Not Allowed in WH Tonight to Cover Xi, but. . .

Article in The HIll by Dominick Mastrangelo, 9/24/26

Headline: “Trump complains CNN, MS NOW didn’t cover ‘made for Television’ Xi visit”

“President Trump blasted CNN and MS NOW on Thursday over their coverage of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which did not include live video coverage and came as a federal judge reinstated the outlets’ White House access.

“CNN and MSDNC [sic], to show you how fake they are, today refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China’. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6110466-trump-blasts-cnn-msnow-xi-visit/

Fox – News Into a Black Hole


Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 9/22/26

Headline:  “The negative space in Fox News coverage”

Subhead:  “My latest for MS NOW is about the stories Fox News isn’t covering”

“Fox News’ MAGA stars have spent Donald Trump’s second term lavishing praise on the president and his purported accomplishments, denouncing his opponents in vitriolic terms and telling their viewers which culture war enemies to hate. But any understanding of the goals of a political outlet like Fox is incomplete without considering the stories it doesn’t cover: a list that, as of late, includes the Iran war, the Trump family’s alleged corruption and the president’s unpopularity. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/negative-space-fox-news-coverage

Out of the Pool Now.


Article in The Guardian by Lucy Hough with Paul Owen , 9/22/26

Headline: “Donald Trump v the media: US networks unite in boycott – The Latest”

In what is probably one of the biggest battles yet between the press and Donald Trump, major TV networks have united in a boycott of pooled coverage of his administration. It comes after three news organisations – CNN, MS Now and Politico – were denied access to the White House because of Trump’s concerns about their coverage. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s international news editor Paul Owen. . .

Watch he full episode at:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2026/sep/22/trump-v-the-media-us-networks-unite-in-boycott-the-latest

Just Gotta Be On TV!

Article in the New York Times by Peter Baker, 9/22/26

Headline  :  “After Years as the Star of Must-See TV, Trump Faces the Sting of Cancellation”

Subhead:  “A boycott of the White House press pool by the major networks deprives the president of the oxygen of screen time. But he is still finding ways to get on the air.”

“For President Trump, this is the tree-falls-in-the-forest moment of his administration. If the most television-addicted president in history suddenly finds the cameras missing, is he really still president? Not the kind he has been, anyway.

“Mr. Trump, for whom television is better than any narcotic, finds himself for the first time at least partially deprived of the major networks that have covered nearly every movement and utterance he has made for more than a decade. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/us/politics/trump-television-reporters-cameras.html

– – – – –

Article in Daily Beast by William Vaillancourt, 9/21/26

Headline: “Press-Starved Trump, 80, Announces Desperate TV Move'”

subhead: “Trump TV” launched on Monday, following a rare lack of television coverage of the president.”

“President Donald Trump has launched his own television channel after banning three networks from the White House television press pool.

“The announcement comes three days after the president angrily removed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the pool because he doesn’t like their coverage. Those outlets have since sued the administration, claiming a violation of their First Amendment rights.

“Trump TV, the White House announced, would begin airing at 7 p.m. on Monday night. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/press-starved-donald-trump-80-announces-desperate-tv-move/

No Press Passes, No Coverage

Article in The Guardian by Ariana Baio in New York and Maanvi Singh, 9/21/26

Headline:  “US TV networks suspend White House pool coverage over Trump media ban”

Subhead: “White House promoted its own ‘Trump TV’ feed online after ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC decline to participate”

“The major US television news outlets agreed to suspend their video coverage of Donald Trump after the administration banned journalists from several outlets from entering the White House grounds.

The collective decision came after the barred outlets – CNN, MS Now and Politico – sued the administration on Monday, saying the president’s actions were a violation of their first amendment rights.

The ban was an extraordinary escalation of Trump’s battle against news outlets. After a coalition of networks including ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC – which along with CNN form a press “pool” that share the responsibilities of capturing and distributing footage of the president carried by news outlets worldwide – announced they would cease coverage in solidarity with the barred outlets . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/21/trump-tv-networks-white-house-pool-coverage

– – – – –
Article in UPI by Danielle Haynes, 9/21/26

Headline:  “News outlets decline press duties, sue Trump over White House ban”

“CNN, MS Now and Politico announced Monday they filed a lawsuit and other news organizations declined to participate in White House coverage after President Donald Trump banned the three outlets.

