Broadcasting

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

Hegseth Patriotic Media

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Article in New Republic by Greg Sargent, 3/13/26

Headline: “Raging at Media, Pete Hegseth Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud”

Subhead:  “He wants ‘patriotic’ coverage of the Iran war. He doesn’t understand: In a democracy, coverage that asks difficult questions of the government is itself ‘patriotic.’ ”

“Pete Hegseth wants to live in a world in which the American military can drop bombs on scores of schoolchildren and not face serious media scrutiny over it. And he just might get that world soon enough. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/207760/pete-hegseth-iran-war-patriotic-media-coverage

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Article in Mediaite by Kathryn Wilkens 3/13/26

Headline:  Newsmax Host Greg Kelly Rips Hegseth’s Iran ‘Trash Talk’: Save It for Your ‘Podcast Bros’

“In a Friday X post, Newsmax host Greg Kelly ripped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his “trash talk” amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, emphasizing that he should save that type of rhetoric for his ‘podcast bros.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/online/newsmax-host-greg-kelly-rips-hegseths-iran-trash-talk-save-it-for-your-podcast-bros/

Circling Paramount Oscars

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 3/13/26

Headline:  “Free Press Circles the Oscars With a Mobile Billboard Protesting Paramount’s Terrible Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Protest sign mockingly urges the Academy to consider David Ellison for ‘Best Performance in a Puppet Show’ — with President Trump holding the strings”

“. . . a mobile billboard parodying Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison will be circling the Dolby Theater, site of Sunday’s Academy Awards. The billboard is a roving protest of Ellison’s plans to take over Warner Bros. Discovery and transform the resulting media colossus into a mouthpiece for Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda.

“The billboard urges members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider Ellison’s performance for the imaginary “Best Performance in a Puppet Show” category.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/free-press-circles-oscars-mobile-billboard-protesting-paramounts-terrible-takeover-warner-bros

Media in Court – or Not?

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Article in Huffpost by Hannah Schoenbaum, 3/13/26

Headline:  “Utah Judge In Charlie Kirk Killing Case Weighs Media Access”

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus is due back in court Friday as a state judge weighs whether certain documents and proceedings should be open to the public.

The outcome will set the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.

Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial.

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/utah-judge-charlie-kirk-killing-case-weighs-media-access_n_69b415afe4b0676e64bf175a?origin=home-zone-c-unit

 

 

Fairness in Broadcasting?

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Article in Babylon Bee by Staff, 3/13/26

Headline: “To Save Time, CNN Will Now Run Retractions Simultaneously With News Stories”

“ATLANTA, GA — As part of the channel’s ongoing quest to ensure accurate media reporting, CNN has elected to run live retractions simultaneously with the news stories being reported at the time.

“Retractions will appear on an additional ticker at the bottom of the screen, retracting the usual live news updates with corrections of everything the on-screen anchor is saying. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/to-save-time-cnn-will-now-run-retractions-simultaneously-with-news-stories

Strait-Jacketed News?

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 3/13/26

Headline:  “Dire Strait: Trump’s Fox Cabinet ignored Hormuz in the month before the U.S. attacked Iran”

“It’s little wonder that President Donald Trump didn’t seem to worry about the Strait of Hormuz in planning his war of choice against Iran: His Fox News advisers utterly ignored the possibility that Iran could respond by closing that critical shipping lane as they urged the president to launch the attack last month.

“Roughly 20% of global crude oil and liquified natural gas, along with a ‘dominant’ share of global fertilizers, reach world markets by flowing from the Persian Gulf through the narrow strait between Iran and Oman and into the Indian Ocean. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/dire-strait-trumps-fox-cabinet-ignored-hormuz-month-us-attacked-iran

Demanding Good News

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Article in Rolling Stone by Nikki McCamm Ramirez, 3/13/26

Headline:  “Hegseth Demands Favorable Coverage As Iran Death Toll Increases”

Subhead:  “Following the death of six more American service members, the Secretary of Defense is stressing over negative headlines”

“The American death toll in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran climbed to 13 on Friday, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would like everyone to tell him he’s doing a very good job. . .”

” ‘More fake news from CNN. Reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war‘s impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course,’ Hegseth said, referencing reporting that officials within the Defense Department had underestimated Iran’s willingness to blockade the critical commercial strait, causing wild fluctuations in global energy prices. Hegseth added that he looks forward to Trump-aligned billionaire David Ellison taking control of the network. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/pete-hegseth-berates-press-iran-death-toll-1235530124/

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“Pete Hegseth attacks media for not being positive enough about US attacks on Iran”

“US defense head is eager to frame operation as a success – and slam journalists for not portraying it in a positive light”

More from The Guardian at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/pete-hegseth-iran-was-us-press