Censorship

Stopping Reporting With Force

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 10/10/25

Headline: “Border Patrol Agents Arrest Chicago News Producer and Ram Vehicle in Hasty Getaway”

“Masked Border Patrol agents on Friday arrested a TV producer for WGN News in Chicago, threw her into an unmarked van, and rammed into another vehicle as they drove away.”

“A video posted on Facebook by a bystander named Josh Thomas shows three masked agents pinning Debbie Brockman on a street in Chicago’s North Side as they handcuff her. Thomas asks her name, which she gives, before Thomas asks the agents, ‘You guys wanna share your names, too?’. . .”

“They declined. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/ice-agents-arrest-chicago-news-producer-and-ram-vehicle-in-hasty-getaway/

Nothing New at Pentagon – Move Along

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 10/9/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon Doubles Down on Muzzling Reporters”

Subhead:  “Members of the press corps covering the Department of Defense say guidelines, newly revised, remain unsignable.”

“Last month, the Department of Defense issued a memo to reporters imposing an unprecedented set of restrictions on covering the Pentagon and setting a deadline for members of the press to sign a pledge of compliance. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/pentagon-doubles-down-pete-hegseth-muzzling-reporters-press-corps-policy.php

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Article in Axios by Julianna Bragg, 10/8/25

Headline:  “New Pentagon policy sends ‘message of intimidation,’ press group says”

The Department of Defense plans to enforce new policies that ‘appear designed to stifle a free press,’ the Pentagon Press Association said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced weeks of backlash over a Sept. 15 memo restricting engagements alongside new requirements that journalists sign an ‘express agreement’ not to gather any information the department hasn’t officially authorized for release, or they risk losing access to Pentagon facilities. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/09/pentagon-press-restrictions-trump-journalists-ppa

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/9/25

Headline:  “News organizations hold out on signing Pentagon media policies ‘designed to stifle a free press’

Subhead:  “Trump administration has been accused of preparing to severely limit journalists’ ability to cover the department”

“With days left before journalists covering the Pentagon must sign on to a new set of guidelines to retain physical access to the department, major US news companies – and organizations representing their interests – remain concerned about specific policies they fear will stifle independent reporting on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/new-pentagon-press-rules-trump– – – – –

Article in The Contrarian by Jennifer Rubin and Ned Price, 10/8/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon handcuffs free press and Gaza’s potential peace deal with Ned Price”

Subhead:  “The president could really care less.”

“In a deep discussion with Jen, Ned presents the dangers of handcuffing independent journalists to reporting solely Pentagon-approved memos. “Day to day journalism is so important,” Ned shares, designating the burden of safeguarding classified information on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-pentagon-handcuffs-free-press

Riding the Press?

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Article in The Hill by Max REgo, 10/6/25

Headline:  “Hegseth defends media restrictions: ‘The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want’ “

“Pete Hegseth is doubling down on the Pentagon’s new restrictions for the press corps, arguing it will not change despite complaints from the press.

“ ‘I think the American people see things like that as absolute common sense,’ the Defense secretary told Fox News on Sunday. ‘The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want, we’re taking these things seriously. They can report, they just need to make sure they’re following rules.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5540286-hegseth-defends-pentagon-rules/

 

Media Hide Project 2025?

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 10/3/25

Headline: “Media Faces Reckoning After Helping Trump Downplay Project 2025 on Campaign Trail”

Subhead:  ” ‘A Trump denial is not a fact,’ said one media critic.”

“As President Donald Trump openly embraces Project 2025, mainstream media outlets are facing criticism for their role in helping him downplay his ties to the wildly unpopular far-right governing playbook in the lead-up to his reelection last year. . .”

“She [Kamala Harris] and other Democrats warned that if he retook power, he would swiftly enact many of its most extreme and unpopular proposals and dramatically expand executive power while doing it. . .”

“After nine months back in power, the website Project 2025 Tracker estimates that Trump has already implemented approximately 48% . . .”

“ ‘Nothing showed the difference between mainstream and independent media better than the response to Trump’s obvious lie about not knowing anything about Project 2025,’ said David Pepper, author of the book Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/project-2025-media-backlash

Journalism in U.S. Now Dangerous

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Article in The Hill by Michael R.Sisak, 9/30/25

Headline: “Federal agents grab and shove journalists outside NYC immigration court, sending one to hospital”

“Federal agents grabbed and shoved journalists in a hallway outside a NewYork City immigration court on Tuesday, sending one to the hospital in the latest clash between authorities enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and members of the public seeking to observe and document their actions. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/federal-agents-shove-journalists-immigration-court/

Holding an Empty Bag

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Article in Ars Technica by Staff, 9.26.25

Headline: “Sinclair gets nothing it asked for, puts Jimmy Kimmel back on anyway”

Subhead: “Sorry, Brendan Carr: Sinclair and Nexstar stop preempting Kimmel on ABC affiliates.”

