Editorial Content

Media Say “Wow”!

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 11/4/126

Headline: “Opinion | As Democrats swept the midterms, news anchors struggled to find the words”

Subhead:  “‘Wow’ was the word of the night as a historic blue wave stunned election-night broadcasters”

“. . .On Tuesday night, the word “wow” might have been uttered on TV more than any other interjection ever. Anchors, analysts, election experts — you name it — all ran out of words to express their surprise at a variety of races. NBC’s Steve Kornacki might have been the league leader in ‘wows.’ Or it might have been CNN’s Jake Tapper. Or maybe it was MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/2026-midterms-democratic-sweep-election-night-media-coverage/

Media Michigan Shockwave

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 11/2/26

Headline: “Haley Stevens’ stunning endorsement set off a media firestorm. Will Michigan voters care?”

Subhead:  “The Michigan Democrat withdrew her support for Abdul El-Sayed and endorsed Republican Mike Rogers just days before Election Day”

“. . .The New York Times’ Bayliss Wagner, Reid J. Epstein and Tim Balk wrote, “The extraordinary development reflected both the bitter disagreements over Israel and the personal animosity between the two prominent Michigan Democrats. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/haley-stevens-endorses-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-race/

Rt. Media Have Gas Problem

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Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleat, `10/28/26

Headline:  “The prominent pro-Trump pundits who admit that the Iran war drove up gas prices — and have no regrets”

“Gasoline and diesel prices remain elevated eight months into President Donald Trump’s unauthorized war against Iran. Right-wing media commentators, in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, have returned to defending high gas prices as a worthwhile sacrifice to stop an Iranian nuclear program that they claimed in 2025 had been “obliterated” by U.S. airstrikes that June. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/prominent-pro-trump-pundits-who-admit-iran-war-drove-gas-prices-and-have-no-regrets

FCC Member Warns on Tactics

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Article in Al Jazerra by Staff, 10/23/26

Headline:  “FCC Democrat warns broadcasters to resist Trump’s media pressure tactics”

Subhead: “Democrat Anna Gomez warns broadcasters against yielding to Trump-era FCC’s claims of fake polls and news distortions.”

“Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic member of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), called on the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to ramp up its response to pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump on major news networks and broadcast television stations in advance of the midterm elections on November 3. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/10/23/fcc-democrat-warns-broadcasters-to-resist-trumps-media-pressure-tactics

MAGA Media Like the Ad?

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Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleat, 10/21/26

Headline: “Here are the right-wing media figures endorsing ‘despicable’ ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy”

Subhead:  “The ad features Democratic nominee Amy Acton’s estranged mother, who defended her husband’s reported sexual assault of Acton when she was a child”

“Multiple right-wing media figures are promoting an ad released this week by Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign targeting his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, featuring her mother calling her a liar. However, Acton has been estranged from her parent since the age of 12 in 1978, when her mother defended the candidate’s stepfather against accusations he had sexually assaulted Acton . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/newsmax/here-are-right-wing-media-figures-endorsing-despicable-ad-ohio-republican-gubernatorial

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Article in The Hill by Mallory Wilson, 10/23/26

Headline:  “Trump spars with NBC reporter over Ramaswamy attack ad”

“President Trump engaged in a vigorous back-and-forth Friday with NBC reporter Monica Alba. . .”

“Reporters asked Trump about fellow Republicans denouncing the ad that was created by Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP candidate for Ohio governor. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6168553-donald-trump-vivek-ramaswamy-ad-nbc-reporter/

WH Press Sec. Gone But Not Forgotten

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Article in The New Republic by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, 10/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s Press Secretary Admits She Was in ‘Sort of a Pyramid Scheme’”

Subhead:  “Katie Zacharia’s résumé included a stint at a fitness MLM.”

“Katie Zacharia’s long résumé includes stints as an unqualified legal commentator, an associate at a Chinese law firm, an uncredentialed general counsel, and—in her own words—a participant in ‘sort of a pyramid scheme.’. . .”

https://newrepublic.com/post/216714/trump-press-secretary-zacharia-pyramid-scheme-mlm

Not Even a Half of a Scaramucci!

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Article in The New York Times by Shawn McCreeshTyler Pager and Hamed Aleaziz, 11/16/26

Headline:  “Katie Zacharia Is Out After 5 Days as White House Press Secretary”

Subhead: “The ouster came as Ms. Zacharia was shadowed by questions about how she had presented her legal career and handled her first press briefing.”

“President Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, was fired Friday, after less than a week on the job, according to three people familiar with the matter.

“Neither the White House nor Ms. Zacharia responded to requests for comment. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/katie-zacharia-fired-press-secretary.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Press Secretary – No Press?

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Article in The Guardian by Shrai Popat, 10/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s new press secretary says it’s ‘unknown’ how much she’ll deal with media”

Subhead:  “Katie Zacharia tells Guardian her first, widely panned, press briefing followed whirlwind sprint to appoint her to key role”

“Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary says it is ‘unknown’ how much she will engage with the press or hold briefings with reporters, as she faces mounting questions over her legal credentials.. . .”

“Now the White House press secretary, she also would not clarify on Thursday how often she intended to brief the press. . . ‘and that Trump “is his best spokesperson, and I will interact as needed’.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/15/katie-zacharia-trump-press-secretary-interview

Press Sec. – On Sale for a Limited Time!

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Article in AP by Bill Colvin, 10/14/26

Headline:  “Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia faces scrutiny over claims she’s a lawyer”

“Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China. . .’

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/katie-zacharia-lawyer-bar-trump-press-secretary-b3b7b9747856bcd11df094f331195119

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Article in The Hill by Judy Kurtz, 10/13/26

Headline:  “Scaramucci quips about new press secretary Zacharia’s tenure: ‘The clock is running’ “

“. . .’Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci,’ he cracked.

“Scaramucci famously served a speedy stint — just 11 days — as White House communications director in 2017 during President Trump’s first term in office. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/6145486-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-scaramucci/

A New Perfect Spokesperson

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Article in The Guardian by Arwa Mahdawi, 10/13/26

Headline:  “Loves Trump, lies and conspiracies: Katie Zacharia is the perfect presidential press secretary”

Subhead:  “The Maga member believes the 2020 election was stolen and seemingly her new boss is saving the world from a cabal of satanic paedophiles. She’ll fit right in then”

“While you’ve obviously got to worship the president to get a top comms role with him, there are a few other job requirements. Not least a willingness to embrace what former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway called ‘alternative facts’. . .”

“. . .If Zacharia lasts even a year in her new role, meanwhile, I’ll be surprised. With a (very likely) disastrous midterm election approaching, she has her work cut out and will need all the alternative facts she can find. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/13/trump-lies-conspiracies-katie-zacharia-press-secretary