Media Misinformation

Cheering Fallen Senator

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Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taaffe, et. al., 6/12/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media immediately cheer Sen. Alex Padilla being thrown to the ground and handcuffed at Noem press conference”

Subhead:  “After clearly identifying himself, the California senator was pushed into a hallway, forced to the ground, and handcuffed”

“Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s June 12 press conference in Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. Right-wing media immediately began to justify the incident, falsely claiming that the senator had not identified himself, misrepresenting Padilla’s behavior, and defending the actions of law enforcement.

In a video of the incident, Padilla is clearly heard identifying himself as ‘Sen. Alex Padilla.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/right-wing-media-immediately-cheer-sen-alex-padilla-being-thrown-ground-and-handcuffed

Is Manufactured News, News?

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Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 6/12/25

Headline:  “Avoiding the media trap of the military parade”

Subhead:  “Help Americans see that standing against authoritarianism is patriotic.”

The military parade and protests planned for this Saturday present the media with a big opportunity to educate America. . .”

“They can explain why any hint of this being a birthday celebration for President Donald Trump rather than a celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday is not befitting a democracy, in which the people — not one person — rule. . .”

The media can help Americans who don’t follow the news closely understand why moves from the Trump administration endanger our democracy . . . And, crucially, the media can fact check those who try to use this Saturday to push anti-democratic movements under simplistic slogans.”

But instead, here’s what we’re likely to see: two-dimensional reporting that fails to dig into the issues and partisan reporting that casts the two sides as good guys vs. bad guys. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/avoiding-the-media-trap-of-the-military

Should Media Lie for a President?

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 6/11/25

Headline:  “Fox’s bizarre lies shield viewers from the fact that Trump was wrong about Newsom call”

“A Fox News anchor, the network’s White House correspondent, and two of its prime-time hosts all apparently decided to lie to their audiences on Tuesday about a dispute over when Donald Trump last spoke to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, with each dissembling over what Trump or Newsom said rather than admitting that the president was wrong. And Trump’s own furious response to an inaccurate Fox chyron apparently set off that Orwellian chain of events. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/foxs-bizarre-lies-shield-viewers-fact-trump-was-wrong-about-newsom-call

Rt. Wing Calls Protestors “Invaders”?

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Article in The Guardian by Adam Gabbatt, 6/11/25

Headline:  “As military is deployed to LA, rightwing media decry protesters as ‘invaders’”

Subhead:  “From Newsmax to Charlie Kirk, outlets and podcasts are calling for ‘hard actions’, arrests and the Insurrection Act”

“There were unsavory scenes in Los Angeles over the weekend, as police used teargas and ‘less-lethal munitions’ on thousands of people gathered to protest against the arrest of undocumented immigrants.

The events playing out on rightwing TV channels and in the conservative podcasting realm were almost as miserable, as excitable media figures decried protesters as “invaders”, called for both the mass arrest of elected officials and the invocation of a two-century old laws and used the chaos to push racist conspiracy theories.

It came as the Trump administration said the military will remain on the ground in LA for two months . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/la-ice-protests-trump-rightwing-fox-charlie-kirk

Robot Journalists Need Chance?

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Article in Poynter, 6/9/25

Headline:  “AI is giving local news a second chance. Will it be ready this time?”

Subhead:  “Journalism professor Tom Rosenstiel urges newsrooms to avoid the mistakes of the internet era and build smarter, more useful AI tools”

“In April 2024, the Local News Initiative, in conjunction with the Knight Lab at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Communications and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung USA, published a report titled, ‘Impact of AI on Local News Models: AI Is Disrupting the Local News Industry. Will It Unlock Growth or Be an Existential Threat?’

“Based on discussions with more than 25 local news and AI experts worldwide, the report explored the potential benefits and perils presented by this revolutionary technology. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/tech-tools/2025/ai-impact-on-local-newsrooms/

Truth or not Truth?

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Article in AlterNet by Staff, 6/8/25

Headline: ” ‘No concern that they weren’t true’: BBC hits back at Karoline Leavitt’s ‘fake news’ “

“The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, recently gave a press briefing about Palestinians killed close to an aid distribution centre in Gaza on June 1.. .”