“Conservative broadcaster Sinclair is putting Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on the air. In a statement today, Sinclair said it will end its preemption of the show on its ABC affiliates starting tonight, even though ABC and owner Disney haven’t accepted its request for an ombudsman and other changes.

Facing the threat of lost advertising dollars, Sinclair said it ‘received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/sinclair-gets-nothing-it-asked-for-puts-jimmy-kimmel-back-on-anyway/

Shots at the Media

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Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taaffe. et. al., 9/18/25

Headline:  “How right-wing media sow distrust and confusion around vaccines and science”

Subhead: “As Florida ends school vaccine requirements and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership comes under fire, the right has repackaged anti-science talking points as well-meaning skepticism”

“Amid the rise of the so-called ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, right-wing media figures have employed a variety of tactics that sow doubt and confusion around vaccine efficacy and science more broadly. These efforts to capitalize on existing distrust of public health institutions and pharmaceutical companies have gained renewed momentum following Florida’s elimination of vaccine requirements for schools . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/how-maha-media-sow-distrust-and-confusion-around-vaccines-and-science

Don’t like what you hear? – Attack!

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Amos Barshad, 9/18/25

Headline:  “The Campaign Against Network Television Picks Up Steam”

Subhead:  “The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show was just the latest result of an ongoing conservative effort to stamp out unfavorable voices.”

“Carr and his conservative allies have made no secret of their desire to use the power of the FCC to change what Americans see and hear on the radio and television stations that rely on public airwaves. Since January, Carr’s FCC has opened inquiries into Saturday Night Live, 60 Minutes, and the entirety of NPR. When Paramount, the parent company of CBS, sought to merge with the production company Skydance, the FCC required CBS News to appoint a conservative ‘bias monitor’ before granting its approval. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/abc-jimmy-kimmel-fcc-brendan-carr.php

Kancel Kulture Kimmel?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 9/17/25

Headline: “Federal Censorship Commission Reaches New Low in Push to Force Jimmy Kimmel Off the Air”

“. . .The move followed threats Trump FCC Chairman Brendan Carr made in an interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way,’ Carr said. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/federal-censorship-commission-reaches-new-low-push-force-jimmy-kimmel-air

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Article in Raw Story by Matthew Chapman, 9/17/25

Headline:  ” ‘Terrible’: Ex-White House strategist issues chilling alarm at Trump’s ‘media takeover ‘ “

“Former White House strategist Ben Rhodes sounded the alarm on MSNBC’s “All In” Wednesday evening, following the Trump administration’s successful strong-arming of ABC News into indefinitely suspending late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

“Kimmel was yanked after he criticized how the media bent to pro-Trump narratives about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/jimmy-kimmel-2674004901/

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Article in Daily Kos by Lisa Needham

Headline:  “Federal government forces Jimmy Kimmel off the air. RIP First Amendment.”

“Man, you gotta hand it to ABC. The speed with which it will knuckle under to President Donald Trump is really impressive.

“It took only a few hours for the powers that be to indefinitely sideline award-winning late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after the Trump administration expressed displeasure with Kimmel’s recent monologue. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/17/2344089/-Federal-government-forces-Jimmy-Kimmel-off-the-air-RIP-First-Amendment?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web

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Article in New York Times by By John KoblinMichael M. Grynbaum and Brooks Barne, 9/17/25

Headline: “ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments After F.C.C. Pressure”

Subhead: “Mr. Kimmel faced criticism from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for remarks about the motives of the man who is accused of killing Mr. Kirk, the conservative activist . . .”

Read the fill article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/business/media/abc-jimmy-kimmel.html

Selective Firing?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 9/16/25

Headline: “The Media 2070 Project Denounces the Washington Post’s Firing of Columnist Karen Attiah”

“On Monday, Karen Attiah, a Washington Post opinion columnist, wrote on her Substack that the paper had fired her over her social-media posts on gun violence and race following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last week in Utah.

“Attiah wrote she was fired for “speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns.”

“Attiah noted she was “the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions,” adding that her firing “is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/media-2070-project-denounces-washington-posts-firing-columnist-karen-attiah

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Article in The New Republic by Perry Bacon, 9/15/25

Headline:  “Black Voices Are Vital to Democracy. The Media Must Stop Firing Them.”

Subhead:   “The Washington Post’s Karen Attiah is the latest prominent Black journalist to lose her job. The trend is a sign of retrenchment in both fighting racism and saving democracy.”

“. . .And while the media changes are more subtle, the racial retrenchment is obvious. Republican appointees on the Supreme Court and lower-level courts and now the Trump administration have essentially outlawed any program that seeks to address racial disparities.

“Put these retrenchments together, and you have a very hostile environment for Black journalists. The political right is trying to basically outlaw any discussion of racial inequality—and news organizations are trying to appease the political right. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/200462/karen-attiah-black-voices-firing

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 9/15/25

Headline:  “Fired by The Post”

Subhead:  “The Washington Post said it fired Karen Attiah over comments she made about white men in the wake of Charle Kirk’s death, Status has learned”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/karen-attiah-fired-washington-post-charlie-kirk