Pay for NBC News Now?

 

 

Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 8/10/26

Headline: “The Peacock’s Paywall”

Subhead:  “NBC News once vowed to keep its journalism free, but the news outlet is now putting its exclusive and enterprise reporting behind a digitral paywall — and not everyone inside the company is thrilled, Status has learned

“Last February, NBC News Group boss Cesar Conde announced a major initiative in an internal meeting: a subscription service for NBC News. Until then, NBC News had proudly championed the fact that it made its reporting free. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/nbc-news-paywall-subscription-service

Media Business Flying Without Pilot?

Article in The Wrap by A. J. Katz, 8/10/26

Headline: “Where the Media Business Is Going”

Subhead: “In this week’s installment of The Media Front, we unpack what happens next as the streaming wars end and AI rises in newsrooms across the country”

“. . .For much of the past decade, Hollywood’s biggest media companies were chasing versions of the same goal: Build a streaming service, add subscribers and reach enough scale to compete with Netflix.

“This week’s earnings season offered perhaps the clearest evidence yet that the industry has moved on. . .”

“What the industry no longer agrees on is what comes next. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/future-of-media-business-streaming-ai-news/

Media Saying Difference?

Article in The Guardian by Mehdi Hassan, 8/10/26

Headline:  “The media is infatuated with Gadi Eisenkot, the ‘anti-Netanyahu’. Why?”

Subhead:  “The challenger to Netanyahu is more of the same. His record makes that abundantly clear”

“Western media outlets cannot seem to get enough of Gadi Eisenkot.

“Israel’s former military chief and the leader of the newly formed Yashar party has been embraced by the international press as he and his party take the lead in the polls in the run-up to October’s elections.

“Will Israel embrace the ‘anti-Netanyahu’ who lost a son in Gaza?” asked the Times of London. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/10/media-gadi-eisenkot-anti-netanyahu

Late Night TV Disappearing?

Article in AP by Maria Sherman, 8/5/26

Headline:  “Space for music on late-night TV has dwindled. New media seeks to offer an alternative”

“When CBS ended ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ earlier this year, it also shuttered the program’s robust music offerings — a major blow for artists whose television platform was already dwindling. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/late-night-television-musical-performances-55763d0c6170c9b645290582efb4219f

Running from a WaPo Crash?

Article in Status by Natalie Korach. 8/2/26

Headline:  “The Post’s Opinion Parting”

Subhead:  “Days before his abrupt exit from The WaPo, Adam O’Neal was privately boasting that he had pushed the Opinion section further to the right—raising new questions about what really drove his departure.”

In the days leading up to his shocking exit last week, Adam O’Neal gave no indication he was on his way out as The Washington Post’s Opinion editor. In recent private conversations, Status has learned, he struck precisely the opposite tone, sounding triumphant and boasting that he had pushed the paper’s storied opinion section further to the right. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/adam-oneal-washington-post-opinion-exit

WaPo Slowly Going Under?


Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/31/26

Headline:  “Washington Post’s opinion editor resigns after just one year in role:

Subhead:  “Adam O’Neal did not give reason for his departure at end of August in another major shakeup at US publication”

“The Washington Post had realized a state of relative calm in the five months since the paper was turned upside down in February, when nearly half the newsroom was laid off and its unpopular publisher, Will Lewis, abruptly resigned.

“But on Friday, staffers were shocked to find out that Adam O’Neal, a millennial hired last year to lead its opinion section, was already leaving. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/31/washington-post-opinion-editor-resigns-adam-oneal

Media White Flag?

Article in The Bulwark by Jonathan V. Last 7/27/26

Headline:  “Trump Was Right About the Corporate Media”

Subhead:  “The White House Correspondents’ Association surrenders.”

“On Friday night the White House Correspondents’ Association hosted the re-do of its annual dinner. It was a stunning display of weakness. A sham in which serious journalists chose to pretend that Donald Trump is a normal political figure. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-was-right-about-the-corporate

– – – – –

Article in The Nation by Jeet Heer, 7/27/26

Headline:  “Submissive Mainstream Media at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner”

Subhead:  “His speech was racist, homophobic, vindictive, and soul-crushingly unfunny—and the journalists in the crowd didn’t seem to care. “

“Fittingly, the disgraceful second edition of the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) was celebrated in a venue that embodies Donald Trump’s corruption and impunity. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-whcd-speech-media-humiliation/

60 Minutes Continues its Slide?


Article in The New Republic by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, 7/28/26

Headline:  “NYT’s Most Obnoxious Columnist Joins 60 Minutes in Pro-Trump Overhaul”

Subhead: “Bari Weiss is bringing a friendly face to the prestigious news show.”

“Conservative columnist Ross Douthat is leaving The New York Times to join the storied broadcast magazine in a new role, 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton announced Tuesday. . .”

“Despite being an early skeptic of Donald Trump’s politics and popularity, Douthat has since downplayed the president’s authoritarian and fascist tendencies while attempting to rationalize Trump’s behavior.”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/post/213657/new-york-times-columnist-60-minutes-ross-douthat-pro-trump-overhaul

Media Dinner Indigestion


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/27/26

Headline:  “Opinion | The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was an embarrassment”

Subhead:  “President Donald Trump’s hour of rambling, insults and ridicule left the association with little to celebrate”

“No president in the history of this country has devoted more energy and resources to trying to weaken the free press than President Donald Trump. He has sued, threatened, insulted and tried to intimidate the press, and has been successful in undermining the trust Americans have in one of the cornerstones of our democracy.

“And yet, there was Trump last Friday, being handed a microphone by the WHCA to say whatever he wanted. . .”

Read the full article at:

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

Paramount Paused

Article in The New York Times by Michelle Goldberg, 7/27/26

Headline:  “A Setback for the MAGA Media Takeover”

“. . .Historically, it’s unusual for the states to take the lead on antitrust enforcement actions,” reported Variety. But the case was strong enough that last week, a California judge issued a temporary restraining order putting the merger on hold. And on Friday, Paramount, which had hoped to close the deal this month, agreed to postpone the merger until next June or the end of the trial, whichever comes first. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/opinion/media-ellison-paramount.html

– – – – –

Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng & Lucas Manfredi, 7/24/25

Headline: “Why Paramount Delayed Its Warner Bros. Takeover, What the Latest Legal Twist Means | Analysis”

Subhead: “With a costly ticking fee looming, Paramount is banking on a speedy trial”

“It looked like a victory on Friday for opponents of Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount agreed to push back the acquisition — all the way to as far as next summer.

But, as with everything in this M&A saga, it’s not that simple.  . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-merger-delay-explained/