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After Purge, US Broadcasting Back?

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Article in Daily Beast by Cameron Adams, 3/12/26

Headline:  “Trump Picks New Propaganda Boss After MAGA Loser Kari Lake Ousted”

“Donald Trump has nominated a senior State Department official and free speech activist to oversee government broadcasters after the ousting of his previous appointee, Kari Lake.

“Sarah B. Rogers, who has been serving as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy since October, was nominated as CEO for the U.S. Agency for Global Media in a court filing on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

“The media agency oversees Voice of America and other government broadcasters, as well as funding international outlets including Radio Free Asia.

“Two-time failed gubernatorial candidate Lake was removed from the role after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan administration nominee, ruled on Saturday that she had been running the agency in violation of the law, labelling her a “de facto” CEO. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-picks-new-propaganda-boss-after-maga-loser-kari-lake-ousted/

US International Media Coming Back?

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Article in The Washington Post by SDcott Nover, 3/9/26

Headline:  “Judge rules Kari Lake unlawfully ran U.S. media agency, voiding layoffs”

Subhead:  “Kari Lake, the Trump appointee in charge of Voice of America and other international broadcasters, has used dubious authority in her effort to dismantle the agency.”

“A federal judge in Washington ruled Saturday that Kari Lake has unlawfully served as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America, and nullified many actions she has taken in the role, including mass layoffs of staff. . .”

“The decision is the latest in a string of legal defeats to the Trump administration’s year-long effort to dismantle USAGM, the federal agency that in addition to Voice of America oversees other U.S.-funded international broadcasters including Radio Free Asia. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/07/kari-lake-unlawful-voice-of-america-ruling/

Courts as Media Intimidation Weapon

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Article in The Intercept by David Bralow, 2/27/26

Headline: “T rump Uses the Courts to Intimidate Critics. The Media Must Fight Back.”

Subhead:  “Federal agencies are using investigations to stifle speech and chill the questioning of those in power.”

“The Trump administration is embracing an intimidation strategy to silence critical media coverage. Here’s how it works: A federal agency launches a pretextual investigation into a perceived enemy, keeps the investigation open to coerce compliance, and resists any effort to have a court review the lawfulness of the agency’s actions.

“There’s no better example than the Federal Trade Commission’s retaliatory investigation of Media Matters for America for its critical coverage of one of the Trump administration’s most powerful allie. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theintercept.com/2026/02/27/trump-media-matters-free-speech/

Untrustworthy Media Search?

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Article in ArsTechnica by Jon Brodkin, 2/25/26

Headline:  “Judge doesn’t trust DOJ with search of devices seized from Wash. Post reporter”

Subhead:  “Court to search devices itself instead of letting government have full access.”

“A federal court will conduct a search of devices seized from a Washington Post reporter after a magistrate judge decided yesterday that the Department of Justice cannot be trusted to perform the search on its own.

“US Magistrate Judge William Porter criticized government prosecutors for not including key information in a search warrant application. The court wasn’t aware of a 1980 law that limits searches and seizures of journalists’ work materials when it approved the warrant, Porter acknowledged. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/judge-doesnt-trust-doj-with-search-of-devices-seized-from-wash-post-reporter/

Court Intervenes on Illegal Search

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Article in The Hill by Tara Suter, 2/24/26

Headline:  “Judge says Justice Department may not search Washington Post reporter’s seized devices “

“A judge told the Justice Department in a Tuesday filing that it cannot search a Washington Post reporter’s seized devices.

“In the filing, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter said the U.S. government could not “open, access, review, or otherwise examine any of” Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s “seized data.”

“The government seized all of Ms. Natanson’s work product, documentary material, and devices, terminating her access to the confidential sources she developed and to all the tools she needs as a working journalist,” Porter said in the filing. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5753794-justice-dept-reporter-devices/

More Gloming Up Media?

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Article in Reuters by Milana Vinn & Dawn Kopecki, 2/17/26

Headline:  “Warner Bros rejects revised Paramount bid, but remains open to a final offer”

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab on Tuesday rejected Paramount Skydance’s (PSKY.O), opens new tab latest $30-a-share hostile bid, but gave the rival Hollywood studio seven days to submit a “best and final” offer to top an existing agreement to sell its businesses including HBO Max and “Harry Potter” franchise to Netflix.

“Paramount informally broached an even higher per-share price of $31, Warner Bros said, apparently enticing the board to the table. But its response to Paramount indicates Warner Bros prefers its deal with Netflix, and the odds of a switch are long. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/warner-bros-rejects-paramounts-revised-offer-gives-studio-week-negotiate-better-2026-02-17/

“No Stinkin’ Press Credentials”

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by John Stang, 2/17/26

Headline: “Elbowing In”

Subhead:  “In Olympia, Washington, a few right-wing media figures have been trying to get credentialed to cover the statehouse. Their efforts—which now include a lawsuit—have shaken up the entire press corps.”

“Last week, in Olympia, Washington, a group of three right-wing media figures filed a lawsuit confronting a question that is becoming increasingly fraught across the United States: who is and is not a journalist in a government building. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/olympia-washington-press-corps-statehouse-credentials-lawsuit-brandi-kruse-jonathan-choe-ari-hoffman-correspondents-association-legislature.php

Surprise! – Layoff 1/3 of News Staff is Traumatic?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 2/11/26

Headline:  “Washington Post editor acknowledges ‘genuine trauma’ over mass layoffs”

Subhead:  “Matt Murray defends paper’s strategy as ‘demoralized’ staffers ask tough questions in contentious town hall”

“Top Washington Post editor Matt Murray acknowledged “a widespread sense of loss, of genuine trauma” in a contentious town hall meeting with staff on Wednesday after the company laid off nearly a third of its employees a week ago – though he expressed confidence that the Post was now on a path to success.

“There’s no doubt that just the sheer depth of the cuts – and also, with that, the reality of what we face at the Post – has been a very hard thing to wrap our heads around and to grapple with,” Murray said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by the Guardian. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/11/washington-post-layoffs-matt-murray

Journalist Hires Prosecutor to Prosecute

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Article in New York Times by Ernesto Lodonu

Headline:  “Don Lemon Hires Federal Prosecutor Who Quit Over Immigration Crackdown”

Subhead:  “Facing charges over his role at a church protest, Mr. Lemon, a journalist, retained a veteran litigator who recently resigned from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota.”

“The federal prosecution of the journalist Don Lemon took an unlikely turn on Tuesday.

“Facing charges over his presence at a church protest challenging the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, Mr. Lemon has hired as one of his defense lawyers a veteran criminal litigator who, until just weeks ago, was helping lead the prosecutor’s office that has charged Mr. Lemon with felonies.

“Joseph H. Thompson, a former senior federal prosecutor who resigned from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota in mid-January over the Justice Department’s handling of the immigration operation, has joined Mr. Lemon’s defense team, according to a court filing. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/us/joseph-thompson-don-lemon-minneapolis-protest.html

FCC Probes ABC Now?

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Article in The Hill by Tara Suter, 2/8/26

Headline:  “FCC opens probe into ABC’s ‘The View’ after James Talarico interview: Reports “

“The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a probe into ABC’s “The View” after the program held an interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, according to multiple outlets.

Reuters reported Saturday that, per a source, the FCC began an investigation on whether “The View” broke rules for equal time when it comes to interviewing political candidates. . .”

“In January, the agency shook up rules, which exempted some late-night and daytime talk shows from having to give equal airtime to opposing political candidates. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5728540-equal-time-rule-fcc-the-view/