“CNN, MS Now and Politico filed the emergency request seeking to restore their access to the White House in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In a joint statement, they said the government should not be allowed to decide what the press reports. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/21/politico-cnn-ms-now-sue-trump/1631790000704/

Paramount and Foreign Ownership

Article in Alternet America by Ryan Rose, 9/19/26

Headline: “First Trump Sold the Land, Then He Sold the News”

Subhead:  “The FCC Is More Worried About The View Than Foreign Governments Owning Paramount“

“Finally, CBS will have owners who hate journalists even more than Bari Weiss does.

“FCC Chairman Brendan Carr approved a petition from Paramount that would allow foreign investors to own at least 49.5 percent of its equity as part of its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Three sovereign wealth funds linked to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are backing the deal. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternetamerica.com/p/trumps-fcc-just-handed-paramount

Authoritarians and the the Media

Article in Mediaite by Sean James, 9/19/26

Headline:  “Rachel Maddow Vents Trump’s Press Ban Proves He Admires ‘Authoritarian Leadership’ of China”

“MS NOW star Rachel Maddow made a special appearance on a special edition of Peter Alexander’s State of Play on Saturday to share her thoughts on President Donald Trump banning her outlet, as well as CNN and Politico, from the White House. Maddow — as many longtime cable news viewers could have guessed — wasn’t a fan.

“The veteran host said Trump’s decision reinforced he admired the ‘authoritarian leadership’ of China and North Korea’s draconian Communist governments — and wished he could crack down on his critics even more, if it weren’t for America’s pesky laws. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/rachel-maddow-vents-trumps-press-ban-proves-he-admires-authoritarian-leadership-of-china/

Political Threat to Licenses

Article in Free Press by Staff, 9/10/26

Headline:  “Latest Kimmel Censorship Is Part of the Trump FCC’s Lawless Crusade Against a Free Press”

“On Wednesday’s broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel told viewers that ABC would not air his scheduled interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee from Texas.

Kimmel indicated that the broadcast cancellation of the interview is a result of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s ongoing campaign against ABC. After President Trump repeatedly demanded that ABC lose its broadcast licenses over Kimmel’s jokes, Carr retaliated by forcing all ABC broadcast stations into a highly unusual early license-renewal process. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/latest-kimmel-censorship-part-trump-fccs-lawless-crusade-free-speech

Fox – See-No-War


Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 9/10/26

Headline:  “Trump’s war in Iran is over—at least according to Fox News“

“President Donald Trump’s months-long war in Iran has cost lives and economic stability. But Fox News has a solution to the problem: Just stop talking about it.

“Media Matters for America analyzed coverage of the war between March and August and discovered that, as things got worse for the United States, Fox stopped airing stories about it.

“The decline was especially noteworthy on Fox’s evening shows, which are hosted by some of the network’s marquee names. Across “The Five,” “Hannity,” “The Ingraham Angle,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” and “Gutfeld!,” coverage of the war fell by 78%. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/9/10/800096520/media/trumps-war-in-iran-is-over-at-least-according-to-fox-news/

FCC Meddles in Broadcast Content


Article in Meidasnews by Brett Meiselas, 9/9/26

Headline:  “Kimmel Says Trump FCC Threats Forced Talarico Interview Off TV

Subhead:  “The ABC host says his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will be relegated to YouTube after threats from Trump’s FCC, months after Stephen Colbert’s Talarico interview was similarly kept off broadcast television.”

“Jimmy Kimmel says his upcoming interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC, pointing the finger directly at President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission and its threats against the network and its affiliates.

“During his Wednesday night monologue, Kimmel announced that Talarico would appear for an interview Thursday, but viewers won’t actually be able to watch it on broadcast television. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://meidasnews.com/news/kimmel-says-trump-fcc-threats-forced-talarico-interview-off-tv

– – – – –

Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 9/10/26

Headline:  FCC commissioner: Kimmel’s ‘self-censorship’ shows Trump’s bid to ‘control’ media working

“The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) lone Democratic commissioner is pointing to ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s decision not to broadcast an interview with Texas Senate nominee James Talarico (D) as evidence of what she called the Trump administration’s attempts to stifle free press. . .

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6082338-fcc-commissioner-censorship-jimmy-kimmel-abc/