Media Misinformation

Propaganda is – Propaganda?

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Article in The Guardian by Arwa Mahdawi, 7/29/25

Headline:  “Ghislaine Maxwell is not a victim. And if she is pardoned, it won’t be for the sake of justice”

Subhead:  “The Epstein files may never be released, but it’s increasingly likely that Epstein’s right-hand woman could be. The groundwork is already being done”

“. . .The cable news channel, which is to the right of Fox News, is essentially a pro-Trump propaganda outlet with strong financial ties to the president. Earlier this month the outlet announced that it had struck a deal for the Trump Media and Technology Group Corp to stream Newsmax on its platform. Which obviously raises a lot of conflict-of-interest questions. “This is now the Trump network,” one Newsmax insider complained to the Independent last week. ‘Even the most conservative people at Newsmax think it’s a terrible look and they feel like state-run media.’ Also raising questions is the fact that Alex Acosta, the prosecutor who gave Epstein that plea deal in 2008, happens to be on the board of Newsmax.. .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/29/ghislaine-maxwell-pardon-epstein-files

CNN Doesn’t Buy Conspiracy Theories

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 7/28/25

Headline: “Jake Tapper Dumbfounded by Trump’s Epstein Files Claim: ‘One of the Most Bizarre Conspiracy Theories I’ve Ever Heard’ “

“CNN’s Jake Tapper isn’t remotely buying President Donald Trump’s claim that files relating to Jeffrey Epstein were doctored in an attempt to implicate Trump, a former friend of the deceased sex trafficker.

“Trump’s Department of Justice is declining to release additional files regarding Epstein after the president was told he was in them. The president denies wrongdoing.

“On Monday’s edition of The Lead, Tapper spoke with former Preet Bharara, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and asked if Bharara’s office fielded any accusations against Epstein.

“Not across my desk, no,” Bharara replied before noting the firing of former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who worked on the federal case against Epstein in New York. Attorney General Pam Bondi terminated Comey this month for unspecified reasons shortly after Bondi claimed that Epstein did not have the long-rumored client list she once alleged he had. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/jake-tapper-dumbfounded-by-trumps-epstein-files-claim-one-of-the-most-bizarre-conspiracy-theories-ive-ever-heard/

Satirical Look at Epstein Media Fallout

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Article in Mediaize by Lawrence Rudmann, 7/26/25

“tRump orders Mattel Corp to cease making woke American Girl dolls depicting negative periods in U.S. history. ‘Our little precious American girls should only be allowed to have dolls representing the classic “all-American, girl next door” image, said tRump. To pacify tRump, Mattel might issue a special ‘Ghislaine Maxwell American Doll.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://mediaize.com/

No More Sanewashing?

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Article in The New Republic by Greg Sargent, 7/18/25

Headline:  “Trump Press Sec Snaps at Media as Queries about His Mental State Grow”

Subhead:  “As Karoline Leavitt seethes at questions about Trump’s unhinged anecdotes and reaction to the Jeffrey Epstein mess, a press critic explains how her performance exposes MAGA’s most dangerous pathologies.”

“President Trump is in trouble. The Jeffrey Epstein files are killing him with the base. New polls show him cratering on many issues. And questions are mounting about his mental fitness due to a bizarre story he invented about his uncle and the Unabomber. At her latest briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt grew angry at reporters for questioning Trump’s unhinged responses to the Epstein mess. She also belittled a journalist who probed Trump’s mental state by asking about the Unabomber weirdness. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/198096/trump-press-sec-snaps-media-queries-mental-state-grow

Legacy Media See the King’s Clothes

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Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 7/16/25

Headline:  “Media gives crazy legitimacy to Trump’s ‘assurances’ “

Subhead:  “Here’s an idea, journalists: How about reporting his track record?”

“To understand what the legacy media has been up to in recent days, it helps to think of The Emperor’s New Clothes, but with an added element. In this case, picture reporters running around the crowd, interviewing people about how lovely the emperor’s (non-existent) clothes are.

“That’s what we’re seeing as big news agencies come together to form a narrative: that GOP lawmakers decided to support the ‘One Big Beautiful Act’ after President Donald Trump gave them ‘assurances’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/media-gives-crazy-legitimacy-to-trumps

Immigrant Plight Ignored

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Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taaffe & Torri Lonergan

Headline:  “Right-wing media claimed the ‘worst of the worst’ would be housed at Florida’s new immigrant detention center. Hundreds of detainees have no criminal record.”

