Media Workers Arrested


Article by Committee to Protect Journalists by Staff, 12/5/25

Headline:  “Taliban detains 7 Arezo TV journalists, seals network’s offices in Kabul”

“Dozens of Taliban agents from the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) raided the offices of private broadcaster Arezo TV on December 4 in the capital, Kabul, questioned staff members for four hours, and detained seven journalists and media workers. Woman journalists were expelled from the premises, and the network’s offices were sealed, according to a journalist familiar with the situation in Kabul, who spoke to CPJ anonymously, citing fear of reprisal.”

https://cpj.org/2024/12/taliban-detains-7-arezo-tv-journalists-seals-networks-offices-in-kabul/

Crusader Against Media

Podcast on NPR by Plott Calabro, 12/4/24

Headline:  “Kash Patel’s Crusade Against the Media”

“. . . Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro, profiled Kash Patel in August, charting his rise to power, starting at the very beginning of his legal career. She explains how he came to loathe the media, and love Trump. Further reading: “The Man Who Will Do Anything For Trump,” by Elaina Plott Calabro “What the FBI Has Done, and Kash Patel Could Do,” by Jon Allsop On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today . Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

Newsrooms Emptying Out

Article in Mother Jones by Abby Vesoulis, 12/4/24

Headline:  “Watching the Media Reckoning Unfold in a Now-Shuttered Broadcast Newsroom”

“In about two weeks, nearly everyone in this Atlanta conference room will be out of a job. But tonight, on November 5, the Scripps News team has an election to cover.

“Nothing goes on the air unless it gets vetted through the control room, okay?” says Brian Donlon, a New Yorker who tempers his gruff side with wisecracks. ”

“. . . Like other newsrooms across the country, Scripps News was bracing for the worst—potential violence, claims of rigged voting, a deluge of disinformation. But it was also wrestling with its own reckoning: the unraveling of its national broadcast news operation and the imminent unemployment of roughly 200 colleagues”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/scripps-news-election-broadcast-media-layoffs/

Guess Who Uses Legacy Media?


Article in the Washington Post by Eric Wemple, 12/3/24

Headline: “Who still trusts legacy media? Fox News, that’s who.”

Subhead:  “At the same time the right-wing network is draining trust from legacy media, it’s relying on legacy media’s reporting.

“. . .Nowhere is the influence of major news providers more robust, after all, than on the airwaves of Fox News. Across the daily schedule of the No. 1 cable news network, that influence is inescapable, with host after host citing stories from The Post, the New York Times, Reuters, CNN, Politico, Axios and so on — all outlets heavy with reporters who bring scoops to bear on topics dear to Fox News viewers.

“Gallup reported in October that a frightening 36 percent of U.S. adults have no trust at all in the media.. . ”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/03/fox-news-legacy-media-bashing/

Talk Radio Slants One Way

Podcast on NPR by Staff 11/29/24

Headline:  “How Conservative Talk Radio Came to Dominate the Airwaves”

“How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being censored? On this week’s On the Media, a look at the early history of American radio, and why, in the post-war era, the U.S. government encouraged more diverse viewpoints on the airwaves — until it didn’t. Plus, the technological and legal changes that led to the popularity of conservative talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh. [00:10] Reporter Katie Thornton explains how radio programming shifted from the 1930s to the 1960s, and how the FCC attempted to prevent propaganda on the airwaves.”

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

Gotta Catch ’em All (Media that is)

Article in Daily Kos by Mark Sumner, 11/28/24

Headline:  “Media capture is no joke”

“For the past week, Elon Musk has repeatedly commented about buying MSNBC. At the same time, Musk accused the news outlet of peddling “puerile propaganda” and derided MSNBC’s ratings, which have—as might be expected—dropped since the election. The result has been a string of comments on Twitter and Fox News in which Trump supporters chortle over the thought of replacing Rachel Maddow with Joe Rogan and exult in the distress they believe Musk’s comments must be generating on the left.

