Good, Real-News

Photo courtesy of CJR Reed Brody

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Susie Banikarim, 5/8/26

Headline:  “Amy Goodman’s Good Example”

Subhead:  “A documentary that resonates, why the press needs to pay more attention to Truth Social madness, and an impressive investigation from the Post and Courier.”

“. . .Goodman, now the host of Democracy Now!, is the star of Steal This Story, Please! But it is more broadly a film about independent journalism and why it matters, now maybe more than ever. Goodman turns out to be an ideal guide: relentless, fearless, and a natural storyteller with a matter-of-fact clarity of purpose and no apparent interest in self-aggrandizement or martyrdom. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/amy-goodmans-good-example-documentary-truth-social-post-courier-investigation.php

Atlantic Won’t Cave


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 5/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | The Atlantic isn’t backing down”

Subhead:  “The publication’s editor-in-chief says a lawsuit and potential FBI probe will not deter its journalists from publishing the truth.”

“If the FBI and its director Kash Patel thought they could intimidate The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick with lawsuits and federal investigations, they have been given a resounding wake-up call.

The Atlantic is making itself clear. They are standing behind their reporter. They are standing behind their journalism. They won’t be backing down.

Last month, Fitzpatrick wrote a bombshell story based on conversations with dozens of sources. Those sources described Patel as erratic, suspicious of others and prone to jumping to conclusions before he had the necessary evidence. The story included allegations of “excessive drinking” as well as “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” while Patel has been in charge of the FBI. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/the-atlantic-kash-patel-lawsuit-fbi-investigation/

Imperial Ballroom & Rt. Wing Media


Article in Media Matters by Isabella Corrao & Jane Lee 5/7/26

Headline:   “Right-wing media spent months claiming Trump’s ballroom wouldn’t cost taxpayers a penny. Republicans are now proposing $1 billion in taxpayer money to secure it.”

“Since President Donald Trump first demolished the East Wing to build a new White House ballroom, right-wing media personalities have frequently echoed White House talking points asserting that private donors would fund the ballroom at no cost to taxpayers. Recently, however, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) proposed $1 billion as part of a “long-term immigration and border patrol funding bill” for security upgrades related to the ballroom construction project . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/right-wing-media-spent-months-claiming-trumps-ballroom-wouldnt-cost-taxpayers-penny

Infowars – Gone?

Article in FAIR by Ari Paul, 5/6/26

Headline: “You Don’t Know What It Is, Do You, Mr. Jones?”

“Silence had never sounded so sweet, blankness had never looked so beautiful. A visit to the far-right conspiracy outlet Infowars website had no ‘Jesus Returns’–sized headlines about government-tainted water turning the frogs gay, or fresh anti-vaccine claims. No promotions for host Alex Jones’ supplements, either, or videos of him screaming gibberish about politicians eating babies. Just a white screen and two very small words: ‘Off Air’. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://fair.org/home/you-dont-know-what-it-is-do-you-mr-jones/

Picture or Imagine That?


Article in Poynter by Mark E. Johnson

Headline:   “Article about free images ‘contradicts everything I hold true about journalism’ “

“. . .With one post, two people who I have worked closely with attempted to raze everything I have done over the last quarter century.

“Their story, titled, ‘These tools will help you find the right images for your stories,’ contradicts everything I hold true about journalism — textual and visual:

“Journalism is specific, journalism is not generic.
Journalism is precise, journalism is not vague.
Journalism illuminates, journalism does not decorate.

“To believe otherwise is to demean visual journalists, to believe they are lesser, to establish a class system. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2018/article-about-free-images-contradicts-everything-i-hold-true-about-journalism/

Cutting the Real News?

Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 4/6/26

Headline:  “Veteran journalist ‘concerned’ CNN will be next MAGA victim”

“Veteran journalist and CNN mainstay Christiane Amanpour is concerned that, if Republican donor David Ellison is successful in his attempt to take over CNN parent company Warner Discovery, the network could face a devastating pro-MAGA makeover. . .”

“During a panel of the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit in London on Monday, Amanpour expressed her outrage. . .”

“Clearly I’m concerned,” she said after being asked about recent comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he’s looking forward to an Ellison makeover. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/6/800034348/media/journalist-concerned-cnn-next-maga-victim/

Amy, Media, and Truth


Article in Democracy Now by Staff, 5/7/26

Headline:  “This Week with Jon Stewart: Media For Truth, Not Profit with Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman”

“Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of ‘Democracy Now!’ and subject of the new documentary ‘STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!’ joins Jon Stewart on This Week with Jon Stewart to examine which stories get told and why, discuss the bargain the media makes in trading truth for access, and explore the power ordinary people still possess to organize and fight back. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/7/this_week_with_jon_stewart_media

Another Empty Suit in Court?


Article in The Intercept by Bryce Covert, 5/6/26

Headline:  “Lawyer on EEOC’s New York Times Lawsuit Has History Battling Discrimination Against Men”

Subhead:  “A former EEOC commissioner said, “They’re putting out their best facts in this complaint, and the facts are pathetic.”

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a key achievement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the federal agency tasked with protecting American workers from employment discrimination, sued the New York Times on behalf of a white man claiming the company discriminated against him based on his race and sex. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theintercept.com/2026/05/06/eeoc-nyt-lawsuit-discrimination-men/

No Alcohol-Reporting Allowed?

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 5/7/26

Headline:  “With Malice”

Subhead:  “Kash Patel’s FBI is going after reporters and news organizations for routine newsgathering practices.”

“. . .’Maria [Fox News], I’m happy to announce on your show that we’re not gonna take this laying down,’ Patel told Bartiromo. ‘You wanna attack my character? Come at me? Bring it on, I’ll see you in court.’ The next day, Patel’s lawyers filed a defamation lawsuit, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking damages from The Atlantic, as well as naming Fitzpatrick in the suit. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/with-malice-kash-patel-fbi-routine-newsgathering-target-practice-atlantic.php

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Article in The Atlantic by David Graham, 5/6/26

Headline: “A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom”

Subhead:  “According to MS NOW, the FBI has launched an investigation into an Atlantic reporter.”

“The Trump administration’s war against freedom of the press has reached a startling new low.

According to a report this morning from MS NOW, the FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on my Atlantic colleague Sarah Fitzpatrick, related to an article she published last month about Director Kash Patel. Drawing on some two dozen sources, Fitzpatrick reported that people inside the administration and the bureau are deeply concerned about what they described as Patel’s unexplained absences and excessive drinking. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/kash-patel-fitzpatrick-fbi-investigation/687077/

Journalism in a Hall of Mirrors

Article in The Guardian by Katherine Viner, 5/6/26

Headline: “How to survive the information crisis: ‘We once talked about fake news – now reality itself feels fake’ “

Subhead:  “In this age of crisis, technology is pulling us apart. At its best, journalism can bring us together again, writes Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner”

“. . .As tech companies have prioritised capturing attention, truth has been downgraded. AI slop and deepfakes are now so rampant that it feels that your brain can no longer compute what it’s seeing. You start to question things that turn out to be true. It doesn’t help that reality itself has become so much stranger and more grotesque. . .”

“. . .Before I talk about Guardian journalism, I’m going to talk about what makes that journalism possible. Now, I’ll admit that the words ‘ownership model’ might not set the pulse racing. But it really matters. At the Guardian, we have no proprietor demanding political or commercial returns. We have no profit-driven shareholders demanding cuts or cash. The purpose of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian, is to keep the Guardian going in perpetuity, serving the public interest, not the interests of the wealthy. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/may/06/how-to-survive-the-information-crisis-we-once-talked-about-fake-news-now-reality-itself-feels-fake