Trump’s Media Lawsuit Failing?

Article in The New Republic by Hafiz Rashad, 10/13/26

Headlline:  “Trump Tries to Get Out of Deposition as His BBC Lawsuit Backfires”

Subhead: “Donald Trump sued the BBC—and the case keeps going downhill for him.”

“President Trump is trying to get out of testifying in a lawsuit that he initiated.

“As part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, Trump was scheduled to sit for a deposition with the U.K. broadcaster’s lawyers on Friday. However, according to a court filing Tuesday, the president’s attorneys canceled the session, saying he would be unavailable for about two months, well after the discovery period in the case ends, Politico reports. . .”

Read the full article at:

(for more information about this lawsuit, type BBC in the FCM search box)

https://newrepublic.com/post/216587/trump-bbc-lawsuit-deposition

Public Radio Breaks With Universities

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Luch Schillerm 10/13/26

Headline: “All They’re Going to Hear Is Capitulation”

Subhead: “The Trump administration’s ideological attacks on public media and education converge at university-based radio stations. Some are breaking free.”

“. . .Sarah Morris calls it a “conscious uncoupling.” She is the general manager of KCUR, the major NPR station in Kansas City; her station is licensed to the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and has been since 1957. The two entities—the University of Missouri and KCUR—decided in 2025 to separate in a style Morris characterized as ‘believed to be mutually beneficial, friendly and well down the path toward independence’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/all-theyre-going-to-hear-is-capitulation-trump-attacks-public-media-education-university-radio-stations-kut-npr-texas.php

A New Perfect Spokesperson

Article in The Guardian by Arwa Mahdawi, 10/13/26

Headline:  “Loves Trump, lies and conspiracies: Katie Zacharia is the perfect presidential press secretary”

Subhead:  “The Maga member believes the 2020 election was stolen and seemingly her new boss is saving the world from a cabal of satanic paedophiles. She’ll fit right in then”

“While you’ve obviously got to worship the president to get a top comms role with him, there are a few other job requirements. Not least a willingness to embrace what former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway called ‘alternative facts’. . .”

“. . .If Zacharia lasts even a year in her new role, meanwhile, I’ll be surprised. With a (very likely) disastrous midterm election approaching, she has her work cut out and will need all the alternative facts she can find. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/13/trump-lies-conspiracies-katie-zacharia-press-secretary

Journalism, War, and Lies

Article in The Nation by Marwan Bishara, 10/112/26

Headline:  “Writing About War as Bombs Fall”

Subhead:  “While the Israeli government launched a well-orchestrated offensive of disinformation and hyperbole that would make the illegal permissible in the war on Gaza.

“When the Gaza war started three years ago, I took to the keyboard. In those dark times, writing was my only sanctuary amid the mayhem. I had written extensively about war in my career as a scholar and a journalist, but nothing prepared me for this war. The words that came to mind felt jaded, even inadequate for what was unfolding in front of our eyes. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/world/gaza-war-three-years-global-opinion-israel/

Media Groups Fight Consolidation

Article in Free Press by Staff, 12/9/26

Headline:  “Unions and Nonprofits Representing Journalists, Writers and Communications Professionals Petition FCC to Stay Order That Would Allow Massive Media Consolidation”

Subhead:  “Groups call “unlawful” Carr’s move to eliminate a vital limit that prevented massive broadcast conglomerates from acquiring even more local outlets”

“WASHINGTON — A coalition of unions and nonprofit organizations representing journalists, writers and other communications professionals have urged the Federal Communications Commission to stay a recent order repealing its long-standing and congressionally required National Television Multiple Ownership Rule. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/coalition-petitions-fcc-stay-order-allowing-massive-media-consolidation

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Article in Common Dreams by Jake Johnson, 10/10/26

Headline:  “Coalition Files Emergency Motion to Stop Trump FCC From Unleashing Media Consolidation Spree”

Subhead: “The FCC simply cannot ignore the laws Congress makes just because the current agency head wants to.”

“A coalition of nonprofit groups and labor unions filed an emergency petition on Friday aimed at blocking the Federal Communications Commission’s recent repeal of a decades-old rule that limited consolidation among television broadcasters, a move that would allow media conglomerates to seize even more control over local news stations. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-fcc-tv-consolidation-2678069354

“60 Minutes” Still Rolls Downhill?

Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 10/12/26

Headline:  “Bari’s Stahl Showdown”

Subhead:  “Two recent clashes over Israel coverage have roiled Bari Weiss’ CBS News, Status has learned, with one confrontation even pushing legendary ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl to the brink of quitting.”

“On Sunday night, ’60 Minutes’ aired a riveting piece examining the violence that extremist Israeli settlers have unleashed against Palestinians in the West Bank. . .”

“. . .Behind the scenes, Status has learned that the screenings for Stahl’s piece grew extraordinarily contentious, with the legendary correspondent becoming so frustrated that she privately discussed the possibility of quitting the show.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/bari-weiss-lesley-stahl-60-minutes-israel-gaza

Kangaroo Courts and the Media


Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/12/26

Headline:  “CBS, ABC, CNN and Fox News: What to know”

“The Department of Justice (DOJ) took many by surprise when it said over the weekend it would investigate the country’s top television networks on antitrust grounds over a boycott the TV networks carried out last month in response to President Trump’s ban of three news outlets from the White House. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6144038-doj-investigates-tv-networks-boycott/

Too Chicken to Answer Questions?


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones 10/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Jennifer Griffin has covered 8 defense secretaries. She’s never seen a Pentagon like this.”

Subhead: “On  ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ the longtime Fox News correspondent reflects on nearly four decades of reporting, from war zones to Washington”

“. . .Griffin went on to explain why, but also said, ‘There are still very important stories being broken. Every time there’s a story the Pentagon doesn’t want, they call it fake news. That’s just a real cop-out. That’s a cop out for not wanting to answer questions — not wanting to answer questions from Congress, not wanting to answer questions from the press, and I don’t think the American people are buying it anymore’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/fox-news-jennifer-griffin-pentagon-pete-hegseth/

Propaganda / Media

Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Fox News at 30: Even the pretense of impartiality is all but gone”

“Fox News’ role as a Republican propaganda machine is clear to anyone who has bothered to peruse its programming — President Donald Trump knows it, Fox co-founder Rupert Murdoch knows it, disgraced network co-founder Roger Ailes knew it, and longtime viewers like me certainly know it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-30-even-pretense-impartiality-all-gone

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Susie Banikarim, 10/9/26

Headline: “After Thirty Years, Fox Remains the House Ailes Built”

Subhead: “Racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and consistently high ratings. . .”

“. . .Though much has been made of the fracturing of right-wing media, Fox remains the most popular and powerful source of news-like content for many Americans. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/after-thirty-years-fox-news-remains-house-ailes-built-racism-misogyny-xenophobia-high-ratings.php

If it Looks Like an Oligopoly. . .

Article in The Wrap by Kayla Cobb, 10/8/26

Headline: “Skydance’s New TV Empire Explained: Who’s in Charge and What May Be Ahead | Analysis”

Subhead:  “With the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance now owns almost 190 shows, over 70 cable networks and two major streamers”

“A lot of attention has been paid to the future of the film industry in the wake of Skydance acquiring Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, but few are talking about the other big entertainment play of this new merger: TV. With the acquisition of WBD, Skydance now owns nearly 190 shows, more than 70 cable channels and two major streamers.

“It’s a massive portfolio that threatens to disrupt the current order of television. Over the past 12 months, networks and streaming assets owned by Paramount and Warner Bros. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/tv/skydance-tv-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-analysis/