Censorship

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/

Rt. Wing Media Justify Murder?

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Article in Media Matters by Noah Dowe & Isabela Sherk, 1/28/26

Headline:  “The right-wing media figures who have justified Alex Pretti’s killing by Trump’s DHS”

Subhead:  “MAGA media and far-right figures smeared Pretti, calling him a “race traitor” who aimed to ‘commit a mass murder’ “

“Following the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, many right-wing media figures jumped to blame Pretti for his own death and spread false information about his actions.

“ ‘Shame on that individual for creating the very consequences that ultimately cost him his life,’ said one Newsmax guest. Former Fox host Megyn Kelly remarked, ‘Do you know why I wasn’t shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/right-wing-media-figures-who-have-justified-alex-prettis-killing-trumps-dhs

Armed Forces Newspaper in Danger?

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Article in NPR On the Media by Staff, 1/28/26

Headline:  “Stars and Stripes in Peril”

Stars and Stripes, the venerated, independent award-winning newspaper that has served the armed services for roughly a century, may be getting an uninvited makeover, courtesy of Pete Hegseth’s Defense Department. In a statement posted on X earlier this month, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Stars and Stripes would no longer be carrying wire reports from the Associated Press, and that it would steer away from all that is woke or might sap morale. Parnell said the defense department would be bringing the newspaper “into the 21st century.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

Media Tiptoeing Around Murder?

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Article in Common Dreams by Brad Reed, 1/26/26

Headline: “Critics Warn Corporate Media Is Failing in Face of White House Lies About Alex Pretti”

Subhead:  “ ‘There were lies,’ former CNN anchor Jim Acosta said of the Trump administration’s response to Pretti’s death. ‘Lie after lie after lie.’ “

“Two prominent critics warned on Monday that the US corporate media is not being aggressive enough in calling out the Trump administration’s lies about Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident who was slain by federal immigration agents over the weekend.

“Writing on her Substack page, former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan expressed concern that many mainstream media publications were taking a wait-and-see approach in the wake of Pretti’s shooting, even as the Trump administration, Fox News, and other right-wing media websites were pumping out false claims about Pretti brandishing a weapon at federal officials and being a “domestic terrorist.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/alex-pretti-corporate-media

Passes & Dossiers on Journalists?

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Article in Mediaite by Colby Hall, 1/23/26

Headline:  “Don Lemon, WaPo, Ozturk: Trump’s War on the First Amendment Now Alarmingly Clear”

“In a functioning democracy, the federal government does not compile dossiers on students for their political views, threaten journalists with prison for covering protests, or seize reporters’ devices as a warning to sources. Yet all three have now come into focus in the United States, supported by newly unsealed court records and recent actions by the Trump administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/don-lemon-wapo-ozturk-trumps-war-on-the-first-amendment-now-alarmingly-clear/

“60 Minutes” Disappearing Staff?

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Article in Daily Beast by William Vaillancourt, 1/22/26

Headline:  “Trump-Kissing CBS Boss Is Plotting ‘60 Minutes’ Bloodbath”

“CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss may fire two 60 Minutes correspondents amid their criticism of her leadership.

“Sharyn Alfonsi and Scott Pelley, each winners of multiple Emmys, could soon become casualties of Weiss’s overhaul of the show, sources told the New York Post on Thursday.. . .”

“Alfonsi, 53, and Weiss, 41, butted heads over the program’s delayed segment on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-kissing-cbs-boss-bari-weiss-is-plotting-60-minutes-bloodbath/