VOA Back to Iran?


Article in Raw Story by Daniel Hampton, 6/13/25

Headline: “Voice of America service airing to Iran ‘urgently called back’ amid airstrikes “

“A government-funded international broadcaster that provides news in Persian and which primarily targets audiences in Iran has been ‘urgently called back,’ according to reports.

“The Voice of America Persian Service was cut by President Donald Trump in a March 15 executive order that shut down VOA Persian TV, along with other U.S.-funded international broadcasters. The service’s funding was cut and nearly all staff were placed on administrative leave.

“But VOA Persian is widely regarded as a vital channel to reach Iranian audiences with independent news and United States viewpoints, as Iran wields tight control over the media. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/voice-of-america-2672366377/

Media Caused War?


Article in The Guardian by Jason Stanley, 6/13/25

Headline:  “The mainstream media has enabled Trump’s war on universities”

Subhead:  “For the past decade, the US press has fueled a moral panic over leftists on campus while failing to report on the right’s assault”

“. . .The US mainstream media has waged a decade-long propaganda campaign against American universities, culminating in the systematic misrepresentation of last year’s campus anti-war protests. This campaign has been the normalizing force behind the Trump administration’s attack on universities, as well as a primary cause of his multiple electoral successes. Unless the media recognizes the central role it has played, we cannot expect the attack to relent. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/13/mainstream-media-trump-universities

Journalism and Honor?

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Margaret Sullivan, 6/12/25

Headline:  “It’s Time for a New Look at Journalism Ethics”

Subhead:  “The first part in a series on the challenges facing the media industry today.”

“It might seem like conventional wisdom among journalists that while the world around us may change, our standards do not. And certainly our ethics should not change.

“We believe in accuracy. In being honest with the public. In declining favors or gifts intended to bring more favorable coverage. In protecting our sources. . .”

“Yet a fresh look at journalism’s standards and practices—yes, its ethics—seemed a worthwhile pursuit in this moment. Trust in the press has declined. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/new-journalism-ethics-today.php

Legacy Media Ethnic Cleanse?


Article in Media Matters by John Knefel. 6/13/25

Headline:  “Mainstream media ignore Trump’s planned Office of Remigration, a term for ethnic cleansing”

Subhead:  “Far-right figures have used “remigration” as a way of discussing forced relocation to create a white ethnostate”

“Mainstream media outlets almost entirely ignored news that the Trump administration is reportedly reorganizing the State Department to include a new ‘Office of Remigration.’  ‘Remigration’ is a term long used by far-right extremists to describe ethnic cleansing.

“Axios wrote that “liberal and moderate critics in Europe say ‘remigration’ has historically been used as a euphemism for ethnic cleansing’ . . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/mainstream-media-ignore-trumps-planned-office-remigration-term-ethnic-cleansing

Cheering Fallen Senator

Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taaffe, et. al., 6/12/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media immediately cheer Sen. Alex Padilla being thrown to the ground and handcuffed at Noem press conference”

Subhead:  “After clearly identifying himself, the California senator was pushed into a hallway, forced to the ground, and handcuffed”

“Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s June 12 press conference in Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. Right-wing media immediately began to justify the incident, falsely claiming that the senator had not identified himself, misrepresenting Padilla’s behavior, and defending the actions of law enforcement.

In a video of the incident, Padilla is clearly heard identifying himself as ‘Sen. Alex Padilla.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/right-wing-media-immediately-cheer-sen-alex-padilla-being-thrown-ground-and-handcuffed

Is Manufactured News, News?


Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 6/12/25

Headline:  “Avoiding the media trap of the military parade”

Subhead:  “Help Americans see that standing against authoritarianism is patriotic.”

The military parade and protests planned for this Saturday present the media with a big opportunity to educate America. . .”

“They can explain why any hint of this being a birthday celebration for President Donald Trump rather than a celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday is not befitting a democracy, in which the people — not one person — rule. . .”

The media can help Americans who don’t follow the news closely understand why moves from the Trump administration endanger our democracy . . . And, crucially, the media can fact check those who try to use this Saturday to push anti-democratic movements under simplistic slogans.”

But instead, here’s what we’re likely to see: two-dimensional reporting that fails to dig into the issues and partisan reporting that casts the two sides as good guys vs. bad guys. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/avoiding-the-media-trap-of-the-military

Should Media Lie for a President?


Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 6/11/25

Headline: Fox’s bizarre lies shield viewers from the fact that Trump was wrong about Newsom call”

“A Fox News anchor, the network’s White House correspondent, and two of its prime-time hosts all apparently decided to lie to their audiences on Tuesday about a dispute over when Donald Trump last spoke to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, with each dissembling over what Trump or Newsom said rather than admitting that the president was wrong. And Trump’s own furious response to an inaccurate Fox chyron apparently set off that Orwellian chain of events. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/foxs-bizarre-lies-shield-viewers-fact-trump-was-wrong-about-newsom-call

Community Media Saved!


Article in Poynter by Sopie Endrud, 6/11/25

Headline: “Facing severe budget cuts, a local television station leaned on its community — and succeeded”

Subhead:  “Prince George’s Community Television in Maryland saw an impending 75% budget slash. Instead of capitulating, the station made its value known”

“The campaign to save Prince George’s Community Television culminated at a two-hour-long county budget hearing, where 37 people wearing ‘Save CTV’ pins implored their county council to save the station.

“Jaylan Sims stood at the lectern on April 28, his voice cracking as he held up his volunteer ID card from nine years ago.

“ ‘I kept it in my room because CTV meant that much to me,’ he told the council.

“ ‘They taught me things that no other news station teaches,’ he continued. He had been allowed to use CTV’s camera and teleprompter to complete class assignments at Bowie State University. Now, a recent graduate, he credited CTV for making that achievement possible. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/prince-georges-community-tv-saved-budget-hearing/

Rt. Wing Calls Protestors “Invaders”?


Article in The Guardian by Adam Gabbatt, 6/11/25

Headline:  “As military is deployed to LA, rightwing media decry protesters as ‘invaders’”

Subhead:  “From Newsmax to Charlie Kirk, outlets and podcasts are calling for ‘hard actions’, arrests and the Insurrection Act”

“There were unsavory scenes in Los Angeles over the weekend, as police used teargas and ‘less-lethal munitions’ on thousands of people gathered to protest against the arrest of undocumented immigrants.

The events playing out on rightwing TV channels and in the conservative podcasting realm were almost as miserable, as excitable media figures decried protesters as “invaders”, called for both the mass arrest of elected officials and the invocation of a two-century old laws and used the chaos to push racist conspiracy theories.

It came as the Trump administration said the military will remain on the ground in LA for two months . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/la-ice-protests-trump-rightwing-fox-charlie-kirk

Public Media Could be in Trouble


PUBLIC MEDIA IS
NOT STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA

Article in The Washington Post by Patrick Marley, 6/10/25

Headline:  “Rural Republicans used to back NPR. Then MAGA changed everything.”

Subhead:  “Public media is facing its biggest challenge as it fights off a vote to eliminate its federal funding.”

“. . .Polarized views of public broadcasting, along with a splintered and increasingly online media environment, pose a problem for NPR, PBS and their audiences, who will need some Republicans to break ranks to prevent the cuts that Trump is demanding as part of a larger package of budget reductions that the House will consider as soon as Tuesday. . .”

“According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in March, 43 percent of Americans supported continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS, 24 percent backed ending funding and 33 percent were unsure. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/10/npr-cuts-rural-congress/