Media Intimidation

Opposing Defunding Public Media

by


Public media is not state-controlled media

Article in Free Press by Staff, 6/25/25

Headline: “Republican and Democratic Senators Denounce Trump’s Move to Silence Public-Broadcasting Stations Essential to Many Rural States”

Subhead:  “A Senate Appropriations Committee hearing reveals growing concerns over a Trump scheme to end federal funding for popular NPR and PBS programming.”

“WASHINGTON — During a Wednesday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, both Republican and Democratic senators expressed deep reservations about President Donald Trump’s plans to claw back more than a billion dollars in already-approved federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Many GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), Sen. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), said the cuts would harm programming that is important to them and their constituents . . . McConnell said the president’s entire rescission process was ‘unnecessarily chaotic’ and ‘counter-productive.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/republican-and-democratic-senators-denounce-trumps-move-rescind-public-media-funding

“Media Matters” Sues FTC

by


Article in Media Matters by Staff, 6/23/25

Headline:  “Media Matters files suit in federal court to block retaliatory FTC investigation and protect its First Amendment rights”

Subhead:  “Investigation into Media Matters is the latest example of Trump administration abusing power to target perceived political opponents”

“Media Matters for America filed suit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block an investigation launched by the Federal Trade Commission. The investigation is the latest effort by Elon Musk and his allies in the Trump administration to retaliate against Media Matters for its reporting on X, the social media site Musk controls, and it’s another example of the Trump administration weaponizing government authorities to target political opponents. The suit alleges that the FTC has violated Media Matters’ First Amendment rights by retaliating against the organization for its reporting on Elon Musk and X. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/justice-civil-liberties/media-matters-files-suit-federal-court-block-retaliatory-ftc-investigation

MAGA Hates Fox News?

by


Article in Daily Beast by Jack Revell, 6/20/25

Headline:  “Trump Has a Fiery New Excuse for Why MAGA ‘Hates’ Fox News”

Subhead:  “It’s all the fault of a single host who won’t toe the line.”

“President Donald Trump has taken a fresh swipe at Fox News, claiming his MAGA base ‘hates’ the network, following the stinging rejection of recent polling. Trump has appeared to pin the blame for falling ratings—which he describes as the ‘highest ever’—on a single Fox News critic who is ‘soiling’ his otherwise ‘record-breaking’ performance.

“ ‘Why does Fox News allow failed TV personality Jessica Tarlov to ‘soil The Five?’ Trump raged on Truth Social. ‘Her voice, her manner, and above all else, what she says, are a disgrace to television broadcasting’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-has-a-fiery-new-excuse-for-why-maga-hates-fox-news/

Settle or no Media Deal

by


Article in UPI by Mark Moran, 6/19/25

Headline:  “Paramount stalls $35 million ’60 Minutes’ settlement, slowing merger”

“Paramount has pulled back on a $35 million settlement with President Donald Trump after he sued the media company over a segment on CBS’ News’ “60 Minutes.”

“The lawsuit alleges that the program edited an interview with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election to change how she would appear to viewers.

“The stalled settlement is holding up a potential $8 billion takeover of Paramount by Skydance, a deal that the two companies negotiated over a year ago. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/06/19/paramount-stalles-35m-trump-settlement/7591750371277/

Report and . . . Off You Go

by


Article in Common Dreams by Brett Wilkens, 6/18/25

Headline:  “Journalist Who Decried Trump’s ‘Deportation of Dissent’ Says He Was Deported for Dissent”

Subhead:  ” ‘Alistair Kitchen’s deportation is a clear case of retaliation in connection with his reporting, and such action sends a chilling message to journalists,’ said one press freedom defender.”

“A leading press freedom advocate on Tuesday condemned the United States’ ‘disturbing pattern’ of screening and expelling international visitors for their political viewpoints following the detention and removal of an Australian journalist who criticized the Trump administration’s targeting of Palestine defenders on college campuses.

“Alistair Kitchen said he was detained for 12 hours and interrogated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Los Angeles International Airport while en route from Melbourne, Australia to New York last week. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/alistair-kitchen

Still Attacking Media

by


Article in Poynter by Editorial Staff, 6/17/25

Headline:  “Opinion | 10 years of Trump, 10 years of media attacks”

Subhead:  “Donald Trump has turned phrases like ‘fake news’ and ‘enemy of the people’ into rallying cries to undermine the free press”

“It was 10 years ago Monday that Donald Trump rode down his golden escalator and announced that he was running for president. . .”

“But the world and our country — and the media — have definitely changed. . .”

“Among Blake’s items is “The decline of truth.” Blake writes, “At this point, Trump’s falsehoods often aren’t even treated as news. And that’s because, strictly speaking, they’re not new. He spouted more than 30,000 false and misleading claims in his first term, according to The Washington Post. That averages out to nearly one every hour for four years. And it hasn’t stopped. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/decade-donald-trump-fight-free-press/

Media History Repeated?

by


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by John Alsop, 6/16/25

Headline:  “The Other Echoes of 2020”

Subhead:  “How this media moment mirrors the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, beyond police attacks on the press.”

