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Journalists Cover Which War?

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Article in FAIR by Pete Tucker, 2/20/26

Headline:  “Pete Hegseth’s War on Journalists (and Iran Too)”

Subhead:  ” ‘Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be in the midst of two conflicts, one…in Iran, and the other with the American free press over its coverage of the widening Middle East war.’ – MS NOW‘s Sydney Carruth (3/13/26)”

“Last fall, nearly the entire Pentagon press corps was banned from the Pentagon after refusing to sign Pete Hegseth’s loyalty oath, which would have bound them to only report information “authorized” by the government (FAIR.org, 9/23/25). They were quickly replaced by pundits from Hegseth-approved outlets like One America News, Gateway Pundit and Lindell TV, which is ‘Pillow Guy’ Mike Lindell’s pet project.

“But once the Iran War got underway, it dawned on Hegseth that a Defense secretary needs to communicate with the whole country, not just the narrow slice of it reached by his favorite right-wing pundits. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://fair.org/home/pete-hegseths-war-on-journalists-and-iran-too/

Media Matters Says Right Wing Media Busy

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Article by Matt Gertz in Media Matters 3/20/26

Headline: “Prime-time Fox shows gave less than a minute of airtime to the Pentagon’s $200 billion Iran funding request”

“Fox News isn’t bothering to sell the staggering cost of the ill-conceived war President Donald Trump launched against Iran. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/prime-time-fox-shows-gave-less-minute-airtime-pentagons-200-billion-iran-funding

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel 3/20/26

Headline: “As Iran war drags on, right-wing media lash out at NATO and Iranians who haven’t overthrown their government”

Subhead: “When it comes to assigning blame for the Iran war spiraling out of control, MAGA media have found convenient scapegoats who aren’t named Trump”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/iran-war-drags-right-wing-media-lash-out-nato-and-iranians-who-havent-overthrown

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Article in Media Matters by Allison Fisher & Ilana Berger

Headline:  “As oil prices continue to rise, right-wing media urge Trump to seize Kharg Island

Subhead:  “Experts warn this type of escalation could further destabilize the global economy and put troops in harms way”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/oil-prices-continue-rise-right-wing-media-urge-trump-seize-kharg-island

News Restored in Pentagon

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Article in Reuters by Jack Queesn, 2/20/26

Headline:  “Pentagon’s limits on press access unconstitutional, US judge rules”

“. . .A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks ​if they seek information not authorized for public release.

“The lawsuit by the New York Times in Washington, D.C., federal court alleged that policy changes ‌by the Defense Department last year gave it free rein to freeze out reporters and news outlets over coverage the department did not like, in violation of the Constitution’s protections for free speech and due process. The government disputed that characterization and said the policy is reasonable and necessary for national security. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-blocks-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-policy-2026-03-20/

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Article in New York Times by Erik Wemple

Headline:  “Judge Rules Pentagon Restrictions on Press Are Unconstitutional”

“A federal judge tossed parts of the Pentagon’s restrictions on news outlets, saying they violated the First Amendment, in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times”

“A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Pentagon’s restrictions on news outlets violate the First Amendment and issued an order tossing parts of the department’s policy, handing a victory to The New York Times, which filed suit in December over the restrictions.

Judge Paul Friedman, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also ordered the Pentagon to restore the press passes of seven journalists for The Times. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/business/media/pentagon-press-restrictions-new-york-times.html

Icon of Radio – Gone.

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Article in AP by David Bauder, 3/20/26

Headline:  “CBS News shutters its storied radio news service after nearly a century, ending an era”

“NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News said Friday it will shut down its storied radio news service after nearly 100 years of operation, ending an era and blaming challenging economic times as the world moves on to digital sources and podcasts. Said longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather: ‘It’s another piece of America that is gone.’. . .”

“Today, CBS News Radio provides material to an estimated 700 stations across the country and is known best for its top-of-the-hour news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/cbs-radio-news-bari-weiss-11372c28f9557d0b10e329e6c4be339f

Defender of Public Media

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Article in Mother Jones by Michael Schiller and Reveal Staff, 3/19/26

Headline:  “Mr. Rogers and the Fight for Public Media”

Subhead:  “Take a trip to Mr. Rogers’ real life neighborhood in this special episode that celebrates the life and work of public media’s most famous defender.”

