Corporate Media

Real Fake News!

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Article in Mediaite by Kathryn Wilkens

Headline: “Ex-60 Minutes Journo Says She Was Asked to Cover Nonexistent Events Under Weiss”

Subhead: “While Vega did not directly name Weiss as having personally made the requests, she pointed to changes under the network’s ‘new administration at CBS News’ “

According to an audio recording obtained by Oliver Darcy’s Status, former 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega accused CBS News chief Bari Weiss of leading a push to include claims in stories that her reporting team could not verify, alleging she was asked to report on incidents that ‘never happened.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/ousted-60-minutes-reporter-says-she-was-asked-to-report-on-things-that-didnt-happen-under-bari-weiss/

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy 7/23/26

Headline: “Vega Breaks Her Silence”

Subhead:  “The fired ’60 Minutes’ correspondent revealed stunning new details about how CBS News management tried to meddle in her reporting, according to an audio recording obtained by Status.“

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cecilia-vega-cbs-60-minutes-bari-weiss

Media Monopoly Deal Delayed Again

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Article in The Wrap by Benjamin Lindsay, 7/23/26

Headline:  “Paramount-WBD Deal Delayed Again as Judge Extends Restraining Order by 2 Weeks”

Subhead:  “With Thursday’s ruling, the earliest David Ellison’s deal for Warner Bros. Discovery can close is Aug. 17″

“The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger was delayed further on Thursday after a federal judge extended the temporary restraining order pausing the deal by an additional two weeks, pushing the earliest date David Ellison could close the $110 billion deal to Aug. 17. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-restraining-order-extended-2-weeks/

Will Press Event Be Like Scotland “Black Dinner”?

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 7/22/26

Headline:  “The White House Correspondents’ Association takes another futile crack at celebrating the First Amendment with Donald Trump”

“What would it take for the White House Correspondents’ Association to withdraw its invitation to President Donald Trump to attend and speak at its annual dinner on Friday?

“The event theoretically functions as ‘a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy’ — two things it is comical to propose the president values. Trump’s treatment of the media in his second term has been characterized not only by vitriolic attacks on journalists and lawsuits aimed at a slew of news outlets but also by the use of the law enforcement and regulatory apparatus to punish reporters and steer news outlets into the hands of his cronies. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/white-house-correspondents-association-takes-another-futile-crack-celebrating-first

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/23/26

Headline: “Opinion | Is the White House Correspondents’ dinner headed for another mess?”

Subhead:  “The association says the dinner celebrates a free press. Trump will likely use it to attack the press.”

“Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has all the makings of a complete clown show.

“I was going to say it has all the makings of a complete disaster, but that is how you would describe the first attempt back in April. That dinner, you recall, had to be shut down after a gunman trying to enter the event shot a Secret Service agent. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/white-house-correspondents-dinner-rescheduled-trump/

Media Merger on Hold

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Article in UPI by Joe Fisher, 7/20/26

Headline:  “Judge temporarily halts Paramount, Warner Bros. merger”

Twelve state attorneys general won a court order on Monday to halt Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. for at least 14 days.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order to a coalition of 12 states, including New York and California, in their lawsuit to block Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 3. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/20/judge-grants-restraining-order-paramount-warner-bros/3721784575875/

TRO For Paramount Merger?

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 7/17/26

Headline:   “Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger: Judge Will Rule on Temporary Restraining Order by Wednesday”

Subhead:  “State AGs argued the $110 billion deal would give the combined company more leverage over movie theaters and cable distributors, increase consumer prices and reduce content output”

_”Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín will decide on whether to issue a temporary restraining order against the pending $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger by July 22.

The update comes after lawyers for a group of 12 state attorneys general, Paramount and WBD made their arguments during a Friday court hearing.

The state AGs sued to blocked the merger on Monday, arguing it would create an entertainment giant. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/public-policy-legal/paramount-warner-bros-temporary-restraining-order-decision-deadline/

Media Crash by Paramount?

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Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng, 7/14/26

Headline:  “Paramount-Warner Bros. May Face Devastating Delay With State Antitrust Suit | Analysis”

Subhead:  “The state attorneys general’s effort lives and dies on whether it gets its request for a preliminary injunction to halt the merger granted”

“A dozen states have thrown the long-awaited wrench into the Paramount deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the prospect that its plan faces a delay it can ill afford.

“The 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, on Monday filed their lawsuit challenging the $110 billion merger, alleging the deal would reduce competition in the distribution of films and give the combined company too much power when negotiating with TV distributors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-what-happens-next-after-ags-lawsuit/

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:  “USA: It’s up to state attorneys general to save the US news ecosystem from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger”

“Time is running out to stop the proposed $111 billion merger between media conglomerates Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place some of the most influential news brands in the US and worldwide under the control of a single owner. . . Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges state attorneys general (AGs) to block this merger, warning that it would reduce Americans’ access to reliable information and undermine media pluralism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-it-s-state-attorneys-general-save-us-news-ecosystem-paramount-warner-bros-merger

News Orgs vs. AI

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Article in UPI by Stephen Feller, 7/9/26

Headline:  “News organizations call for legal sanctions against OpenAI”

“More than a dozen news organizations asked a court to sanction OpenAI for withholding evidence in lawsuits filed against the company for copyright infringement.

“The New York Times, New York Daily News, The Intercept and 14 other news organizations asked a federal court on Thursday for sanctions against the artificial intelligence company for lying about its ability to provide data showing how it has used copyrighted material to train its models.

The companies had sued OpenAI for violating copyright law by using their content to create a secondary product — its AI models — without paying for it, The New York Times and Variety reported. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/09/news-organizations-file-sanctions-openai-copyright-infringement/5221783621572/

No Truthiness for Media?

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Article in Daily Kos by Karandreas, 7/6/26

Headline: “Media Countenance Trump Lies”

“Jim Scuitto, the otherwise estimable CNN reporter, slipped into the lazy mainstream media cubbyhole of allowing Trump sycophants to lie about the economy without any pushback.

“To wit, Stephen Moore, the far right commentator and former Trump advisor was doing a dance to avoid answering questions about Trump’s latest and perhaps largest grift, the billions he made on crypto. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/6/800065965/community/media-countenance-trump-lies/

 

 

The Bowing Media, Gets Them Nothing

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 7/3/26

Headline:  “Mainstream media gets nothing from caving to Trump”

“But soon after Trump’s victory, the press—which already spent years normalizing Trump’s racist and corrupt behavior—seemed ready to capitulate even further, in some instances completely compromising their independence while attempting to curry favor with him and his most ardent supporters. . .”

“And even when the mainstream media carries Trump’s water, he has still relentlessly attacked them, constantly lashing out at the “fake news” and encouraging his supporters to do the same. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/3/800063207/media/mainstream-media-gets-nothing-from-caving-to-trump/

 

Fleeing Hungry Hyena

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/2/26

Headline: “Opinion | CNN’s uncertain future claims its first major on-air talent”

Subhead: “Paula Reid is leaving for MS NOW after reportedly raising concerns about Paramount Skydance’s pending takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery“

“Paramount hasn’t yet taken over Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN. Bari Weiss isn’t overseeing CNN — at least not yet.

“But CNN has already lost a major on-air talent.

“Paula Reid, the network’s chief legal affairs correspondent, is leaving to join MS NOW. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/paula-reid-exit-cnn-msnow-bari-weiss/