Don’t do it CNN!


Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/27/25

Headline: CNN boss told staff to scale back White House demolition coverage: Report”

CNN is denying a recent report that its head Mark Thompson recently met with officials in President Trump’s administration and afterward urged staff at the network to ease up on its coverage of the White House renovation project, which has torn down the East Wing.”

The report, published in the media-news outlet Status, cited people familiar who said staffers at the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable channel were ‘taken aback,’ after Thompson, who they said generally does not weigh in on daily editorial matters, suggested CNN’s viewership ‘isn’t all that interested in the story’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5574665-cnn-white-house-east-wing-ballroom/

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Article in Daily Beast by Cameron Adams, 10/27/25

Headline: CNN Boss Ordered Teardown Censorship After West Wing Visit”

Subhead:  “CNN CEO said to be the latest media boss bending the knee before Donald Trump.”

CNN chief Mark Thompson reportedly told the cable network’s reporters to ease up on coverage of the controversial demolition of the East Wing after a visit to the White House last week.

“Although denied by CNN, the report from the Status newsletter appears to be the latest example of media bosses bending the knee before the Trump administration.

“The historic White House East Wing was bulldozed last week to make way for President Donald Trump’s $300 million vanity project, a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that will be more than twice the size of the rest of the White House. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-boss-mark-thompson-told-reporters-to-ease-up-on-teardown-coverage-after-white-house-visit/

Newspaper – Just Axing?


Article in The Nation by Ella Curlin, 10/24/25

Headline: “Why Did Indiana University Axe Its Award-Winning Print Newspaper?”

Subhead: “If the administration can censor the Indiana Daily Student—one of the most acclaimed student publications in the nation—then student journalism everywhere is at risk.”

“On street corners across Bloomington, Indiana, newspaper boxes sit empty. Nearly two weeks ago, on October 14, Indiana University cut the award-winning print version of the Indiana Daily Student—just hours after firing the paper’s adviser—ending 158 years of print journalism two days before the next edition was set to publish. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/indiana-university-student-newspaper-censorship/#

Redlining the Media?

Article in The Black Wall Street Times by Tiana Manon, 10/20/25

Headline: ” FCC Drew the Map: Media Redlining Still Shapes Who Controls the Airwaves”

Subhead: “ ‘Media Redlining,’ How Today’s Media Inequality is Rooted in Harmful Historic FCC Practices”

“The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently made headlines for its approval of the massive and controversial merger between Paramount and CBS deal and for investigating the DEI practices of companies like Comcast. Across the industry more broadly, major firings of Karen Attiah at the Washington Post and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel caused rumblings among everyday people who worry about the administration’s overreach. And now most recently, President Donald Trump’s lashing out at Al Sharpton for his show on MSNBC, stating perhaps the FCC should “look into” it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/10/20/fcc-drew-the-map-media-redlining-still-shapes-who-controls-the-airwaves/

Journalist Opinion Not Allowed

Article in The Guardian by Michael Sainato, 10/26/25

Headline:  “ICE detains British journalist after criticism of Israel on US tour”

Subhead:  “Trump ally Laura Loomer took credit for Sami Hamdi’s detainment in move denounced as ‘affront to free speech’ “

“British journalist Sami Hamdi was reportedly detained on Sunday morning by federal immigration authorities at San Francisco international airport, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) says that action is apparent retaliation for the Muslim political commentator’s criticism of Israel while touring the US. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/26/ice-detains-british-muslim-journalist-laura-loomer

When Students Are Censored


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Bill Grueskin, 10/24/25

Headline: “Hoosier Journalistic Paragon? . . .”

” ‘WE ________ JOURNALISTS MUST STAND TOGETHER.’

“That all-caps headline ran on the front page of a newspaper a few days ago. Can you fill in the blank?

“[Waiting…]

“If you guessed ‘WHITE HOUSE,’ just know that we find your naïveté sweetly (but sadly) endearing.

“If you guessed “PENTAGON,” you are getting much warmer.

