Media History

Network News Down the Drain?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Amos Barshad, 1/13/26

Headline: “Unaffiliated”

Subhead: “Some TV news stations are breaking their national network affiliations, and leaning into local programming.”

“. . .Amid mass media-job losses over the past year and increases in network television licensing fees that have been mounting for a while longer, WPLG has, since last spring, made sixty new hires.

“The growth has come as a direct result of WPLG’s decision, in August, to cut ties with ABC, with which it’s been affiliated since going on the air, sixty-nine years ago. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/unaffiliated-local-tv-stations-leaving-national-affiliates.php

Passing of Great Public Broadcaster

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Article in Democracy Now by Amy Goodman, 12/25/25

Headline:  “Remembering Bill Moyers: PBS Icon on Corruption of Corporate Media and Power of Public Broadcasting”

“The legendary journalist Bill Moyers died in June at the age of 91. Moyers, whose long career included helping found the Peace Corps and serving as press secretary for President Lyndon Johnson, was an award-winning champion of public television and independent media. We feature one of his numerous interviews on Democracy Now!, where we discussed the history of public broadcasting in the United States and the powerful role of money in corporate media. .”

Read / Listen to the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/12/26/remembering_bill_moyers_pbs_icon_on

Fire in the FCC?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 12/16/25

Headline:  “Carr’s Collision Course”

Subhead: “FCC Chair Brendan Carr will be on Capitol Hill for rare Congressional testimony on Wednesday—a hearing in which fellow commissioner Anna Gomez will sharply criticize the agency under his watch, Status has learned.”

“On Wednesday morning at 10 a.m ET, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr will take a seat before the Senate Commerce Committee for a rare appearance before Congress. Carr won’t be alone. Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez will join him, marking the first Senate Commerce oversight hearing with all FCC commissioners present in more than five years—a notable moment for an agency that has largely not been subjected to tough congressional scrutiny. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/brendan-carr-fcc-senate-hearing-testimony

Media Health Coverage Adequate?

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Article in Mediaite by Charlie Nash, 12/15/25

Headline:  “Jake Tapper Says He’s Covering Trump’s Health ‘All the Time’ Now Because He ‘Didn’t Ask as Many Questions as We Should Have’ About Biden”

“. . .During an interview with Tapper on Pod Save America, host and former Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor asked, ‘How do you think the media is handling, kind of, these growing instances of Trump falling asleep in meetings or maybe seeming like he’s losing a step? Like, when is it a critical mass that it becomes book-worthy’? ”

“It’s a great question,” replied Tapper. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/jake-tapper-says-hes-covering-trumps-health-all-the-time-now-because-he-didnt-ask-as-many-questions-as-we-should-have-about-biden/

We Still Need Local News

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Photo from Lithub

Article in Poynter by Eric Rynston-Lobel, 12-8-25

Headline:  “As local news disappears, new networks are stepping in to fill the void”

Subhead:  “TAPinto, The Salt Lake Tribune and The Texas Tribune are expanding into underserved areas — testing new models for restoring local journalism”

“TAPinto provides its franchisees with the backend systems and training necessary to run a successful operation. It’s an efficient way to address the loss of local news, and it’s a variation of a model that other organizations have turned to recently as well. . .”

“There are now 853 local news sites across 52 networks providing original reporting, according to the report. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/tapinto-texas-tribune-salt-lake-tribune-local-news-expansion/

Predicting Future of the Media

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Articles in Columbia Journalism Review by various staff 12/8/25

Headline:  “Forecasting”

Subhead:  “Introducing the Journalism 2050 Issue.”

“We don’t know what exactly the future holds, much as we may want to believe we do. Looking at the transformations of the media industry, and at shifting habits of news consumption, maybe we can do something like meteorology, and put together a forecast. In this issue and an accompanying podcast series, we are watching where the wind blows . . .”

Read the articles at:

https://www.cjr.org/the-journalism-2050-issue

Some Good Things?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 11/24/25

Headline:  “What we’re thankful for in media in 2025”

Subhead:  “Two dozen Poynter colleagues reflect on 2025’s bright spots, including brave local reporting, ‘Andor,’ meme Fridays, WIRED scoops and … a mug warmer?”

“Let’s face it, when it comes to the press and its place in a healthy democracy, this has been a horrible year. Aside from the continuing economic challenges facing media organizations, we have an administration that is doing all it can to muzzle the media. . .”

Read the full article at:

/www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/what-were-thankful-for-in-media-in-2025/

Frenemies in the Media

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Article in Media Matters by Jack Wheatley & Gideon Taaffe, 11/11/25

Headline:  “Following Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes, fault lines have emerged as right-wing media battle over the future of MAGA”

Subhead:  “Some in MAGA media have tried to distance their movement from Fuentes and his ideas while others have suggested the white nationalist streamer is ‘mainstream now’ “

“Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes has precipitated a right-wing media struggle over the future of the MAGA movement.

“While many traditional right-wing media figures criticized Carlson for platforming Fuentes and not pushing back strongly enough on his rhetoric, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts posted in support of Carlson, calling the former Fox host’s detractors a ‘venomous coalition” and Carlson a “close friend” to The Heritage Foundation. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/nick-fuentes/following-tucker-carlsons-interview-nick-fuentes-fault-lines-have-emerged-right-wing

 

 

Pardon the Media Too?

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Article in Mediaite by Colby Hall 11/10/25

Headline:  “Trump’s Pardons Are Rewriting His 2020 Failed Coup — And the Media Is Letting Him”

“President Donald Trump is betting you’ve already forgotten how close the nation came to an abject election meltdown in 2020. Judging by the way the media will almost certainly cover his latest wave of pardons — speed-run through the news cycle and treated like just another Trump social media post — he may be right. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/trumps-pardons-are-rewriting-his-2020-failed-coup-and-the-media-is-letting-him/

Media Undiversifying?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Riddhi Getty, 11/10/25

Hedline:  “Has the Media Reached the End of Its DEI Era?”

Subhead:  “Layoffs at CBS, NBC, and Teen Vogue show a shift in newsroom priorities away from the promises of 2020.”

” ‘Where’s all the Black journalists at now?’ Rendy Jones, a freelance journalist, asked on X last week. He was referring to a wave of recent layoffs at CBS News, McClatchy, NBC News, Axios, and Teen Vogue, which was absorbed into Vogue. Jones is one of many in the industry who observed that these cuts have hit journalists of color in particular. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/has-media-reached-end-dei-era.php