7/1/25

Headline:  “FAIR Study: Sunday Talkshows Downplayed Criticism During Trump’s Second Transition”

“. . . After Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 and 2024 elections, the Sunday shows had an opportunity to hold up both his campaign promises and his cabinet picks to scrutiny. With his campaigns’ racist attacks on immigrants and diversity initiatives, as well as his movement’s assaults on the rights of women and trans people, inviting guests who more accurately reflect the diversity of the country would seem to be a journalistic imperative. Yet a new FAIR study finds that the Sunday shows’ coverage of the Trump transitions were even more heavily white and male than usual.”

read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/fair-study-sunday-talkshows-downplayed-criticism-during-trumps-second-transition/

No Clowning With the News

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Article in Poynter by Clara O’Rourke, 6/30/25

Headline: “When Jon Stewart took over ‘The Daily Show,’ satire became a trusted news source”

Subhead:  “Fed up with ‘partisan hackery,’ Stewart trumped traditional media for some fans — even with a show that followed ‘puppets making crank phone calls’ “

“. . .While he didn’t invent political satire, ‘The Daily Show’ evolved into a trusted source of news under his leadership, especially for some younger Americans who turned to it not just for laughs, but for clarity about what was actually happening in the world. By lampooning news cycle after news cycle, Stewart reframed what reporting could look like and who could credibly relay — as he said opening his first ‘Daily Show’ as host . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2025/poynter-50-jon-stewart-satire-news/

Are They Coming for You?

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Article in Daily Kos by Lisa Needham, 7/1/25

Headline:  “Now Trump’s weaponizing the DOJ in his war on the media”

“President Donald Trump is simply not going to stand for the media reporting anything he doesn’t like, and he’s going to use every tool in his toolbox to make that happen. If that means prosecuting media outlets, he’s down. If it means suing them, he’s all in. And if it means gutting nonpartisan government media, he’ll do it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/1/2331160/-Now-Trump-s-weaponizing-the-DOJ-in-his-war-on-the-media?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web

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Article in The Guardian by Edward Helmore, 7/1/25

Headline: “Trump team threatens to prosecute CNN over reporting on Ice-tracking app”

Subhead:  “Kristi Noem says ‘we’re working with [DoJ] to see if we can prosecute them’ while president fumes over Iran reporting”

“Donald Trump and administration officials have threatened CNN over what they said was its promotion of a new app that allows users to track and try to avoid Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.

“Speaking to reporters in Florida on a trip . . . the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said her department and the Department of Justice were looking at prosecuting CNN over its reporting on the app, called IceBlock.

“ ‘We’re working with Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them,’ Noem said  . . . We’re going to actually go after them and prosecute them. What they’re doing is illegal.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/trump-kristi-noem-cnn-threat

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Article in Alternet by Carl Gibson, 6/30/35

Headline:  ” ‘Why not the press?’ Trump may use this century-old law to prosecute and jail journalists”

Subhead:  “A new report suggests that President Donald Trump may soon be setting his sights on the Fourth Estate, and his administration is already allegedly looking for a ‘test case’ to see how much it can get away with in the courts.”

“That’s according to a Monday article in Rolling Stone, which reported that unnamed sources close to the White House say Trump is considering the Espionage Act to prosecute journalists who report on leaks obtained from inside the administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/trump-prosecute-journalists/