“And if you guessed ‘STUDENT,’ come collect your winnings (which consist of our admiration for your brilliance)

“This all came about after administrators at Indiana University cracked down on the Indiana Daily Student newspaper. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/hoosier-journalistic-paragon.php

Propaganda Journalists Selected


Article in The Guardian by Eric Berger, 10/22/25

Headline:  “Pentagon names new press corps from far-right outlets after reporter walkout”

Subhead:  “Spokesperson calls journalists who refused to agree to new rules ‘self-righteous media who chose to self-deport’”

“After the recent departure of Pentagon reporters due to their refusal to agree to a new set of restrictive policies, the defense department has announced a “next generation of the Pentagon press corps” featuring 60 journalists from far-right outlets, many of which have promoted conspiracy theories. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/22/pentagon-press-corps

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 10/22/25

Headline:  “Pentagon’s new press corps is the stuff of nightmares”

“The Trump administration announced Wednesday that a group of far-right media outlets have been given press access to the Pentagon. . .”

“The Pentagon’s new right-wing press corps is beyond ill-equipped to handle independent reporting. But when it comes to producing stories that get Hegseth’s approval, it’ll pass with flying colors.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349917/-Pentagon-s-new-press-corps-is-the-stuff-of-nightmares?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web

Media Moving Day


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 10/19/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon Press Corps Is Gone”

Subhead:  “As reporters for major news outlets turn in their government-issued press badges rather than accept new restrictions, some argue that the best military journalism is yet to come.”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demand that members of the Pentagon press corps sign on to restrictive reporting guidelines has prompted a mass exodus. Nearly all the journalists who had desks in the Pentagon pressroom have declined to sign, and left the building in a joint protest on Wednesday afternoon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/the-pentagon-press-corps-is-gone.php

Censorship Now Hits Universities

Article in The Guardian by Ann Betts, 10/16/25

Headline:  “Indiana University orders school paper to cease print edition and fires director of student media”

Subhead:  “Editors at the Indiana Daily Student say administration’s move to control news content amounts to censorship”

“Indiana University has ordered its student-run newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student (IDS), to cease printing new editions and fired the school’s director of student media, who also served as the paper’s adviser, according to multiple reports. Students at the school are criticizing these moves as censorship. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/16/indiana-university-school-paper

Journalists’ Pentagon Walk-Out


Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/16/25

Headline:  “Hundreds of people cover the Pentagon. These are the 15 who signed its new press policy.”

Subhead: “The Federalist, the Epoch Times and One America News signed the Defense Department’s press rules. The rest are freelancers, independent or work for media outfits based overseas.”

” . . . Journalists from nearly every major U.S. news outlet, including The Washington Post, turned in their press badges Wednesday after refusing to adhere to the new rules for reporters at the Pentagon, which prohibit soliciting any information the government doesn’t authorize reporters to have. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/16/more-than-100-people-cover-pentagon-only-15-signed-its-new-press-policy/

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/16/25

Headline: ” ‘The Daily Show’ mockingly agrees to Hegseth’s press restrictions”

” ‘After serious consideration, The Daily Show has agreed to the Pentagon’s new demands regarding press access,’ the show said in a graphic posted on social media. ‘We were going to refuse, but everyone else rejected it so hard that it honestly made us feel kinda bad for Pete Hegseth.’ . . .’

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5558261-daily-show-hegseths-pentagon-press-rules/

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Wells 10/16/25

Headline: “White House spews pathetic lie about Pentagon media walkout”

“. . .in response to a photo of the reporters who left, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on X, ‘SOURCE: a few reporters on this wall have privately said they were bullied into participating in the walkout when they actually wanted to stay. ‘. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/16/2348899/-White-House-spews-pathetic-lie-about-Pentagon-media-walkout?

“We Don’t Need no Stinkin’ Badges”


Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/15/25

Headline:  “Pentagon reporters have now turned in their badges – but plan to keep reporting”

Subhead: “Reporters who declined to sign new set of Pentagon rules had to clear out of world’s largest military headquarters”

“. . .Current and former Pentagon correspondents who spoke with the Guardian said that coverage would undoubtedly suffer from a lack of proximity to administration decision-makers – though many are intent on proving that the restrictions won’t stop the work, with some even saying they plan to take a more aggressive tack. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/15/pentagon-press-reporting-policy

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Article in The Washington Post by Dan Lamothe, 10/15/25

Headline:  “Hegseth’s legal fixer at the center of Pentagon’s new media restrictions”

Subhead:  “Tim Parlatore represented the defense secretary when he faced sexual assault allegations, and also counts alleged mobsters and President Donald Trump as former clients.”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bid to impose sweeping restrictions on journalists’ ability to report at the Pentagon was orchestrated with advice from his longtime personal lawyer, whose role on Hegseth’s staff has troubled some defense officials. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/15/hegseth-media-restrictions-tim-parlatore/