“Many of Musk’s “jokes,” and those of toadies like Rogan, have been accompanied by the kind of homophobic, racist, or misogynist memes that have come to dominate Twitter since Musk laid down $44 billion to destroy that platform. But even as Musk and his social media pals laugh, no one should consider this a farce. It’s a threat. . . ”

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/28/2289221/-Media-capture-is-no-joke?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Radio Still Makes a Difference

Article in Politico by Ali Bianco, 11/29/24

Headline: “Disinformation Transformed Miami Politics. This Radio Station Is One Reason Why”

“. . . If you’re from Miami, Radio Mambí’s celebratory vibe is no surprise. This is, after all, the radio station that has been a touchstone for Miami’s Cuban exiliados, or exiles, since they arrived. It’s the radio station that made Miami Cuban politics. But since the 2016 election, it’s morphed into a hotbed of misinformation — one that impacted the 2024 presidential election.”

‘. . .Mambí’s format is particularly suited to spreading disinformation, Gamarra notes. Like many radio stations with Caribbean roots, it isn’t strictly news-focused; its most popular shows are talk shows — and even its news segments are sprinkled with bits of commentary from announcers. With its programming centered around conservative commentary, it formed an echo chamber of MAGA messaging, according to FIU journalism professor Alejandro Alvarado.”

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/11/29/radio-mambi-miami-maga-00190415

 

Did Almost-Monopoly Media Select Winner

Article in Daily Kos by Bill Addis, 11/24/24

Headline: “Sinclair Media Helped Trump Win The Election”

Subhead:  Sinclair is a right wing media company, but different from Fox News.”

Sinclair’s 185 stations are affiliated with Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, MyNetworkTV, and the CW. In contrast, NBC, ABC and CBS own only 80 stations between them covering the large markets.

Sinclair has made their stations run prepackaged video segments and had newsmen read scripts favorable to Trump. Even criticizing mainstream media as fake news, when they’re part of it. Trump has tweeted his support for watching Sinclair over CNN and NBC. Make no mistake about it. Their propaganda was a factor in the election disaster.”

Sinclair Media has had a history of butting head with other media groups like Comcast, DirectTV, Dish, Time Warner, Hulu and others over carriage fees.. . ”

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/24/2288390/-Sinclair-Media-Helped-Trump-Win-The-Election?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web

On the Media Roller Coaster – Resist or Comply?

Article in Mother Jones by David Corn, 11/20/24

Headline:  “The Media and Trump: Not Resistance, But Not Acceptance”

“. . . My hunch is that a line will form across the media landscape between those entities that cover the Trump crowd in a relatively normal fashion—What is the president thinking? What are his advisers telling him? What is happening between the White House and Congress? What’s the latest palace intrigue? Who’s invited to the state dinner? What do the polls say?—and those who view as the overarching story the profound threat of authoritarianism posed by Trump and his henchmen and henchwomen. Do the usual political stories matter as much if Trump moves ahead with plans to deport millions and to place in power assorted extremists? Or if he moves to undermine democracy?”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/11/donald-trump-robert-kennedy-jr-media-press-accommodationist-sanewashing/

 

TV Networks Not Valuable Now?

Article in MSN by Peter Kafka, 11/20/24

Headline: “Comcast doesn’t want its cable TV networks anymore”

“Cable networks used to be incredibly valuable. But in the streaming and cord-cutting era, they’re in decline.

“That’s why Comcast is ditching almost all its cable networks into a new stand-alone company.
It would like to persuade other cable-TV owners to join in.

“One of the country’s biggest cable TV companies doesn’t want its cable networks anymore. Would you like them?

“That’s the pitch Comcast is making Wednesday as it announces plans to split off almost all its cable TV networks into a new company. It’s the same pitch Comcast floated as a possibility back in October, and most of the details are the same.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ar-AA1uqTTV

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Article in Slashdot by BeauHD, 11/20/24

Headline: “Comcast Spins Offf Cable Networks”

“Comcast plans to spin off several of its cable TV networks into a standalone company as it shifts focus to streaming and other profitable ventures like Peacock, theme parks, and broadband services. The Associated Press reports:

“Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, as well as CNBC and MSNBC. Movie ticketing platform Fandango and the Rotten Tomatoes movie rating site would also become part of the new company. Peacock will remain with Comcast, as will Bravo, which provides significant content for the Peacock streaming service.”

https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/24/11/20/2142254/comcast-spins-off-cable-networks