” ‘Unlike some in the media, we don’t take the word of Hamas as total truth, she said. “We like to look into it when they speak, unlike the BBC.‘ . . .”

“Meanwhile, the corporation’s analysis editor, Ros Atkins, put out a brief but carefully worded video, via BBC Verify, that concluded Leavitt’s accusations were ‘repeatedly false’. It affirmed that BBC reporters had quoted figures ‘with clear attribution’ from the ‘the Hamas-run health ministry’. It also used sources such as the independent Red Cross and quoted the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in stories that day. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/karoline-leavitt-bbc/

Rt. Wing Medicaid View

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 6/4/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media solidify around “able-bodied” myth as Senate GOP weighs Medicaid cuts”

Subhead:  “Congressional Republicans are set to kick millions off of Medicaid by implementing work requirements, which conservative pundits falsely claim will strengthen the health insurance program”

“As Republicans in Congress negotiate a budget expected to deliver massive tax cuts to the wealthy while decimating the social safety net, right-wing media figures are perpetuating the myth that large numbers of Medicaid recipients are able-bodied people who refuse to work and therefore should be removed from the program.

“The messaging from conservative pundits echoes rhetoric from the Trump administration, which denies that its proposals will kick millions of people off of Medicaid. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/health-care/right-wing-media-solidify-around-able-bodied-myth-senate-gop-weighs-medicaid-cuts

 

AI Journalism / Ghost Books

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Article in Slashdot by Anonymous, 6/2/25

Headline:  “Business Insider Recommended Nonexistent Books To Staff As It Leans Into AI”

“Business Insider announced this week that it wants staff to better incorporate AI into its journalism. But less than a year ago, the company had to quietly apologize to some staff for accidentally recommending that they read books that did not appear to exist but instead may have been generated by AI. . .”

“. . .But a few were unfamiliar to staff. Simply Target: A CEO’s Lessons in a Turbulent Time and Transforming an Iconic Brand by former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel was nowhere to be found. Neither was Jensen Huang: the Founder of Nvidia, which was supposedly published by the company Charles River Editors in 2019. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/02/1537210/business-insider-recommended-nonexistent-books-to-staff-as-it-leans-into-ai

Planted Media Falsehoods on Fire?

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Article in Media Matters by Jane Lee & Isabella Corrao, 5/28/25

Headline:  “An intelligence report debunked MAGA media claims about Tren de Aragua and Venezuela. A Trump official is now under fire for reportedly ordering the report be redone.”

“The New York Times reported that Trump intel official Joe Kent ordered the assessment to be edited to protect Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard”

“Intelligence community assessments rejected the Trump administration’s claim that the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua is being directed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s administration to infiltrate the United States.

“In response, the Trump administration dismissed the head of the National Intelligence Council and his deputy, making claims about the pair that an observer noted are ‘extremely difficult to believe’ given that they served the country ‘faithfully’ for decades. Administration official Joe Kent — a former fixture in far-right media and currently top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — also ordered analysts to revise the intelligence assessment, reportedly in order to protect President Donald Trump and Gabbard. . .”

Read the full story here:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/intelligence-report-debunked-maga-media-claims-about-tren-de-aragua-and-venezuela-trump

Rt. Wing Media Missing Truth

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 5/22/25

Headline:  “Contrary to right-wing media claims, the GOP’s Medicaid cuts are for far more than ‘able-bodied men’ “

Subhead:  “While right-wing media yell about ‘able-bodied men,’ in truth Medicaid work requirements would hit caregivers the most — and they are disproportionately women”

“Right-wing media figures are telling their audiences that proposed work requirements for Medicaid will be targeted at men who are unwilling to look for a job, when the actual population most likely to be affected is poor, rural women who are taking care of elderly parents or adult children.

“The discussion comes as congressional Republicans negotiate a budget bill that is widely predicted to deliver massive tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations while gutting social safety net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/health-care/contrary-right-wing-media-claims-gops-medicaid-cuts-are-far-more-able-bodied-men