Media Misinformation

Media Hoodwinked?

by


Article in Daily Kos by Bison 6/17/25

Headline:  “Let’s Not Be Hoodwinked Again by the Media on Trump’s G7 Debacle”

Subhead:  “The Media’s Silence on Trump’s G7 Embarrassment”

“I’m up far too early, listening to the news—and once again, the media is dancing around the truth. Donald Trump was laughed out of the G7. Full stop. He showed up with nothing—no substance, no strategy—just the same tired campaign slogans and his worn-out call to let Russia back into the G7, all of which fell flat with world leaders who’ve grown weary of the act. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/17/2328510/-Let-s-Not-Be-Hoodwinked-Again-by-the-Media-on-Trump-s-G7-Debacle

Getting News from Social Media

by


Article in The Guardian by Michael Savage, 6/16/25

Headline:  “Social media overtakes TV as main source of news in US, analysis finds”

Subhead:  “Global study shows 54% of Americans receive news from social media, while the UK has highest proportion of news avoiders at 46%”

“Social media has overtaken television as a source of news in the US for the first time, according to a comprehensive analysis of media consumption confirming the rapid rise of “news influencers”.

“In a watershed moment for the US media, 54% of Americans said they received news from social media, according to the research carried out after President Trump’s second inauguration. Half said they sourced news from the once all-powerful TV networks. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/17/social-media-overtakes-tv-as-main-source-of-news-in-us-analysis-finds

– – – – –

Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 6/16/25

Headline:  “Americans turn to social media and video for news more than any other source”

Subhead:  “A new Reuters Institute report also found that 7% of Americans use AI chatbots to access news”

“Social media and video networks have overtaken television to become the most widely used source of news among Americans, according to a new Reuters Institute report.

“In a survey conducted at the end of January and beginning of February, 54% of Americans said they had accessed news via social and video networks within the past week. TV and online news sites were the next most common sources, with roughly half of respondents saying they had gotten news from those media. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/where-do-americans-get-news/

Rightist Propaganda Blames Commies

by


Article in Daily Kos by Bill Berkowitz, 6/15/25

Headline:  “During Run-Up to ‘No Kings,’ Right-Wing Media Called It an Orchestrated Marxist Elite-Driven Event”

“During the run-up to ‘No Kings,’ Donald Trump’s Christian Right supporters and media outlets, armed with just about every tired trope in their hate-filled arsenal, unloaded on the upcoming demonstrations. ‘USA Today Network Goes Full Commie-Promotes Marxist Riots,’ was the headline at Richard Viguerie’s Conservative HQ. The media outlet described ‘No Kings’ as a coordinated effort by ‘Marxist’ organizations, paid for by George Soros, to attack the Trump administration.

“Phil Hotsenpiller, who founded American Faith after Trump was defeated in the 2020 election, warned of the ‘disturbing agenda’ of the No Kings rallies: ‘to crush Donald Trump’s influence, undermine constitutional authority, and destabilize American sovereignty’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/16/2328395/-During-Run-Up-to-No-Kings-Right-Wing-Media-Called-It-an-Orchestrated-Marxist-Elite-Driven-Event?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Cheering Fallen Senator

by

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?

by


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?

by


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”?

by


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?

by


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?

by


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

by


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