First Amendment

Mickey Media Standing Up!

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Article in Slate byLizzie O’Leary 6/2/26

Headline:  “Disney Finds Its Spine”

“In normal times, in a normal Federal Communications Commission, Anna M. Gomez’s job might be described as wonky. But now is not that time.

“A large part of my role is to call out this administration’s abuses of the First Amendment, particularly when it chooses to weaponize the FCC in trying to shut down any voices that it doesn’t like,” said Gomez. “And we see this constantly, there is a constant infringement on the free press and on the First Amendment and on the rights of viewers and listeners to see and hear what they want to see. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://slate.com/business/2026/06/fcc-disney-abc-renewal-lawsuit-brendan-carr.html

Understand Freedom of the Press

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Article in The Atlantic by Adrienne Lafrance, 6/1/26

Headline:  “Use It or Lose It”

Subhead:  “Freedom of speech, and of the press, can be guaranteed only if Americans exercise their rights.”

“. . .Far too many people behave as though freedom of the press refers only to freedom for professional journalists. But journalists are not in some special category. The right to free press is, like free speech, a basic freedom that applies to all Americans who choose to exercise it. The First Amendment tells the government that it cannot encroach on any American’s right to speak and publish. Freedom of the press is not about the press; it’s about the freedom.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/free-press-first-amendment-rights/687317/

Atlantic Won’t Cave

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 5/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | The Atlantic isn’t backing down”

Subhead:  “The publication’s editor-in-chief says a lawsuit and potential FBI probe will not deter its journalists from publishing the truth.”

“If the FBI and its director Kash Patel thought they could intimidate The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick with lawsuits and federal investigations, they have been given a resounding wake-up call.

The Atlantic is making itself clear. They are standing behind their reporter. They are standing behind their journalism. They won’t be backing down.

Last month, Fitzpatrick wrote a bombshell story based on conversations with dozens of sources. Those sources described Patel as erratic, suspicious of others and prone to jumping to conclusions before he had the necessary evidence. The story included allegations of “excessive drinking” as well as “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” while Patel has been in charge of the FBI. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/the-atlantic-kash-patel-lawsuit-fbi-investigation/

No Alcohol-Reporting Allowed?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 5/7/26

Headline:  “With Malice”

Subhead:  “Kash Patel’s FBI is going after reporters and news organizations for routine newsgathering practices.”

“. . .’Maria [Fox News], I’m happy to announce on your show that we’re not gonna take this laying down,’ Patel told Bartiromo. ‘You wanna attack my character? Come at me? Bring it on, I’ll see you in court.’ The next day, Patel’s lawyers filed a defamation lawsuit, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking damages from The Atlantic, as well as naming Fitzpatrick in the suit. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/with-malice-kash-patel-fbi-routine-newsgathering-target-practice-atlantic.php

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Article in The Atlantic by David Graham, 5/6/26

Headline: “A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom”

Subhead:  “According to MS NOW, the FBI has launched an investigation into an Atlantic reporter.”

“The Trump administration’s war against freedom of the press has reached a startling new low.

According to a report this morning from MS NOW, the FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on my Atlantic colleague Sarah Fitzpatrick, related to an article she published last month about Director Kash Patel. Drawing on some two dozen sources, Fitzpatrick reported that people inside the administration and the bureau are deeply concerned about what they described as Patel’s unexplained absences and excessive drinking. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/kash-patel-fitzpatrick-fbi-investigation/687077/

Journalist Awards

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Article in Poynter by Jennifer Orsi, 4/27/26

Headline: “Here are the winners of the 2026 Poynter Journalism Prizes”

Subhead: “Poynter contest honors journalism excellence across 12 categories, from local accountability to climate change to First Amendment issues”

“The Poynter Institute announced the winners and finalists for the 2026 Poynter Journalism Prizes Monday, honoring journalists and news organizations across platforms for exceptional work in 12 categories for writing, reporting, innovation and leadership. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/here-are-the-winners-of-the-2026-poynter-journalism-prizes/

Democracy Needs Journalism

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Article in FAIR by Janine Jackson, 4/10/26

Headline:  ” ‘Local News Is a Genuine Public Good We Need for Our Democracy’ “

Subhead:  “CounterSpin interview with Alex Frandsen on Local News Day”

“Janine Jackson: News media can be like the old joke about the weather: Everybody complains, but nobody does anything. But as we’ve seen billionaire owners turning news into yet another profit-driven enterprise—not, to be clear, entities that need to sustain themselves, but that need to generate ever-higher quarterly profits for shareholders—the truth is there has been plenty of, not just protest and criticism, but ground-level organizing to find other ways to support the work we need from journalism in the public interest. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/local-news-is-a-genuine-public-good-we-need-for-our-democracy/

Damaged Public Media Comeback?

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Article in The Guardian from Associated Press, 3/21/26

Headline:  “Federal judge blocks Trump order to end funding for NPR and PBS”

Subhead:  “Citing the first amendment, judge says president’s executive order is unlawful and unenforceable”

“Citing the first amendment, a federal judge on Tuesday agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), two media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities.

“The operational impact of US district judge Randolph Moss’s decision was not immediately clear – both because it will probably be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress.

“Moss ruled that Donald Trump’s executive order to cease funding for NPR and PBS is unlawful and unenforceable. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/judge-blocks-trump-npr-pbs-funding-cut

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Article in New York Times by Benjam,in Mullin, 3/31/26

Headline:  “Trump’s Executive Order on NPR and PBS Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules”

Subhead:  “The ruling will have minimal effect on the federal money going to public media because Congress voted to claw back funding. But it could have implications for any future funding.”

Read the article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/business/media/trump-npr-pbs-executive-order-ruling.html

Revenge on the Media?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 3/30/26

Headline:  “Was the FBI Raid on a Washington Post Reporter’s Home an Act of Retribution?”

Subhead: “Investigators ‘assisted’ Hannah Natanson in applying her right index finger to a Post-owned MacBook Pro, accessing all its data.”

“. . .As [KAsh Patel] said on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast in 2023, ‘We’re gonna come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We’re gonna come after you—whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out—but yeah, we’re putting you all on notice’. . .”

“At 6:05am on January 14, the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson, a Washington Post reporter who had spent much of Trump’s first year back in office covering the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as it took a hatchet to the civil service. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/was-the-fbi-raid-on-a-washington-post-reporters-home-an-act-of-retribution.php

Fool the Judge on Press Access?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 3/30/26

Headline: ” ‘What’s going on?’: US judge calls aspects of new Pentagon press policy ‘weird’ “

Subhead: “Judge seems skeptical of Pentagon’s restrictive protocol but did not rule on forcing compliance with an earlier order”

“Federal judge Paul Friedman seemed skeptical of the new press policy implemented by the Pentagon last week, calling aspects of it “weird” and Kafkaesque.

“Friedman struck down key aspects of the previously implemented Pentagon media policy on 20 March, but at the latest hearing on Monday stopped short of ruling on a motion filed by the New York Times to force compliance of his decision.

“Friedman was particularly skeptical about the ways in which press space was being provided to the seven New York Times reporters, whom he previously ruled should have their press access badges returned. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/judge-pentagon-press-policy-weird

Media in Court – or Not?

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Article in Huffpost by Hannah Schoenbaum, 3/13/26

Headline:  “Utah Judge In Charlie Kirk Killing Case Weighs Media Access”

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus is due back in court Friday as a state judge weighs whether certain documents and proceedings should be open to the public.

The outcome will set the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.

Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial.

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/utah-judge-charlie-kirk-killing-case-weighs-media-access_n_69b415afe4b0676e64bf175a?origin=home-zone-c-unit