Censorship

US and Censorship Attempts

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Article in Techdirt and Free Press by by Mike Masnick and Nora Benavidez, 1/16/26

Headline:  “Trump’s ‘Free Speech’ Presidency Racked Up 200 Censorship Attempts In Its First Year”

“We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it because apparently it needs repeating: Donald Trump is not a free speech president. He just plays one on TV while doing the exact opposite behind the scenes. And in front of the scenes. And basically everywhere. Over and over and over again. . .”

Read the full articles at:

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/16/trumps-free-speech-presidency-racked-up-200-censorship-attempts-in-its-first-year/

. . .and:

https://www.freepress.net/news/trumps-free-speech-presidency-racked-200-censorship-attempts-its-first-year

Media Intimidation Fails

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Article in The Daily Beast by Hugh Dougherty, 1/16/26

Headline: “Trump’s Campaign Manager Ditches Lawsuit Against Daily Beast“

Subhead: “Chris LaCivita wanted “triple damages” and got no money or apology.”

“Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign manager has ditched a lawsuit against the Daily Beast.

“Chris LaCivita, who co-managed Trump’s election victory with Susie Wiles, discontinued his lawsuit on a Friday night before a federal holiday, despite having initially posted on X: ‘F— Around Find Out,’ and boasting, ‘I’m really looking forward to making my case in front of a jury.’

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-campaign-manager-ditches-lawsuit-against-daily-beast/

Reel of Attacks on the Media

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Article in Zeteo by Kim Wehle, 1/15/26

Headline:  “So Much for Free Speech. A Year of Trump’s Attacks on the First Amendment”

Subhead:  “The ICE killing of Renee Good marks a turning point in Trump’s unprecedented assault on the right to protest, record ICE activity, and express political dissent without fear of government retaliation.”

“. . .That Good was killed for engaging in First Amendment activity protected by the Fourteenth Amendment – and that the Trump administration is backing Ross while maligning Good and her wife – shows how far America has gone down the dark tunnel of fascism. It’s dire. It’s urgent. It’s likely going to get much worse.

“To help capture the vastness of the problem, here’s a (non-exhaustive) highlight reel of last year’s blows to the First Amendment:

Read the full article at:

https://zeteo.com/p/so-much-for-free-speech-a-year-of?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2325511&post_id=184656305&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=54vskz&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Cloud Over New York Media Strategy?

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Article in Poynter by Taylor Jung, 1/13/26

Headline:  ‘I’m a community journalist in New York City. Here’s why Mamdani’s “influencer presser” stung.’

Subhead:  “Mayor Mamdani’s ‘new media’ strategy prioritizes content creators while locking out the community outlets that serve New York’s neighborhoods”

“On the evening of Jan. 6, members of the press received Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public schedule for the following day. Mamdani was slated to host his first ‘new media press conference.’ It stated that the event would be ‘invited press only.’

We journalists who work for community news outlets weren’t part of that list. We’ve had difficulty getting in touch with Mamdani’s team since before he took office.”

read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/zohran-mamdani-influencers-journalists/

Reporting Public Information Illegal?

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Article in FAIR by Jim Naureckas, 1/9/26

Headline:  “The First Amendment Allows You to Report Things the Government Doesn’t Want Reported”

“The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed journalist Seth Harp (Washington Post, 1/8/26) over his posting on X a photo and publicly available biographical information about the US colonel who apparently leads the Army’s Delta Force unit, which played a key role in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Committee member Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R–Fla.) called for Harp’s criminal prosecution, accusing him of ‘leaking classified information’  and ‘doxing’ the colonel.

