Corporate Media

WaPo Tacking Left?

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Article in The Wrap by A.J. KAtz, 9/1/26

Headline: “Defends Iran War Report Amid ‘Traitor’ Criticism”

Subhead: “The update comes after the paper reported that senior military leaders warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against prolonged large-scale operations”

“The Washington Post editorial board defended the paper’s reporting that senior military leaders are concerned the U.S. military is being stretched thin by the war with Iran, following criticism from the Pentagon and one of the newspaper’s own columnists.

“ ‘In a free society, there is an overwhelming public interest in knowing these facts,’ the board wrote. ‘The Constitution guarantees the rights of news organizations to publish such information.’

“The defense comes after WaPo columnist Marc Thiessen called the confidential government source behind the reporting a ‘traitor’ and said the leaker should be prosecuted, as TheWrap previously reported. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/washington-post-editorial-board-defends-traitor-iran-war-report/

Media Frenzy?

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Article in The Guardian by Mehdi Hassan, 9/1/26

Headline: “The media’s Hasan Piker obsession is letting Republican Mike Rogers off the hook”

Subhead:  “Mike Rogers isn’t merely campaigning alongside a controversial supporter. His campaign put an extremist on its faith leadership team”

“Turn on cable news. Pick up a newspaper. Log on to Twitter. It doesn’t seem to matter where you get your political news: for the past month, the leftist Twitch streamer has become one of the dominant subjects of coverage, conversation and controversy surrounding the crucial Michigan Senate race between the Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Republican Mike Rogers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/01/hasan-piker-mike-rogers-media

CBS Uses 9/11 for Political Attack?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darch, 8/30/26

Headline:  “CBS’ El-Sayed Scandal”

Subhead: “The Bari Weiss-led outlet is being pummeled by a storm of outrage over a story about Abdul El-Sayed—and Status has learned that within the network, some staffers have raised the matter with standards.”

“At 8:18 a.m. on Monday morning, CBS News published a post on X that immediately drew an avalanche of criticism: ‘As the nation prepares to mark 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001,’ the post said, ‘ Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, may be facing the risk of renewed scrutiny and fresh political attack.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cbs-news-el-sayed-bari-weiss-9-11

Wall Street Journal Gets Wet

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Article in Status by Brett LoGiurato, 8/28/26

Headline:  “The WSJ Crosses the A.I. Rubicon”

Subhead: “The Journal’s opinion editor defended the use of A.I. in a recent column, but some newsroom staffers, and the publication’s union, are raising concerns about the precedent, Status has learned.

“Inside The Wall Street Journal’s newsroom this week, reporters’ group chats have been buzzing a bit more than usual. . .”

“On Monday, billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller stunned much of Wall Street by offering a pointed critique of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the hallowed pages of The Journal’s opinion section—only to later admit that he had used a large-language model to help draft the piece. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/wsj-ai-op-ed-stanley-druckenmiller

Blocking Media Mega-Merger

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 8/27/26

Headline:  “Block the Merger Coalition Urges State AGs to Hold Strong in Antitrust Suit, Launches No Concessions Platform”

“WASHINGTON — The Block the Merger Coalition is launching a new public-facing petition thanking the 12 state attorneys general who sued to block the dangerous Warner Bros. merger and calling on them to hold strong in their suit. That includes rejecting empty concessions from Paramount before the March 2027 trial.

“Any unenforceable concessions the Ellisons propose in a backroom are a losing proposition, assert the organizers behind http://NoParamountConcessions.com. They ask state AGs to uphold the antitrust laws so workers in the entertainment industry, consumers and the general public get their day in court. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/block-merger-coalition-urges-state-ags-hold-strong-antitrust-suit-launches-no-concessions

Legacy Media Not Adapting?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Rosenstiel, 8/26/26

Headline:  “Opinion | To survive, journalism must become indispensable”

Subhead:  “News organizations need to understand what audiences actually need — and build their journalism around those needs”

“One of the most important and misunderstood reasons for the crisis in journalism has little to do with revenue or technology. The problem is the journalism itself.

“. . .what made newspapers, radio newscasts and TV news programs indispensable to people in the 20th century was not the journalism but what surrounded it. . .

“Today, people find nearly all of that elsewhere. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/journalism-must-become-indispensable/

Murdoch Grooming Fox

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Article in Reuters by Reuters, 7/27/26

Headline: “Rupert Murdoch’s wish to re-merge Fox Corp and News Corp ‘could happen in future,’ court documents and video show”

“Rupert Murdoch’s longstanding wish to reunite his Fox Corp, . . . and News ​Corp. . . could happen in a potential merger that would unite a TV company with a widespread news operation, cementing the family’s control ‌over a smaller empire, court documents and video show.

“Discussions of a possible re-merger were revealed during the last few weeks in unsealed court documents and an attorney’s testimony related to a family succession saga that began in 2023. The judicial official overseeing the matter released the findings at the end of July. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/rupert-murdoch-considering-re-merger-fox-corp-news-corp-court-documents-video-2026-08-27/

NYT Spinning the Wheel?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 8/25/26

Headline:  “The Times’ Kalshi Gamble”

Subhead: “News that The Athletic is in talks with Kalshi on a potential partnership has prompted unease inside the broader New York Times Co. over the reputational risks of getting into bed with the controversial company, staffers tell Status.”

“. . .One of those partners, I am told, is Kalshi, the controversial prediction markets company, where users can bet on topics ranging from elections to finance to culture—and yes, sports. According to Front Office Sports, which first broke the news, The Athletic and Kalshi are in “advanced talks” to strike up an agreement, . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/the-athletic-kalshi-new-york-times-sports-betting

Media Sharks Want to Feed

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/24/26

Headline: “Opinion | Why the media has reason to focus on Natalie Harp story”

Subhead:  “Influential aide to President Trump who shapes information he receives wrote personal letters, defended him on social media after Jan. 6”

“Perhaps the most publicized name on the national political scene over the past couple of weeks has been Natalie Harp, the White House aide who never seems more than a few steps away from President Donald Trump.

“And there’s a good reason for all the attention and coverage she is receiving. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/why-the-media-has-reason-to-focus-on-natalie-harp-story/

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