Internet Media

No More Media Diplomacy?

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Article in Huffpost by Lydia O’Connor, 3/17/25

Headline:  “Trump Orders Closure Of Government-Backed, Anti-Propaganda Media Outlet”

Subhead:  “Voice of America has been broadcasting news into oppressive regimes since World War II.”

“. . . The order Trump signed Friday calls for the closure of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which manages VOA and other diplomatic news efforts. More than 1,300 of VOA’s journalists and other staffers were placed on administrative leave Saturday, according to a Facebook post from VOA Director Michael Abramowitz obtained by The Washington Post.

Kari Lake, the Agency for Global Media’s special adviser who once called for the imprisonment of journalists, cheered its demise on social media, saying: “There’s a reason it’s referred to as ‘pound-for-pound the most corrupt agency in Washington DC.’ Because it is!”

A press release from the agency was even harsher, calling it “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken. . .”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-voice-of-america-executive-order_n_67d852e9e4b0f3826e4c595b

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Article in Reporters Without Borders, 3/17/25

Headline:  “US Agency for Global Media shutdown: RSF warns of the dangers facing nine journalists detained abroad”

“Following the Trump administration’s orders to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding the alarm over the risks facing USAGM staffers around the world, including nine journalists currently imprisoned abroad for their work. RSF calls on the international diplomatic community to immediately mobilise to obtain the release of these journalists and ensure the safety of all USAGM journalists worldwide.

In a decree issued on 14 March 2025, US President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of USAGM, the federal agency overseeing several independent media outlets, such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). On 15 March, Voice of America (VOA) employees received an email announcing they were immediately placed under administrative leave. ”

https://rsf.org/en/us-agency-global-media-shutdown-rsf-warns-dangers-facing-nine-journalists-detained-abroad

The Right Media

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Article in Media Matters by Kayla Gogarty, 3/14/25

Headline:  “The right dominates the online media ecosystem, seeping into sports, comedy, and other supposedly nonpolitical spaces”

Subhead:  “A new Media Matters analysis found 9 out of the 10 top online shows assessed are right-leaning”

“As Americans increasingly get their news from online shows and streamers, the influence of this media ecosystem becomes more prominent — and Media Matters has found that the most popular of this content is overwhelmingly right-leaning.”

“In a new study, Media Matters assessed the audience size of popular online shows — podcasts, streams, and other long-form audio and video content regularly posted online.  . . .”

“We found substantial asymmetry in total following across platforms: Right-leaning online shows had at least 480.6 million total followers and subscribers — nearly five times as many as left-leaning.
Across platforms — YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, Kick, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — right-leaning online shows accounted for roughly 82% of the total following of the online shows we assessed.
Comparatively, left-leaning online shows had nearly 104 million followers and subscribers across the eight platforms — nearly five times less. . .”

https://www.mediamatters.org/google/right-dominates-online-media-ecosystem-seeping-sports-comedy-and-other-supposedly

LA Times Masks Phony News?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 3/13/25

Headline:  “Paper-Thin Ethics”

Subhead:  “The Los Angeles Times is facing ethical questions after one of its shows aired what looked like a news story—but was actually an undisclosed promotion for billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s drug company.”

“Earlier this week, Angelica Coronado, a host for the Los Angeles Times’ daily podcast and web show that highlights the day’s biggest headlines, was going through the program’s rundown when she landed on a story that caught the attention of some newsroom staffers. Unlike the other stories that Coronado was spotlighting on the show, this one was rather peculiar. It wasn’t a top story at the national or local level, or a viral feel-good piece you might see on ABC’s ‘World News Tonight.’ Instead, it was an advertisement for billionaire Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s drug company masquerading as a news story. . . ”

https://www.status.news/p/patrick-soon-shiong-la-times-companies-coverage

Hate in the Media

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Article in Mediaite by Alex Griffing, 3/12/25

Headline:  “Joe Rogan, Candace Owens, and the Mainstreaming of Anti-Semitism Exposes a Rot in American Media”

“In recent days, some of the most popular podcasts in the United States have hosted known anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists, leading many in the media to sound the alarm over the world’s oldest hate reaching new, younger audiences on the right.

“Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Stephen A. Smith, and Patrick Bet-David have all raised eyebrows for bringing on guests who regularly dabble in anti-Semitic tropes and accuse Jews — or Israel — of global manipulation and influence.

“Last week, avowed neo-Nazi and one-time Trump dinner guest Nick Fuentes praised the ongoing trend.

“Many of the podcasts Fuentes listed make up what has been dubbed the new right’s “manosphere.” President Donald Trump’s 2024 win was fueled by these personalities, which helped him reach younger, male voters across the country.”

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/joe-rogan-candace-owens-and-the-mainstreaming-of-anti-semitism-exposes-a-rot-in-american-media/

Red Meat for the Media!

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Article in The Guardian by Editors, 3/7/25

Headline:  “The Guardian view on Trump and media: attention is power. Can Democrats grab it? – Editorial”

Subhead:  “The presidency is no longer just a ‘bully pulpit’. It’s become part of the disinformation machine”

“Donald Trump won the White House not with money, though he spent plenty of it, but by dominating the conversation. He hasn’t stopped campaigning. He uses attention to bolster his political power, and uses his office to make sure that everyone keeps watching.

