Fake News

Just Gotta Be On TV!

by

Article in the New York Times by Peter Baker, 9/22/26

Headline  :  “After Years as the Star of Must-See TV, Trump Faces the Sting of Cancellation”

Subhead:  “A boycott of the White House press pool by the major networks deprives the president of the oxygen of screen time. But he is still finding ways to get on the air.”

“For President Trump, this is the tree-falls-in-the-forest moment of his administration. If the most television-addicted president in history suddenly finds the cameras missing, is he really still president? Not the kind he has been, anyway.

“Mr. Trump, for whom television is better than any narcotic, finds himself for the first time at least partially deprived of the major networks that have covered nearly every movement and utterance he has made for more than a decade. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/us/politics/trump-television-reporters-cameras.html

– – – – –

Article in Daily Beast by William Vaillancourt, 9/21/26

Headline: “Press-Starved Trump, 80, Announces Desperate TV Move'”

subhead: “Trump TV” launched on Monday, following a rare lack of television coverage of the president.”

“President Donald Trump has launched his own television channel after banning three networks from the White House television press pool.

“The announcement comes three days after the president angrily removed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the pool because he doesn’t like their coverage. Those outlets have since sued the administration, claiming a violation of their First Amendment rights.

“Trump TV, the White House announced, would begin airing at 7 p.m. on Monday night. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/press-starved-donald-trump-80-announces-desperate-tv-move/

NBC Interviews a Bot, Really!

by

 


Article in Mediaite by Ahmed Austin Jr., 9/14/26

Headline: “‘How Bizarre Is This?’ NBC News Airs Interview with AI-Generated Actress”

“NBC News aired an interview Monday that entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas conducted with an AI actress named Tilly Norwood.

“The interview premiered on Monday morning’s edition of 3rd Hour of Today. While introducing the interview, co-host Al Roker remarked, ‘How bizarre is this?’ Melas then added it was ‘quite an assignment’ before the segment began.

“Melas effectively did the interview like she would with any other virtual interview, with her speaking to Norwood via video call. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/how-bizarre-is-this-nbc-news-airs-interview-with-ai-generated-actress/

Insulting Women in the Media

by


Article in The Wrap by Alyssa Ray, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Trump Launches Back-to-Back Attacks on ‘3rd Rate’ Kaitlan Collins and ‘Unattractive’ Maggie Haberman

Subhead: “’Fake News is getting worse and worse in the U.S.A.,’ the president writes”

“Donald Trump once again publicly criticized CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, launching back-to-back attacks against the female journalists on social media.

On Tuesday, the president kicked off his renewed attacks on female journalists by zeroing in on Collins on Truth Social, where he blasted her as a “3rd rate” anchor. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/trump-attacks-kaitlan-collins-maggie-haberman-truth-social/

Media – Digging Out the Facts

by

Article in Mediaite by Kathryn Wilkens, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Trump Rages at Maggie Haberman and New York Mag Over 9/11 Reports: ‘Liars and Scoundrels’

“President Donald Trump erupted at New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and New York magazine on Tuesday over reporting about his whereabouts following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and his plans for this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration, demanding retractions while calling journalists ‘liars and scoundrels’ and attacking Haberman as ‘unattractive both inside and out.’. . .”

“. . .During Tuesday’s Tunnel to Towers event on the Ellipse, Trump recounted being near One Liberty Plaza when two firefighters, fearing the building was about to collapse, grabbed him under the arms, ‘literally lifted me up,’ and carried him away. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-rages-at-maggie-haberman-and-new-york-mag-over-9-11-reports-liars-and-scoundrels/

Media Claim on Illegal Voters, Deflated

by

Article in Media Matters by Hanne MacDonald & Reed McMaster, 8/26/26

Headline:  “Right-wing media repeated Trump administration claims that over 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote — now that “inflated” number is falling apart”

Subhead:  “Right-wing media personalities used unsubstantiated figures from DHS to push for the SAVE America Act and to cast further doubt on election security”

Right-wing media ran with unsubstantiated claims from the Trump administration that the Department of Homeland Security found hundreds of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections, often using the figures to cast doubt on state election systems and to push for voting restrictions like the SAVE America Act. However, new reporting shows the administration’s numbers are falling apart. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/index%2Ephp/election-denial-voter-fraud-and-suppression/right-wing-media-repeated-trump-administration-claims

Picture worth 1,000 Pres Secretaries

by

Article in The Babylon Bee, by Staff, 8/22/26

Headline:  “New Press Secretary To Just Be Picture Of Scott Jennings Doing That Face”

“. . . The White House has announced that the new Press Secretary will just be a poster-sized photo of Scott Jennings doing that face he does.