Last week, I wrote in this newsletter about attacks, mostly perpetrated by law enforcement, on journalists covering the protests that followed the recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, and how they echoed the summer of 2020, when police assaulted journalists covering the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd: an Australian TV reporter was hit while talking to camera, which also happened in 2020; ditto the on-air detention of a CNN correspondent; as of last Monday, the US Press Freedom Tracker was working to document at least twenty-six anti-press incidents in LA . . . As last week progressed, the echoes continued: the confirmed number of injured Australian journalists alone jumped to three; an LA police officer was caught on camera shoving and screaming at an ABC journalist; as of Friday, the Press Freedom Tracker was working to document at least fifty anti-press incidents.  . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/other-echoes-2020-floyd-padilla-australia.php

Journalist Survival Kit

by


Article in Poynter by Al Tompkins, 6/13/25

Headline: “25 guidelines for journalists to safely cover unrest”

“Your goal should be to get close enough to observe the scene without endangering yourself or others, or interfering with security or rescue operations”

“With protests scheduled around the country on Saturday, Poynter is republishing a 2021 article with tips about covering unrest. . .”

“1. Your attitude is crucial. Show respect, follow police orders, don’t argue while tensions are high. To avoid being mistaken for a demonstrator, use your best judgment and try not to wear clothing that matches what demonstrators are wearing (e.g., all black). Also, engage with police before the event so they know who you are and may be less likely to arrest you. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2025/25-guidelines-for-journalists-to-safely-cover-unrest/

– – – – –

Article in FAIR by Shirlynn, 6/13/25

Headline:  “For Media, Unruly Protesters Are Bigger Problem Than Trump’s Police State”

Subhead: ” ‘Violence’ and ‘anarchists’ “

“While major media sources described these protests as ‘mostly peaceful,’ they nevertheless tended to dwell on what was depicted as rioting and protester violence. In its morning newsletter, the New York Times (6/9/25) set the scene:

” ‘Hundreds of National Guard troops arrived in the city, and crowds of people demonstrated against President Trump’s immigration raids. They clashed with federal agents, leaving burned cars, broken barricades and graffiti scrawled across government buildings downtown.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/for-media-unruly-protesters-are-bigger-problem-than-trumps-police-state/

Clawing Public Media

by


Public Media is NOT State-media

Article in Democracy Now by Staff 6/13/25

Headline:  “House Approves Trump Request to Rescind $9.4B for Foreign Aid and Public Media”

“The U.S. House on Thursday approved in a 214-212 vote President Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for international aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, which will freeze $8.3 billion in appropriated foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public media, pending another vote in the Senate.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/13/headlines/house_approves_trump_request_to_rescind_94b_for_foreign_aid_and_public_media

– – – – –

Article in the New York Times by Megan Mineiro & Catie Edmondson, 6/13/25

Headline:  “Trump’s $1.1 Billion Public Broadcasting Clawback Faces Pushback in the Senate”

Subhead: “Some Republican senators are voicing concern over the House-passed bill that would rescind $9 billion that Congress already approved, including money for NPR and PBS stations in their states.”

“Dakota Talk Radio in the tiny town of Lake Andes, S.D., is one of dozens of rural radio stations across the United States that could see more than half of its budget vanish.

“The station in Unalakleet, Alaska, a remote village in the western Arctic, could lose more than 90 percent of its funding.

“President Trump’s plan to claw back $9 billion in spending already approved by Congress, which Republicans pushed through the House this week and is pending in the Senate, would slash $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/politics/trump-public-broadcasting-senate.html

No Protection for Journalists?

by


Article in Common Dreams by Eloise Goldsmith, 6/9/25

Headline:  “Reporters Without Borders Decries ‘Wave of Violence’ Against Journalists at LA Protests”

Subhead:  ” ‘These protests are a matter of huge public interest and the public has a right to know exactly what’s going on,’ said the executive director of RSF USA.”

“The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, also known as RSF, on Monday condemned recorded attacks carried out largely by law enforcement, but also by protestors, against journalists reporting on protests that took place in Los Angeles this past weekend. . .”

” ‘The wave of violence against journalists on the streets of Los Angeles this weekend is unacceptable. These protests are a matter of huge public interest and the public has a right to know exactly what’s going on. The only way that can happen is if journalists are allowed to do their jobs freely,’ said Clayton Weimers, the executive director of RSF USA.

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/los-angeles-rsf-reporters-immigration

– – – – –

Article in in Committee to Project Journalists by Staff, 6/9/25

Headline:  “Law enforcement injure multiple journalists, others assaulted while covering Los Angeles protests”

“We are greatly concerned by the reports of law enforcement officers’ shooting non-lethal rounds at reporters covering protests in Los Angeles. Any attempt to discourage or silence media coverage by intimidating or injuring journalists should not be tolerated,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. ‘ . . .“

Read the full article at:

https://cpj.org/2025/06/law-enforcement-injure-multiple-journalists-others-assaulted-while-covering-los-angeles-protests/