Media Literacy

A Case for Print Newspapers

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Article in Common Dreams by Russell Mokhiber, 6/10/26

Headline:  “Why Print: On Newspapers, Democracy, and the Things a Screen Cannot Replace”

Subhead:  “We strive for a world in which we are informed with the paper in our hands—a world in which we run with that paper to our elected representatives and demand, ‘What the hell are you doing?'”

“Politics has become strangely empty. We sign petitions with a click, make five-dollar donations with a tap, and mistake engagement for participation.

“Capitol Hill Citizen believes that democracy requires something more substantial than that. It requires attention, presence, and involvement. It requires something tangible.

“That is why we print a newspaper.

“In the absence of tangibility, we are each reduced to data, data that corporations use to manipulate us, predict us, and sell us back to ourselves. In a world where corporations are treated as people under the law, Capitol Hill Citizen calls upon its readers to do something that a corporation cannot do: hold a newspaper. Better yet, do democracy. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/newspapers-better-than-print

Progressive Media Growing

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Article in Reuters by Helen Coster, 8/6/26

Headline:  “How the new generation of left-wing US media is powering progressive candidates “

“. . .This fast-growing world of left-wing websites, podcasters, YouTube hosts and livestreamers – many of whom blend opinion journalism and activism – affords candidates a sympathetic space to sharpen their message and mobilize grassroots support. But it also risks deepening the fissures in the Democratic Party, analysts say, and alienating moderates in the coalition. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/how-new-generation-left-wing-us-media-is-powering-progressive-candidates-2026-08-06/

Media Literacy Events

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Source:  Neutrality Studies

NATIONALLY KNOWN  AUTHOR, ROBIN ANDERSEN

CONDUCTS MEDIA LITERACY EVENT AND BOOK TALK

 On August 4th  at 6:00 CST, Robin Andersen, Professor Emerita from Fordham University, New York City, and author of a dozen books and hundreds of articles on media, war, refugees, etc., will conduct a workshop on how to “Expose media lies and have fun doing it” in joint with two others in the “large meeting room” in the Plaza Branch Library, 4801 Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri.

Andersen collaborates in this workshop with Katerina Canyon, Executive Director of the Peace Economy Workshop, headquartered in St. Louis. The workshop will be moderated by Spencer Graves, President of Friends of Community Media. This workshop is designed to promote critical thinking about what appears in the media.  The public is encouraged to attend and may register with email for free at savethemedia@cs.com. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 PM.

In addition Robin Andersen will speak August 5th at 7 PM at Rainy Day Books in 2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway Kansas, on her new book, The Complicit Lens: US Media Coverage of Israel’s Genocide in Gaza (OR Books, published June 2, two months ago).

Friends of Community Media (FCM, ourfcm.org) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Kansas City, whose mission includes educating citizens on the nature of the media and encouraging media to be responsive to the public. FCM also has a daily blog that examines national media from a progressive viewpoint.

Media Lying About a Lie?

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Article in Daily Kos by whitroth, 7/31/26

Headline: “About Nicaragua and US media”

“Remember the big fuss a week or so ago about Ortega of Nicaragua saying “there would be no more elections”?

“It was all a lie. Literally. Every report that we saw LIED by editing out half the words.

An ex of mine found this link on bluesky. What Ortega actually said was ‘none who promoted a violent anti-government insurrection in 2018 will be allowed to stand for office.’

“Well, gee, that’s not exactly “no more elections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/31/800077977/community/about-nicaragua-and-us-media/

JD Vance OP-Ed Fireworks

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Article in The Atlantic by Peter Wehner, 7/4/26

Headline: “What J. D. Vance Once Knew”

Subhead:  “Ten years ago, the vice president wrote that one day, voters would realize the truth about Donald Trump. That day has now arrived.”

“. . .In the midst of a social crisis, Vance observed, Trump offered ‘an easy escape from the pain. To every complex problem, he promises a simple solution.’ But, he argued, such promises were a cheap high. ‘He never offers details for how these plans will work, because he can’t. Trump’s promises are the needle in America’s collective vein.’

“ ‘Trump is cultural heroin,’ Vance wrote. ‘He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/jd-vance-trump-independence-day/687779/

Editor’s Words Still Ring True

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Article in Poynter by Staff, 7/4/26

Headline: “A message about the importance of the free press”

Subhead:  “On America’s 250th birthday, we reprint the words of the late Poynter chairman Eugene C. Patterson”

“Eugene C. Patterson fought Nazis as a tank platoon leader in World War II. He fought for civil rights as a crusading editor at The Atlanta Constitution in the 1960s. He fought for high standards and ethical journalism in all his roles as a newspaper editor, including as CEO and chairman of the St. Petersburg Times. . .”

“He wrote these words, which in 1984 were published in a book by the Society for Professional Journalists. . .” [words are above]

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2026/eugene-patterson-free-press-message/

Media Turmoil – Newspaper Stands Out

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Article in The New Republic by Perry Bacon, 6/29/26

Headline:  “The British Paper That Americans Are Rushing to Read”

Subhead:  “Guardian US managing director Steve Sachs says the paper’s audience has grown vastly in the United States because it is free, independent, and global.”

“The news about the news has been terrible over the last year: CBS News taken over by Bari Weiss; Jeff Bezos pushing The Washington Post opinion section to the right; CNN, The New York Times, and other outlets often choosing to downplay the radicalism of President Trump so they can portray themselves as neutral and objective; numerous local and national outlets laying off reporters. But The Guardian US is the rare positive news media story. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/212480/british-paper-americans-rushing-read

Hope for Citizen-Based News

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 6/16/26

Headline: “California’s Civic Media Program Marks Significant Progress Over Past Efforts to Fund Local News”

Subhead:  “Civic-media leaders say more improvements are necessary to meet the needs of the state’s diverse and historically underserved communities”

“SACRAMENTO — On Monday, the state of California unveiled the details of a groundbreaking multimillion-dollar program to support local newsrooms across the state. The California Civic Media Program will distribute an initial $20 million in grants as a public-private investment in local reporting that’s essential to the civic health of the state’s diverse communities. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/californias-civic-media-program-marks-significant-progress-over-past-efforts-fund-local-news

News Desert Drys Up Information

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Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 6/11/26

Headline:  “News deserts aren’t just a journalism problem. They’re costing taxpayers $1.1 billion a year.”

Subhead:  “A new study estimates that governments in counties without local newspapers pay higher borrowing costs because lenders see them as riskier investments”

“Decades into the local news crisis, it’s well established that growing news deserts mean fewer reliable sources of information for local residents. But, according to a study published Wednesday, it can also mean extra costs for local governments to the tune of $1.1 billion. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/news-deserts-cost-1-1-billion-dollars-taxes-study/

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/