“After a week of searching for a replacement for Karoline Leavitt, the White House settled on a 27 inch by 40 inch inkjet poster of the face Jennings makes to the camera when liberal CNN panelists make foolish statements.

“‘We love what Scott’s face brings to the table,” said President Trump. . .You can feel the disdain for the losers and haters. That’s what the journalists here are, losers and haters, so it’s a great fit’. . .”

“The White House Press Corps was outraged by the decision, stating that the lack of an actual human Press Secretary would grossly inhibit their ability as independent media to hold the government accountable for its actions.

” ‘How can an independent media function when the government will not allow us to even ask questions of a real Press Secretary?’ cried a CNN reporter. The photo of Scott Jennings, however, only smirked in response. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/new-press-secretary-to-just-be-picture-of-scott-jennings-doing-that-face

Rt. Media Snake Oil

by

Article in Media Matters by Helena Hind, 8/14/26

Headline: “MAHA and right-wing media revive debunked claim about the COVID vaccine and miscarriages to attack Dr. Fauci”

Subhead:  “Media figures spread a false claim that the COVID-19 vaccine caused an 82% miscarriage rate, calling the vaccine an ‘abortion shot’ and saying, ‘Fauci belongs in prison’”

“A press release from two Republican senators containing texts from Dr. Anthony Fauci has revived a bogus claim — based on a flawed interpretation of a 2021 study — that the COVID-19 vaccine caused an 82% miscarriage rate among pregnant people who took it before 20 weeks of gestation. Right-wing media figures, MAHA organizations, and online wellness influencers have latched onto the debunked claim. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/maha-and-right-wing-media-revive-debunked-claim-about-covid-vaccine-and

Acquisition – True or False?

by


Article in The Babylon Bee by Staff, 7/25/25/26

Headline:  “Elon Musk Acquires Total Ownership Of The Economist“

“AUSTIN, TX — Over the course of a ninety-minute transaction, Elon Musk became the sole and absolute owner of The Economist.

“Though Musk had no reported prior interest in the aging magazine, Musk acquired total ownership of the company during a sit-down with The Economist’s Zanny Beddoes.

” ‘Well, that didn’t quite go as planned,’ sighed Beddoes, handing over her employee badge to Musk. ‘Here you go, Elon. I’ll, uh, just see myself out.’

“Musk, for his part, offered Beddoes the option to stay on with the company, on the condition that she do actual journalism. Beddoes made several loud screeching sounds in response, apparently declining the offer. . .

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/elon-musk-acquires-total-ownership-of-the-economist

Handling Reporting Mistakes

by


Article in The Atlantic by Charlie Warzel, 6/30/26

Headline:  “A Tough Day for NPR“

Subhead:  “Are there any lessons to the newsroom’s Supreme Court error?”

“It was all a ‘misunderstanding.’ That’s the word that NPR Editor in Chief Thomas Evans used to describe why, today, the outlet erroneously published a report by the veteran Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg that Justice Samuel Alito had retired. . . In the story, Totenberg attributed her reporting to the Court itself, not to an anonymous source. Minutes later, the Supreme Court’s public-information office said that the Court had not made any such announcement.

“NPR, to its credit, quickly retracted the story, issued a correction, and apologized. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/npr-alito-supreme-court-retraction/687750/

Media Creating a Crisis?

by

Article in Media Matters by Sophie Lawton, 6/10/26

Headline:  “MAGA media worked up as Trump-appointed attorney goes on media tour discussing California’s election”

Subhead:  “CNN: ‘There is zero evidence that there is anything fraudulent about the election results in California’ “

““First Assistant” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli is on a right-wing media tour claiming to have evidence of election fraud in California that will lead to prosecutions soon. Essayli is encouraging people to send in tips to help the Department of Justice investigate the supposed election rigging. Essayli’s comments have right-wing media outlets in a frenzy pushing unverified claims of fraud. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/voter-fraud-and-suppression/maga-media-worked-trump-appointed-attorney-goes-media-tour-discussing