“He was barred from leading social media platforms after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, but four years later, their owners attended his inauguration. Many of his key hires appear picked for their media presence as well as their ideological bent and sycophancy. Tuesday’s interminable address to Congress was garnished with the kind of wild claims or outright lies that he knows take off on social media. . .”

“. . .Like a social media algorithm made flesh, the president himself serves up an endless but unpredictable (and increasingly extreme) stream of material. It keeps admirers coming back for more and overwhelms critics, who don’t know where to focus. . . ”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/07/the-guardian-view-on-trump-and-media-attention-is-power-can-democrats-grab-it

“X” Social Media Tanking?

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Article in The New York Times by Kate Conger and Christing Hauser, 3/10/25

Headline:  “Bad Day for X and Tesla Prompts Concern About Musk’s Distractions”

Subhead:  “The billionaire’s social media site X suffered outages, and Tesla’s stock tanked on Monday.”

“Elon Musk is facing questions about how much attention he is paying to his businesses as he advises President Trump on the direction of the federal government.

“The questions have mounted as Mr. Musk’s business empire — which includes the electric car maker Tesla, the social media site X and the rocket maker SpaceX — has run into challenges.

“On Monday, users of X reported widespread outages. The same day, Tesla’s stock fell more than 15 percent amid concerns that include declining electric vehicle sales and politically driven protests against the manufacturer. . . ”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/technology/twitter-x-down-outage.html

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Article in AP by Michelle Chapman and Barbara Ortutay, 3/10/25

Headline:  “Elon Musk Claims X being targeted in ‘massive cyberattack’ as service goes down”

. . . “ ‘We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources,’ Musk claimed in a post. ‘Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing . . .’

“Later on Monday, Musk said on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow that the attackers had “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” without going into detail on what this might mean.

“Cybersecurity experts quickly pointed out, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean that an attack originated in Ukraine. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont said on Bluesky that Musk’s claim is ‘missing a key fact — it was actually IPs from worldwide, not just Ukraine.’ ”

https://apnews.com/article/x-musk-twitter-outage-california-0268a8b035aaa277c0287e7c82b6081e

 

We’re Watching Your Media!

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Article in The Register by Iain Thomson, 3/6/25

Headline:  “Uncle Sam mulls policing social media of all would-be citizens”

Subhead:  “President ordered immigration officials to ramp up vetting of foreigners ‘to the maximum degree’ “

“. . . On January 20 this year, President Trump signed an executive order calling for much tougher vetting of foreign aliens, and in response, USCIS has this week proposed rules saying all of those already in the country who are going through some process with the agency – such as applying for permanent residency or citizenship – will have their social media scanned for subversion.

“That means if you came to America before foreigners’ internet presence was screened as it now is, and you’re now seeking some kind of immigration benefit, at this rate you’ll be subject to the same scanning as those entering the Land of the Free today.

“What’s changed is they are seeking to extend the review of social media to non-citizens inside the US, not just people arriving in the country, as has previously been the case,” explained Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications and public affairs for the Migration Policy Institute, told The Register.”

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/06/uscis_social_media/

Extra! Extra! Get Yer News by Algorithm!

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Article in The Guardian by Lois Beckett, 3/3/25

Headline:  “LA Times to display AI-generated political rating on opinion pieces”

Subhead:  “Los Angeles paper’s ‘Insights’ tool comes after months of public debate between opinion staff and billionaire owner”

“Some Los Angeles Times opinion pieces will now be published with an artificial intelligence-generated rating of their political content, and an AI-generated list of alternative political views on that issue, the paper’s biotech billionaire owner announced on Monday.

“The new AI “Insights” feature will only be applied to a range of opinion content in the paper, not its news reporting, according to a public letter announcing the change from Patrick Soon-Shiong, the medical entrepreneur who bought the Los Angeles Times in 2018.

“he AI-generated tool “operates independently” from the paper’s human journalists, and “the AI content is not reviewed by journalists before it is published”, the Los Angeles Times noted in a summary of the new feature.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/la-times-ai-opinion-rating

Online Media Un-American?

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Article in yahoo!news by Emily Birnbaum, 2/20/25

Headline:  ” ‘Big Tech Censorship’ of Users Targeted by Trump’s FTC Chief”

“The new leader of the US Federal Trade Commission is opening an inquiry into whether a wide range of online services from social media giants such as Meta Platforms Inc. to ride-sharing companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. ‘censor’ users.

“FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said the agency is looking for the public to comment on ‘Big Tech censorship,’ which he described as ‘un-American’ and ‘potentially illegal'”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/big-tech-censorship-users-targeted-183130487.html?guccounter=1

Some Media Got it Right on Ukraine

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 2/20/25

Headline:  “Opinion | Good on the media for calling out President Trump’s falsehoods on Ukraine”

“Just when you thought our politics couldn’t get any more bizarre and divisive and distressing, something else transpired.

“As happens far too often these days, it was something said by President Donald Trump.

“In a truly stunning post on Truth Social, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘A Dictator without Elections.’ He also called Zelenskyy a ‘modestly successful comedian’ and, just as he did a day earlier, seemingly blamed Zelenskyy for starting the war with Russia even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine. Trump wrote that Zelenskyy ‘talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle.’ ”

“In a positive sign, the media appropriately and responsibly covered Trump’s comments. . .”

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/trump-truth-social-statements-ukraine-zelenskyy-elected-media/