Censorship

Press Cohesion Against Censorship

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Susie Banikarim, 9/25/26

Headline: “Solidarity, Finally”

Subhead:  “The press stands up for itself, together. Plus: A surrender to—not a settlement with—Paramount. . .”

“. . .This week, that collective power has finally been on display in a striking and heartening show of solidarity from the White House press corps. After President Trump banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House in a fit of pique, the WHCA was quick to issue a statement. ‘The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference,’ Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News correspondent serving as the group’s president, wrote. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/trump-ban-press-solidarity-whca-white-house-correspondents-association-paramount-attorney-general-lawsuit-killer-story-sexton.php

No Press Passes, No Coverage

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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

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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/

Authoritarians and the the Media

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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/

Some Citizens Think Press Control OK?

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Article in Poynter by Jon Greenberg, 9/15/26

Headline:  “Americans give their take on press freedom. You should worry”

Subhead:  “A new Pew-Knight study finds broad support for press freedom but also surprising support for giving the government power over the press”

“Fresh off the presses from a Pew Research Center and Knight Foundation collaboration, a new report shows solid support for a free press. Just about three-quarters of the public say a free press is extremely or very important to society.

“But under some circumstances that would make many journalists bristle, large shares of Americans think it’s OK to limit the press. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2026/americans-press-freedom-pew-knight-study/

 

ABC Se-f Censorship

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Joel Simon, 9/2/26

Headline: “Why ABC Self-Censored”

Subhead:  “In a lawsuit, the network cops to making coverage decisions based on government pressure. It’s a striking admission—and an untested legal strategy.”

“A cardinal rule of journalism: never back down in the face of intimidation. And yet, in a lawsuit filed in August by ABC and its parent, Disney, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, lawyers argued that for months, as the Trump administration “steadily increased the pressure on ABC,” the actions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) effectively undermined the network’s First Amendment rights. In the filing, ABC says that led to self-censorship—a seemingly unprecedented admission, and an untested legal strategy for a media organization. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/why-abc-self-censored-disney-lawsuit-government-pressure-fcc-carr-kimmel-untested-legal-strategy.php

Corporate Reporting & McMansions

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Article in FAIR by Wilson Korik, 8/31/26

Headline:  “Corporate Media Worried Second Homes of ‘Blue-Collar’ Millionaires Might Be Taxed”

“. . .instead of accurately reporting on a modest wealth tax and fraud prevention measure, some corporate media took the opportunity to fabricate a reality in which the number of New Yorkers subjected to the tax was vastly overestimated, conjuring up a large mass of working- and middle-class New Yorkers who would have to deal with an opaque, complex exemption process. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/corporate-media-worried-second-homes-of-blue-collar-millionaires-might-be-taxed/

Only Approved-Speech Allowed?

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Article in The Atlantic by David A. Graham, 8/31/26

Headline:  “Trump Is Trying New Ways to Quelch Americans’ Press Freedom”

Subhead:  “The president’s latest attacks are dangerous, unconstitutional—and maybe self-defeating.”

Desensitization is one of Donald Trump’s most powerful tools: Through repetition, he acclimates Americans to troubling and dangerous ideas. Occasionally, though, his statements and actions are so outrageous that they can still provide a shock. . .”

Yesterday morning, Trump started off with a post on Truth Social demanding that the Federal Communications Commission do something about “THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA.” About 15 minutes later, he followed this with a long rant about Kristen Welker of Meet the Press, complaining that she had noted that Trump’s record in recent endorsements had been ‘a mixed bag.’ . . . ‘Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/08/trump-new-attacks-american-press-freedom/688478/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_term=short

Journalists Have Right to Opinions

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/24/26

Headline:  “Washington Post ordered to reinstate opinion writer fired over Charlie Kirk posts”

Subhead: “Arbitrator determined the Post improperly fired Karen Attiah, a union-protected employee, over social media posts”

“An independent arbitrator has ordered the Washington Post to rehire the high-profile opinion columnist Karen Attiah, abruptly fired by the news organization last September over comments she made on social media about Charlie Kirk, the then recently killed conservative activist.

“On Monday, an arbitrator ruled that the Post had violated her rights as a union-protected employee and ordered the newspaper to reinstate her and compensate her for lost wages.

“ ‘This decision confirms what we’ve said from the start: I was doing my job as an opinion journalist, and doing that job is not misconduct,’ Attiah said in a statement. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/24/washington-post-reinstate-karen-attiah

Don’t Worry, They’re Only Journalists

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Trump left Air Force One because of a threat. Journalists stayed aboard.

Subhead:  “Presidents have used decoys before. What’s different this time is that the press didn’t know.”

“. . .while journalists and some White House staff thought they were riding on the same plane as Trump, they were not.

“The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Eric Schmitt and Zolan Kanno-Youngs wrote, ‘Reporters on the older plane were not told that Mr. Trump had not flown with them from Turkey to an air base in Britain, making them unwitting participants in the ruse and leaving them, along with some White House staff members, to serve as unknowing decoys.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-air-force-one-decoy-reporters-threat/

Rt. Media Don’t Like Vote?

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Article in Media Matters by Jack Winstanley & Zachary Pleat, 8/10/26

Headline:  “Right-wing media have been arguing for decades that fewer Americans should have the right to vote”

Subhead:  “Repealing the 19th Amendment, disenfranchising welfare recipients, and requiring a civics test — right-wing media are full of ideas about how to restrict voting “

“. . .President Donald Trump’s efforts to suppress the vote have a significant ideological precedent. For decades, right-wing media have advocated restrictions on voter eligibility, laying the groundwork for Trump and his allies to undermine the upcoming midterms and push for policies that would make it harder for some Americans to vote. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/election-denial-voter-fraud-and-suppression/right-wing-media-have-been-arguing-decades-fewer