MAGA Media Turning on Themselves?


Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 6/16/25

Headline:  “Tucker’s War Cry”

Subhead:  “Tucker Carlson’s fiery attacks on Fox News and pro-Israel MAGA Media figures have exposed a rare and consequential rift within the far-right ecosysten”

“On Monday morning, Tucker Carlson joined Steve Bannon’s “War Room” and launched a broadside at some of his peers in MAGA Media, accusing them of fanning the flames of war in the Middle East. Carlson singled out Mark Levin as ‘terrible on TV’ and claimed the talk show host “kind of controls” Sean Hannity ‘in this weird way.’ But his harshest words were reserved for his former employer, Fox News. . .”

“ ‘What they’re doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and just trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to where you want them to,’ Carlson said. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/tucker-s-war-cry-4126715f1915019b

No Coverage for Disasters?


Article in Indian Country Today by Annie Rosenthal and Chad Bradley, 6/16/25

Headline:  “What defunding public media would mean for the West”

Subhead: “Data show that rural, tribal and Western stations would be most impacted by the Trump administration’s attempt to cut funding for the Center for Public Broadcasting. “

“Late last fall, members of Bethel, Alaska’s search and rescue team met at the local public radio station, KYUK, for a program called River Watch. Over an hour and a half, they took calls from listeners around the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, comparing notes on the safety of the ice at different points along the Kuskokwim River. . .”

“He wanted to warn listeners in other towns: “There is no trail right now. None of the open water is marked. So it’s advised not to be traveling back and forth from Aniak.”

KYUK is the only daily news source for the region, which is roughly the size of Oregon, and River Watch is a staple of its programming. . .”

Read the full article at:  

https://ictnews.org/news/what-defunding-public-media-would-mean-for-the-west/

 

Journalist Survival Kit


Article in Poynter by Al Tompkins, 6/13/25

Headline: “25 guidelines for journalists to safely cover unrest”

“Your goal should be to get close enough to observe the scene without endangering yourself or others, or interfering with security or rescue operations”

“With protests scheduled around the country on Saturday, Poynter is republishing a 2021 article with tips about covering unrest. . .”

“1. Your attitude is crucial. Show respect, follow police orders, don’t argue while tensions are high. To avoid being mistaken for a demonstrator, use your best judgment and try not to wear clothing that matches what demonstrators are wearing (e.g., all black). Also, engage with police before the event so they know who you are and may be less likely to arrest you. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2025/25-guidelines-for-journalists-to-safely-cover-unrest/

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Article in FAIR by Shirlynn, 6/13/25

Headline:  “For Media, Unruly Protesters Are Bigger Problem Than Trump’s Police State”

Subhead: ” ‘Violence’ and ‘anarchists’ “

“While major media sources described these protests as ‘mostly peaceful,’ they nevertheless tended to dwell on what was depicted as rioting and protester violence. In its morning newsletter, the New York Times (6/9/25) set the scene:

” ‘Hundreds of National Guard troops arrived in the city, and crowds of people demonstrated against President Trump’s immigration raids. They clashed with federal agents, leaving burned cars, broken barricades and graffiti scrawled across government buildings downtown.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/for-media-unruly-protesters-are-bigger-problem-than-trumps-police-state/

 

Clawing Public Media


Public Media is NOT State-media

Article in Democracy Now by Staff 6/13/25

Headline:  “House Approves Trump Request to Rescind $9.4B for Foreign Aid and Public Media”

“The U.S. House on Thursday approved in a 214-212 vote President Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for international aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, which will freeze $8.3 billion in appropriated foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public media, pending another vote in the Senate.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/13/headlines/house_approves_trump_request_to_rescind_94b_for_foreign_aid_and_public_media

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Article in the New York Times by Megan Mineiro & Catie Edmondson, 6/13/25

Headline:  “Trump’s $1.1 Billion Public Broadcasting Clawback Faces Pushback in the Senate”

Subhead: “Some Republican senators are voicing concern over the House-passed bill that would rescind $9 billion that Congress already approved, including money for NPR and PBS stations in their states.”

Dakota Talk Radio in the tiny town of Lake Andes, S.D., is one of dozens of rural radio stations across the United States that could see more than half of its budget vanish.

“The station in Unalakleet, Alaska, a remote village in the western Arctic, could lose more than 90 percent of its funding.

“President Trump’s plan to claw back $9 billion in spending already approved by Congress, which Republicans pushed through the House this week and is pending in the Senate, would slash $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/politics/trump-public-broadcasting-senate.html

 

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/

 

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/

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/

 

Reporters Expose Things


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jon Alsop, 6/9/25

Headline: “Doin’ It Live”

Subhead:  “A timely televised play won’t save the republic.”

“Fuck it! We’ll do it live! These, of course, are the immortal words of Bill O’Reilly. But George Clooney had a similar thought recently—involving a different former CBS newsman—when he decided to mount a live televised production of Good Night, and Good Luck, a Broadway play that he cowrote, based on a movie that he cowrote, based on Edward R. Murrow’s famous takedown of the demagogue Joseph McCarthy in the fifties. . .”

“Of course, Clooney and CNN were also interested in televising the show because its subject matter is supremely relevant right now, as every journalist covering it dutifully pointed out. The historical echoes ‘are extraordinary,’ even ‘eerie,’ CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote, noting the play’s themes of ‘unrestrained political power, corporate timidity and journalistic integrity.’ Clooney told the Times that, “unfortunately, this play always is timely. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/doin-it-live-clooney-cnn-good-night-good-luck-tv-live-broadcast-murrow-friendly-mccarthy.php

Enough Media Coverage?

Article in The Washington Post by Eric Wemple, 5/9/25

Headline:  “Did legacy media fail in its Biden coverage? Not if you ask them!”

Subhead:  “What the big-time players have to say about missing the story of the former president’s decline”

“In a recent interview with SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly, CNN host Jake Tapper called for a reckoning over the coverage of former president Joe Biden’s age. ‘There should be a lot of soul searching,’ said Tapper, ‘not just among me, but among the legacy media . . .”

“Few souls are undergoing a pat-down. I asked 17 news outlets at the forefront of White House coverage whether they believe they had failed in any aspect of their coverage of Biden’s age.

“They do not. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/06/09/legacy-media-biden-age-coverage/

 

 

Cutting Rural America’s . . .


Article in The Guardian by Margaret Sullivan,6/6/25

Headline:  “If Trump cuts funding to NPR and PBS, rural America will pay a devastating price”

Subhead:  “Much of the country has little access to local news, with public media filling the void – and serving as a lifeline”

“When Hurricane Helene walloped North Carolina last fall, residents were hit by a second threat at the same time: the dire need for accurate information.

“The loss of electric power amid the widespread flooding meant that people – especially those in isolated areas – were deprived of basic news. They needed to know about everything from road closures to the whereabouts of their family and friends to sources of drinkable water.

Blue Ridge Public Radio stepped into the breach. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/06/trump-funding-cuts-npr-pbs-rural-america