Media Politicize

Don’t Like Writing? – Call it Treason

by

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 7/20/26

Headline:   “The Uses of ‘Treason”

Subhead:  “By repeatedly blasting the press as traitors, Trump is trying to solidify his splintering MAGA base.”

“. . .David E. Sanger—the New York Times’ White House and national security correspondent . . .asked about the war with Iran. ‘What would the use be of repeating the bombing? You did it for thirty-eight days, and you did not get the political changes in Iran—’ Trump jumped in: ‘No, I got, I had a total military victory,’ he said, . . . . Then he leaped into a tirade against the press. ‘I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write,’ Trump concluded. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/the-uses-of-treason-donald-trump-press-traitors-air-force-one-qatar-sanger-subpoenas-maga-base-splinter.php

Journalists Face Danger

by


Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, July, 2026

Headline: “New RSF Report: National Security as a Weapon Against Journalism”

“In the name of national security, journalists are being prosecuted, imprisoned, surveilled, forced into exile and even killed. In its new report, ‘National Security as a Weapon Against Journalism,’ Reporters Without Borders (RSF) illustrates how the concept of national security has strayed far beyond its original purpose and become a tool of repression against journalism around the world. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/new-rsf-report-national-security-weapon-against-journalism

Paramount Prevalent Peril

by

Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/17/26

Headline:  ” ‘Laws were broken’: multistate effort to stop Paramount’s $111bn merger heads to court”

Subhead:  “Attorneys general from 12 states are suing to block the Paramount-Warner Bros deal they say violates antitrust law”

“A last-ditch effort to block the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is heading to court as 12 Democratic state attorneys general attempt to stop the $111bn deal they say violates antitrust law and reduces competition in both the film and cable television industries.

“The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, faces a crucial hearing on Friday to determine if a judge will temporarily pause the deal or allow it to continue toward approval. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/17/paramount-warner-bros-merger

Broadcast Me – Or Else!

by


Article in Deadline by Ted Johnson, 7/16/26

Headline:  “Donald Trump Says ABC And NBC Should Lose Broadcast Licenses Because They Didn’t Carry His Primetime Address On Election Claims”

“Donald Trump lashed out at ABC and NBC, the two networks that chose not to carry his speech live on their broadcast platforms, as he delivered a 25-minute long speech full of claims that included China obtaining voter registration data and the “deep state” withholding that intelligence from him.

Without evidence, Trump claimed that ABC and NBC and others in the media were part of a ‘plot’ and ‘want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://deadline.com/2026/07/trump-threatens-abc-nbc-licenses-election-speech-1236988065/

More Media Agglomeration?

by


Article in CNN Business by Brian Stelter, 7/15/26\

Headline: “FCC moves to deliver long-sought win for Trump-aligned broadcasters”

“The Federal Communications Commission is changing its rules so that local TV station owners can get much, much bigger. . .”

“Carr announced on Wednesday that the FCC will vote next month to repeal its national broadcast ownership rule, which prohibits a single company from reaching more than 39% of US TV households.

Read the full article at:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/fcc-carr-trump-broadcasters-sinclair-nexstar

FCC Hobby, Getting Gifts?

by

Article in AlterNet by Corey G. Johnson – ProPublica, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Busted: Paramount gave FCC officials gifts while seeking approval for billion-dollar dea

“The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center’s opera house in December. . .”

“Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Now, the commissioner and a guest enjoyed the star-studded celebration thanks to tickets gifted to her by Paramount worth more than $12,000. . .

“The other commissioner who approved the merger watched from a prized perch. FCC Chair Brendan Carr and his wife sat in a private skybox with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other executives from Paramount and CBS. Such seats sold for $125,000 a ticket, according to Kennedy Center guidelines. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/fcc-paramount/

– – – – –

Article in Daily Kos by Lisa Needham, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s FCC cronies get in on the sweet bribe action”

“Why should President Donald Trump have all the fun of extorting money from people with business before the government? How ‘bout letting the folks in charge of the Federal Communications Commission get a taste, hmmm?

“ProPublica broke the news that both FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty and FCC Chair Brendan Carr got a little treat. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/15/800070473/news/trumps-fcc-cronies-get-in-on-the-sweet-bribe-action/

Right Sites Wrong Now?

by


Article in The Righting by Howard Polskin , 7/13/26

Headline:  “Visits to All Top Right-Wing News Websites Drop for Second Straight Month”

“For the second consecutive month, year-over-year (YOY) visits to all of the 20 most popular right-wing news websites declined. According to TheRighting’s exclusive analysis of mobile and desktop traffic based on Similarweb data in June, 17 of top 20 right-wing news websites tracked regularly by TheRighting experienced double-digit decreases.

“The ongoing negative trend in traffic is bad news for news websites,” said Howard Polskin, President, TheRighting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://therighting.com/traffic-reports/visits-to-all-top-right-wing-news-websites-drop-for-second-straight-month/

WaPo Tipping the Scale?

by


Article in FAIR by Pete Tucker, 7/9/26

Headline:  “One Year Into Clampdown, WaPo Opinion Cheers for MAGA, Billionaires and AI”

“It’s been an eventful year since Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos tapped Adam O’Neal for the prestigious job of Post Opinions editor. O’Neal was an unusual hire, a 33-year-old with little by way of managerial experience. But O’Neal had a redeeming quality: He was ready to shill for Bezos, and the man Bezos has been desperately wooing, President Donald Trump. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/one-year-into-the-clampdown-wapo-opinion-cheers-for-maga-billionaires-and-ai/

Examining a Newsroom

by


Article in Columbia Journalism Revue by C.J Robinson, 7/9/26

Headline: “Inside Restoration News, a Political Nonprofit’s ‘Newsroom’ “

Subhead:  “How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is ‘waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.’ “

“Restoration News, which covers topics ranging from abortion to diversity in the military to local school policies, calls itself the news source for the ‘America First movement.’ It is also a line item in a political operation. The site is directly funded by Restoration of America, a right-wing nonprofit . . .”

“Unlike other ‘pink slime’ sites that use AI or automation to produce stories, Restoration News employs human writers who make use of traditional journalistic methods. . .

“But they often fail to meet established journalistic standards.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/inside-restoration-news-political-nonprofits-newsroom-conservative-donors-pink-slime-restore-military-pac-manning-bouferrache-honeybadgermom-truax.php

Rt. Media & Regime Change

by

Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 7/9/26

Headline: “As Trump declares Iran ceasefire ‘over,’ right-wing media hawks push for ground troops, regime change — even nuclear strikes”

“Right-wing media hawks are floating a new wave of risky and at times bloodthirsty escalations after Iranian forces struck commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. retaliated by resuming military strikes, and President Donald Trump declared the long-shaky ceasefire with Iran “over.”

“Fox News contributor and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen wants to ‘destroy 100%’ of Iran’s defense industrial base and ‘set them back to the Stone Age militarily and then declare victory’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/trump-declares-iran-ceasefire-over-right-wing-media-hawks-push-ground-troops-regime-change