“Right-wing media have heralded the Trump administration’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as a detention center for ‘pedophiles’ and ‘drug traffickers,’ but new reporting shows over 250 detainees have no criminal charges.

“Contrary to right-wing media’s narrative about the detention center, detainees include asylum-seekers and people who have been held over minor infractions like traffic violations — despite insistence from right-wing media figures that the harsh camp would be reserved for ‘the worst of the worst’ and the ‘baddest of the bad hombres,’ with one calling the detainees ‘subhuman’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/right-wing-media-claimed-worst-worst-would-be-housed-floridas-new-immigrant-detention

Following the Leader – or Not

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Article in Huffpost by Lydia O’Connor, 7/15/25

Headline:  “Right-Wing Media Is Now Falling In Line With Trump On Epstein”

Subhead:  “Days after criticizing his administration for closing the Epstein case, conservative personalities suddenly don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Conservative media’s outrage over Attorney General Pam Bondi saying she wouldn’t release more Jeffrey Epstein files appears to have been short-lived. After President Donald Trump stomped his feet and told his supporters to move on over the weekend, his base seems to have fallen in line.

“An assessment by the journalism watchdog group Media Matters found that Fox News has largely stopped talking about Epstein over the past two days. By noon on Monday, the network had mentioned Epstein zero times, the group found. That’s compared to 46 mentions of former President Joe Biden in that window . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/right-wing-media-trump-epstein_n_6876888fe4b0eb54312b8108

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Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taafffe & Reed McMaster, 7/16/25

Headline:  “Right-wing shows field angry calls about Epstein and the Trump administration”

“The Trump administration’s release of the Epstein memo has caused turmoil in right-wing media, and some callers on conservative radio shows are demanding answers. They’ve said they’re “angry,” accused President Donald Trump of “the ultimate betrayal,” and claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi “messed up” in her handling of the situation. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/salem-media-group/right-wing-shows-field-angry-calls-about-epstein-and-trump-administration

Epstein in Media Again

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 7/7/25

Headline:  “MAGA media eat their own after Trump administration denies their Epstein conspiracy theories”

“. . .The White House brought 15 MAGA influencers in to meet with Bondi in February, sending them home with glossy binders labeled ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1.’ When those binders did not satisfy the MAGA faithful, the attorney general reportedly tasked ‘hundreds of FBI employees’ with reviewing Epstein investigation documents for release. In May, Patel and Bongino were sent to Fox to make the case, with the fervor of the converted, that Epstein had actually killed himself. And now the FBI and DOJ have produced a memo detailing their findings and released footage taken from outside Epstein’s cell in the hours surrounding his suicide.

“The final result left Trump’s most zealous online allies with two options: They could finally acknowledge that they had been peddling nonsense for years — or they could insinuate that the Trump administration itself is part of the cover-up. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/maga-media-eat-their-own-after-trump-administration-denies-their-epstein-conspiracy

Talk Show Bias?

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Article in FAIR by Keiwana Grant-Floyd & Julie Hollar, 7/1/25

Headline:  “FAIR Study: Sunday Talkshows Downplayed Criticism During Trump’s Second Transition”

“. . . After Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 and 2024 elections, the Sunday shows had an opportunity to hold up both his campaign promises and his cabinet picks to scrutiny. With his campaigns’ racist attacks on immigrants and diversity initiatives, as well as his movement’s assaults on the rights of women and trans people, inviting guests who more accurately reflect the diversity of the country would seem to be a journalistic imperative. Yet a new FAIR study finds that the Sunday shows’ coverage of the Trump transitions were even more heavily white and male than usual.”

read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/fair-study-sunday-talkshows-downplayed-criticism-during-trumps-second-transition/

No Clowning With the News

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Article in Poynter by Clara O’Rourke, 6/30/25

Headline: “When Jon Stewart took over ‘The Daily Show,’ satire became a trusted news source”

Subhead:  “Fed up with ‘partisan hackery,’ Stewart trumped traditional media for some fans — even with a show that followed ‘puppets making crank phone calls’ “

“. . .While he didn’t invent political satire, ‘The Daily Show’ evolved into a trusted source of news under his leadership, especially for some younger Americans who turned to it not just for laughs, but for clarity about what was actually happening in the world. By lampooning news cycle after news cycle, Stewart reframed what reporting could look like and who could credibly relay — as he said opening his first ‘Daily Show’ as host . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2025/poynter-50-jon-stewart-satire-news/