Censorship

Ice & Media Databases

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Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 3/5/26

Headline:  “Journalists push back against parent companies’ contracts with ICE”

Subhead:  “Some reporters at Law360 and Reuters are raising concerns about ICE’s use of their companies’ databases in immigration raids”

“More than 200 journalists at Law360, a legal news outlet, and its sister publications have signed a letter demanding that their parent company RELX drop its contract with the Department of Homeland Security.

“The letter, which was signed by more than 80% of the union representing editorial staff at Law360 and regulation news site MLex, states that the $22.1 million contract “raises imminent human rights concerns” given recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within DHS. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/law360-reuters-newsrooms-letter-against-ice-dhs/

No Bad News Allowed!

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 3/4/26

Headline:  “Hegseth cares more about ‘fake’ media coverage than dead troops”

“On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against accurate reporting on the deaths of American soldiers that have occurred thanks to President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

“Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Hegseth parroted Trump’s use of the phrase “fake news” to describe fact-based reporting on news reflecting negatively on the administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/4/2371618/-Hegseth-cares-more-about-fake-media-coverage-than-dead-troops

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Article in Mediaite by Willa Pope Robbins, 4/4/26

Headline: ” ‘WTF?’ Dan Abrams Slams Trump Administration’s Attacks on Media for Reporting Soldiers’ Deaths”

“Mediaite founder Dan Abrams called out Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s attacks on the media’s coverage of Iran on Wednesday, slamming the secretary for “insulting” the fallen U.S. service members in his attempts to blame news outlets for negative reporting on the conflict. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/wtf-dan-abrams-slams-trump-administrations-attacks-on-media-for-reporting-soldiers-deaths/

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Article in Huffpost by Graeme Demianyk, 3/4/26

Headline: “Pete Hegseth Complains Reporting On Dead Troops Is Trying To ‘Make The President Look Bad’ “

Subhead:  “The defense secretary bemoaned the ‘tragic things’ that make ‘front page news.’ “

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday suggested the media’s reporting of American troops killed after the U.S. went to war with Iran is only to make President Donald Trump “look bad.”

“In an astonishing attack on journalists during a news briefing at the Pentagon, the former Fox News host and Army veteran was touting the early achievements of Trump’s conflict in the Middle East when he complained about ‘tragic things’ making ‘front page news.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hegseth-troops-killed-media-trump_n_69a87b30e4b0865be0c6d334?origin=home-whats-happening-unit

Did Media Forget Epstein?

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Article in Mediaite by Sean JAmes, 3/3/26

Headline: ” ‘Propaganda Slop’: Lightning Rod Journalist Calls Epstein Saga the ‘Worst Covered Story’ in Decades”

“Prominent Substack writer Michael Tracey argued that the Jeffrey Epstein saga stands out as the ‘worst covered story’ in decades in a new feature story published by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday.

THR dubbed Tracey the ‘Face of Epstein Skepticism’ in its headline, and with good reason. Tracey has fought the widespread belief that Epstein was running a massive pedophile network for rich politicians and celebrities on both his Substack blog and on X, where users frequently rip him for questioning how sordid Epstein really was. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/propaganda-slop-lightning-rod-journalist-calls-epstein-saga-the-worst-covered-story-in-decades/

Courts as Media Intimidation Weapon

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Article in The Intercept by David Bralow, 2/27/26

Headline: “T rump Uses the Courts to Intimidate Critics. The Media Must Fight Back.”

Subhead:  “Federal agencies are using investigations to stifle speech and chill the questioning of those in power.”

“The Trump administration is embracing an intimidation strategy to silence critical media coverage. Here’s how it works: A federal agency launches a pretextual investigation into a perceived enemy, keeps the investigation open to coerce compliance, and resists any effort to have a court review the lawfulness of the agency’s actions.

“There’s no better example than the Federal Trade Commission’s retaliatory investigation of Media Matters for America for its critical coverage of one of the Trump administration’s most powerful allie. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theintercept.com/2026/02/27/trump-media-matters-free-speech/

Cheerleading or Reporting?

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Article in FAIR by Ricardo Vaz, 2/27/26

Headline:  “Western Gangster Journalism Runs Cover for Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ in Venezuela”

“US forces launched a military attack against Venezuela on January 3, reportedly killing over 100 people and kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, who also serves as a National Assembly deputy. . .”

“The brazen act of war has elicited zero dissent from the Western media establishment, no urge to challenge Trump’s return to early 20th century ‘gunboat diplomacy.’ Worse, with the White House pushing to impose a semi-colonial protectorate and plunder Venezuela’s wealth, corporate outlets continue working overtime to normalize US imperialist predations. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/western-gangster-journalism-runs-cover-for-trumps-donroe-doctrine-in-venezuela/

A Threat to Some Media?

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Article in FAIR by Jim Naurekas, 2/19/26

Headline:   “Why Corporate Media Needed to Misrepresent Jesse Jackson”

“If there’s one person onto whom establishment media have projected their anxieties about race, class and democracy, it’s the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died this week at the age of 84.

“The civil rights icon, a protege of Martin Luther King and a brilliant community organizer, made history with his groundbreaking runs for the presidency in 1984 and 1988 (Extra!, 3–4/88). He put together what he aptly called a Rainbow Coalition. . .”