“. . .Actually, the First Amendment does give you a license to do all of those things. None of them are covered by the extremely limited exceptions to the freedom of the press recognized by the US Constitution. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/the-first-amendment-allows-you-to-report-things-the-government-doesnt-want-reported/

“Project 2025” and the Media

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Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 12/29/25

Headline:  “Here’s how many of Project 2025’s media proposals were implemented in 2025”

Subhead: “Outlets that received federal funding have been hit hardest, but even fully independent organizations have been affected”

“. . .Those goals include reforming the government’s relationship with the press. Indeed, many of Trump’s actions against journalists this year draw directly from Project 2025’s media proposals, and contributors to the project have played key roles in the administration’s attempts to stymie the press. Outlets that received federal funding — public broadcasters and United States Agency for Global Media affiliates — have been hit hardest. But even fully independent outlets have been affected. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2025/project-2025-actions-against-press/

State Controlled Media Around the Corner?

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Article in Democracy Now by Amy Goodman & Denis Moynahan, 12/24/15

Headline:  “CBS 60 Minutes Censorship Rings Another Alarm, Warning of Corporate Media’s Threat to Democracy”

“This week, we learned another lesson about how corporate media consolidation corrupts democracy. A story on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation of shackled Venezuelan men to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison was to air on CBS’s flagship news magazine, ’60 Minutes.’ The segment was spiked by CBS’ newly-installed Editor-in Chief Bari Weiss. This censorship exposes a web of conflicts of interest, and demonstrates, yet again, that democracy depends on a strong, independent media that is a true fourth estate, not “for the state.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/12/24/cbs_60_minutes_censorship_rings_another

Slow News Week on El Salvador

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Article in The Hill by Sarah Fortinsky, 12/25/25

Headline:  “Bari Weiss defends 60 Minutes decision in memo to CBS News staff”

: . . .The new top editor’s decision to pull the segment — which was set to highlight conditions inside the notorious Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has deported Venezuelan migrants — drew sharp backlash this week, including from the segment’s own correspondent, who called the move ‘political.’

“But Weiss, in her message to the news staff, attributed the widespread blowback to a ‘slow news week.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5663141-bari-weiss-60-minutes-segment/

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Article in Raw Story by John Stoehr, 12/25/25

Headline:  “The Bari Weiss 60 Minutes scandal is just one sign of drastic media rot”

“In light of the scandal at 60 Minutes, it bears repeating that the primary crisis facing American democracy is about information. There are just too many ways for the rich and powerful to control the truth. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/2674824432/

For Uncensored US News, Turn to Canada

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Article in The Guardian by Jenna Amatulli, 12/23/25

Headline:  “60 Minutes episode on brutal El Salvador prison, pulled from air by CBS, appears online”

Subhead:  “Segment that Bari Weiss had removed provides in-depth look at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo prison”

“A 60 Minutes episode investigating a brutal prison in El Salvador, which CBS News’s editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, pulled from the air on Sunday, appeared online on Monday after appearing on a Canadian TV app.

“The segment, which runs for nearly 14 minutes and was viewed by The Guardian, provides an in-depth look at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot) prison in El Salvador. It opens with footage of the mega-prison and shows detainees being shackled upon arrival in El Salvador. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/dec/23/60-minutes-cecot-appears-online

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Published on CBCRadio-Canada 12/22/25

“Bari Weiss is quoted as saying ‘My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason . . . happens every day in every newsroom.’

Watch the broadcast at:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cecot+cbs+video&kp=1

Press Aren’t Coming to Take Him Away, Ha Ha

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Article in The Hill by Chris Truax, 12/19/25

Headline:  “All I want for Christmas is for the media to be honest about Trump”

“. . .Disinhibition can manifest itself in several ways, including ‘socially inappropriate behavior’ and a ‘loss of manners/decorum.’ People in the early stage of Alzheimer’s can begin to lose their social filter and their ability to control their impulses. They may make gratuitous, rude comments, exhibit racism or have sudden bouts of anger. These are all behaviors that Trump has recently displayed. . .”

“And yet, the media reports on Trump as if he were some sort of avant garde political performance artist challenging bourgeois values and outmoded conventions. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5655223-trump-dementia-behavior-concerns/