“On the anniversary of Fred Rogers birthday, we take a trip to Mr. Rogers’ real life neighborhood in this special episode that celebrates the life and work of public media’s most famous defender.

“Reveal’s Michael Schiller visits WQED in Pittsburgh for a look back at how Fred Rogers, the host of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, championed public television throughout its decades-long struggle to survive Washington politics.

View the episode at:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/mr-rogers-neighborhood-public-media-birthday/

Storm Over VOA Done?

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 2/19/26

Headline: “USA: Victory for RSF and VOA journalists as court orders VOA back to work”

“A federal judge has ruled that employees of the international public broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) must return to work no later than Monday, March 23 and that broadcasting operations must be resumed. The ruling follows a major decision in a summary judgment the previous week that Kari Lake was unlawfully appointed by President Donald Trump as Acting CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, reversing the government’s attempt to dismantle the agency and the media outlets under its supervision, including VOA. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-victory-rsf-and-voa-journalists-court-orders-voa-back-work

Free Speech is Treason?

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Article in Democracy Now! by Amy Goodman and Craig Aaron, 3/18/26

Headline:  ” ‘Warmongers Come for the Media’: Trump Threatens Media with ‘Treason’ Charges over Iran War Coverage”

“The Trump administration is escalating threats against news organizations, with President Trump suggesting outlets should face “treason” charges for disseminating false information. . .”

” ‘They want these companies to be afraid,’ says Craig Aaron, CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action. ‘As we’ve seen, whether it’s lawyers, universities, media companies, when the bullying works, you just get more and more bullying.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/3/18/free_press

Judge Bari Show?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 3/19/26

Headline:  “CBS’ Judgment Day”

Subhead:  “Staffers at CBS News tell Status they are “on edge like crazy” as the newsroom readies itself for mass layoffs overseen by Bari Weiss that will reshape the storied outlet around her vision for it”

“Over on 57th Street, at the CBS Broadcast Center on the West Side of Manhattan, anxiety and fear in the air are palpable. Over the last 24 hours, word has spread amongst staffers that the axe is set to fall imminently, with a second round of mass layoffs poised to hit the David Ellison-owned newsroom just months after the last round. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cbs-news-layoffs-bari-weiss-ce41

Control of the Screens

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Article in Washington Post by Scott Nover, 3/19/26

Headline:  “U.S. approves $6.2 billion merger set to reshape local TV”

Subhead:  “The Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission gave a thumbs-up to the Nexstar-Tegna merger.”

“Nexstar, the largest owner of TV stations in the United States, won regulatory approval to buy rival Tegna on Thursday, in a $6.2 billion deal that promises to reshape the landscape for local television and news coverage.”

“. . .FCC Chairman Brendan Carr allowed the deal to proceed by waiving a cap that has historically barred station owners from expanding to reach more than 39 percent of American households. Nexstar previously said the deal would give it 265 stations across the country, reaching 80 percent of households. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/19/nexstar-tegna-tv-merger-approved/0

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 3/19/26

Headline:  “8 states are suing to stop another MAGA media monopoly”

“A coalition of eight states, led by their Democratic attorneys general, is suing to stop Nexstar Media Group from acquiring Tegna.

“Nexstar owns more than 200 TV stations while Tegna owns 64, so a merging of the companies would reach more than 54% of households, exceeding current Federal Communications Commission limits on station ownership. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/19/2373898/-8-states-are-suing-to-stop-another-MAGA-media-monopoly?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_7&pm_medium=web

Watching Who’s Watching You

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Luch Scholler, 3/18/26

Headline:  “Look Who’s Tracking”

Subhead:  “A growing number of reporters and researchers are covering immigration through the lens of surveillance.”

” ‘Look for the margarita machine,’ Francesca D’Annunzio’s source told her. D’Annunzio, an investigative reporting fellow at the Texas Observer, was delving into Operation Lone Star, Texas governor Greg Abbott’s more-than-eleven-billion-dollar anti-immigration crusade that the American Civil Liberties Union has flagged in a report for ‘unchecked cruelty’. .”

“That ‘so much can be learned about us and our patterns of life without a warrant,’ she said, ‘is something that should concern everybody, regardless of their political persuasion’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/tracking-surveillance-immigration-coverage-cobwebs-trangles-penlink-ice-dhs.php