“Advocating for these constituencies with an unabashedly left agenda—a brave move in Reaganite America—Jackson did well in both of his races for the Democratic nomination. . .”

“And that kind of politics terrified an elite that thrives on keeping the 99 Percent divided and conquered. ‘Jesse Jackson scares the bejesus out of me,’ then–New York Times publisher Arthur ‘Punch’ Sulzberger Sr. confided to FAIR’s Jeff Cohen in a private meeting in 1990 (Extra!, 3–4/90).

“And this fear was palpable in corporate media coverage, from the right to what passed as the centrist ‘left,’ from 1984 well into the 21st century. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/why-corporate-media-needed-to-misrepresent-jesse-jackson/

CBS Censored Interview for FCC?

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Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 2/18/26

Headline:  “Colbert dismisses CBS statement on Talarico interview: ‘I’m just so surprised’ “

” ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday dismissed CBS’s denial that it blocked his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico from airing as ‘crap.’

“ ‘They know damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers, who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air,’ Colbert said during his show Tuesday evening.

“ ‘In fact, between the monologue I did last night, and before I did the second act talking about this issue, I had to go backstage,’ he continued. ‘I got called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers. Something that had never, ever happened before.’

Colbert told viewers on Monday that CBS, which is owned by Paramount, said he could not have Talarico on the broadcast over concerns about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ‘equal time’ rule. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5743078-colbert-cbs-talarico-interview/

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 2/18/26

Headline:  “FCC chair Brendan Carr says media were ‘lied to’ over Stephen Colbert controversy”

Subhead: “Carr says the Federal Communications Commission has also opened an enforcement action into ABC’s the View“

“The chair of the US’s top media regulator claimed on Wednesday that journalists had been tricked into covering claims by the late-night host Stephen Colbert that he had been blocked by his network from interviewing a Texas Senate candidate. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/feb/18/fcc-brendan-carr-stephen-colbert

CBS “Balanced” to the Right?

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Article in New York Times byJohn Koblin, 2/17/26

Headline:  “Colbert Says CBS Pulled Senate Candidate Interview”

Subhead: “Stephen Colbert said he had to drop an interview with James Talarico from his Monday broadcast because of new F.C.C. guidance that targeted political interviews on late-night shows.”

“Stephen Colbert said on his late-night show on Monday that his network, CBS, barred him from airing an interview with a Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate race because of new guidance from the Trump administration about equal airtime for political candidates. . .”

“Mr. Colbert pointed to new guidance from the F.C.C. from January, warning media companies that talk shows carried on local broadcast networks were required to offer equal airtime to candidates competing for the same office. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/business/media/colbert-cbs-fcc-talarico-carr.html

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Article in Daily Kos by Emily Singer, 2/17/26

Headline: “How the GOP’s latest media meddling is a major self-own”

“If you wanted a textbook example of the Streisand Effect, look no further than the Trump administration’s meddling in the Texas Senate race.

CBS News refused to air late night host Stephen Colbert’s interview with Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who is currently locked in a competitive Senate primary with Rep. Jasmine Crockett. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/17/2369185/-How-the-GOP-s-latest-media-meddling-is-a-major-self-own?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web

Burning-Down the Media Now?

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Article in Slate by Jill Filipovic, 1/30/26

Headline:  “Don Lemon’s Arrest Is a Five-Alarm Fire Moment”

“Late Thursday night, former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Independent journalist Georgia Fort was arrested as well, along with activists Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy. The arrests stem from a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the pastor is also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. . .”

“Even for an administration that has spent a year violating the First Amendment in all kinds of novel ways, the arrest of a prominent journalist is a shock—a five-alarm fire moment.

“It also shows just how far this administration is willing to go to solidify its control. And it raises the question of just how far Donald Trump’s most loyal followers will follow him. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/trump-bondi-news-don-lemon-arrest-first-amendment-disaster.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_content=jill_don_lemon&utm_campaign=&tpcc=reddit-social–jill_don_lemon

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Article in The Guardian by Richard Luscombe, 1/30/26

Headline: “Press freedom groups denounce arrests of two journalists including Don Lemon after Minnesota anti-ICE protest”

Subhead:  “Groups say arrests of ex-CNN anchor and Georgia Fort are ‘extremely alarming’ and an ‘attack on the first amendment’ “

“Press freedom groups are warning that the arrests of two independent journalists, including the veteran former CNN anchor Don Lemon, signal a chilling new crackdown on US media by the Trump administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan/30/press-freedom-journalist-arrests-ice-don-lemon

Broadcasting “Fairness Doctrine” Redux?

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Article in Daily Beast by Owen Mason-Hill, 1/29/26

Headline:  “Trump’s Media Goon Lashes Back at ‘Fake News’ Late-Night Host”

“FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s crackdown on late-night TV shows no signs of slowing down.

“In the Federal Communications Commission’s January press conference, Carr, 48, whom late-night host Jimmy Kimmel referred to as Trump’s ‘little ferret in the FCC,’ addressed the equal opportunity measure that the Commission rereleased earlier this month.

“ ‘If you’re fake news, you’re not going to qualify as the bona fide news exception,’ Carr declared.

“With the ‘bona fide news’ exception, Carr is referencing an FCC-issued public notice reiterating broadcasters’ obligation to provide political candidates with equal opportunities to appear on their shows. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/trumps-media-goon-lashes-back-at-fake-news-jimmy-kimmel/