Broadcasting

Article in The Hill by Howard Husock, 1/17/25

Headline:  “Fixing the missing ‘N’ in ‘NPR’: Public media must serve the American public at large”

“If the pledges of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are to be believed, the incoming Trump administration will make defunding public broadcasting a priority. The Department of Government Efficiency leaders have specifically targeted the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which directs federal funds to National Public Radio and public television. Their view is in line with that of conservatives generally, who have come to see public media as a progressive bastion.

Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, has said, ‘NPR and PBS have among the bigger partisan gaps in believability.” Only 16 percent of Republicans, the Pew project has found, say they believe what they hear on NPR.”

https://thehill.com/opinion/5089700-defunding-public-broadcasting/

Article in AP by David Bauder, 1/17/25

Headline:  “Florida jury says CNN defamed Navy veteran in story about endangered Afghans”

Subhead:  “A Florida jury on Friday found that CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 story about people paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban takeover of that country.”

It was an unusual ruling against a media outlet in a defamation case. Libel laws are generally protective of news organizations, and plaintiffs must meet a high standard to prove defamation.

The jury in Panama City, Florida, deliberated for more than eight hours starting Thursday before ruling in favor of Zachary Young, who blamed CNN for destroying his business by showing his face onscreen in a story about a “black market” of smuggling out desperate Afghans for high fees.

The jury awarded Young $5 million in damages and is now being asked to determine whether CNN must pay additional punitive damages.

https://apnews.com/article/cnn-guilty-defamation-afghans-137bf5dbc2d72762d29c9f7596f63ec2

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastranagelo, 1/17/25

Headline: “Jury finds CNN defamed Navy veteran with segment on Afghan refugees”

“A jury in Florida on Friday found that CNN defamed a Navy veteran with a report on his business that aired in 2021 and awarded him $5 million damages.”

“. . .The jury is also set to decide Friday afternoon on putative damages CNN must pay Young.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5092006-cnn-defamation-lawsuit-zachary-young-navy-veteran/

Article in The Giardian by Cecelia Nowell, 12/28/24

Headline:  “Trump’s threat to defund all US public media has NPR and PBS on the back foot”

Subhead:  “President-elect’s agenda and Project 2025 playbook align in stripping Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s license”

“On the campaign trail this year, Donald Trump routinely criticized US media. The president-elect called for CBS to be stripped of its broadcast license after it aired an interview with Kamala Harris, refused to participate in an interview with 60 Minutes and routinely called journalists the “enemy of the people”.

“But perhaps no American media has attracted as much ire from the president-elect as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – a non-profit corporation created by federal law in 1967 to distribute funding to public media organizations like PBS and NPR. . . ”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/28/trump-npr-pbs-funding-cut

Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 12/27/24

Headline:  “Kari Lake sparks concerns at Voice of America”

“President-elect Trump has nominated GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake to lead Voice of America (VOA), a decision that is renewing worries of partisan meddling at the government-funded global news agency.

“Lake, who ran for governor and senator in Arizona and previously was a local news anchor, is one of a number of loyalists Trump has called on to serve in his Cabinet and administration.

“. . .But Lake’s attacks on the media and history of floating unfounded theories about voter fraud are sparking widespread concern that the outlet could be used by the federal government as a megaphone to push pro-Trump propaganda around the world.”

https://thehill.com/media/5048504-trump-nominates-lake-voa-concerns/