Media Politicize

Billionaires Bought the Media

by

Article in The Hartmann Report by Thom Hartnann, 10/20/26

Headline:  “No Kings? Then Why Are We Letting Billionaires Rule What America Can See and Hear?”

Subhead:  “Millions march against authoritarianism while a handful of powerful men control the digital public square, shape our news, and decide which voices Americans get to hear… “

“As many of us were showing up this past Saturday for our local No Kings marches, with over 3,000 of them underway, the movement’s organizers suddenly found themselves locked out of their Instagram account for hours. . .”

“Then yesterday morning Christiane Amanpour announced that after reporting for CNN for 43 years she’s leaving the network. While she didn’t mention nepo-baby David Ellison who now owns the network, she didn’t have to . . .”

“What we’re seeing here with these two companies in microcosm is that the men who own the social media digital square where a near-majority of people get their news. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://hartmannreport.com/p/no-kings-then-why-are-we-letting-4ee

Trump Still Blocks CNN

by

Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/20/26

Headline: “CNN threatens Trump’s DOJ with further legal action over Air Force One blocks”

“CNN is threatening President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) with further legal action if the White House continues blocking the network from performing its duties in pool rotation.

In a letter to the DOJ this week, CNN’s attorney Ted Boutrous wrote “these efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful,” the outlet reported. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6161064-cnn-threatens-doj-legal-action/

Donors Saving Public Media

by

Article in Poynter by Paul Farhi, 10/20/26

Headline:  “Public broadcasting found a lifeline after defunding. How long will it last?”

Subhead:  “A surge of ‘rage giving’ and philanthropy helped stave off widespread closures, but many public media organizations remain vulnerable”

“. . .President Donald Trump was urging Congress to wipe out almost all federal funding of public broadcasting — some $1.1 billion in subsidies. As many Republicans had before him, Trump demonized PBS and NPR as biased against conservatives. But the ‘rescission,’ or formal clawing back of funds appropriated by a previous Congress, would be a historic reversal: the first time Washington had withdrawn the financial support. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/public-broadcasting-federal-funding-cuts-donations/

FCC Chair Doesn’t Carr about Hatch Act?

by


Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff. 10/19/26

Headline:  “USA: RSF and DDF file complaint against FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for potential misuse of office during partisan campaigning”

“Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) filed a complaint on October 19 asking the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to investigate whether Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr and two other officials violated the Hatch Act by appearing with President Donald Trump at a campaign rally for Alaska Senate candidate Dan Sullivan. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-and-ddf-file-complaint-against-fcc-chairman-brendan-carr-potential-misuse-office-during-0

WH Press Sec. Gone But Not Forgotten

by

Article in The New Republic by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, 10/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s Press Secretary Admits She Was in ‘Sort of a Pyramid Scheme’”

Subhead:  “Katie Zacharia’s résumé included a stint at a fitness MLM.”

“Katie Zacharia’s long résumé includes stints as an unqualified legal commentator, an associate at a Chinese law firm, an uncredentialed general counsel, and—in her own words—a participant in ‘sort of a pyramid scheme.’. . .”

https://newrepublic.com/post/216714/trump-press-secretary-zacharia-pyramid-scheme-mlm

Rt. Media and Deporting Americans

by

Article in Media Matters by Reed McMaster & Ben Van Bloem, 10/14/26

“Right-wing media figures have long spread conspiracy theories against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). During the second Trump administration, this has manifested in calls to deport Omar, an American citizen, citing as supposed evidence the conspiracy theories that have spread for years. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/benny-johnson/maga-media-figures-demanded-and-teased-immigration-action-against-rep-ilhan-omar-and

Press Sec. – On Sale for a Limited Time!

by

Article in AP by Bill Colvin, 10/14/26

Headline:  “Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia faces scrutiny over claims she’s a lawyer”

“Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China. . .’

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/katie-zacharia-lawyer-bar-trump-press-secretary-b3b7b9747856bcd11df094f331195119

– – – – –

Article in The Hill by Judy Kurtz, 10/13/26

Headline:  “Scaramucci quips about new press secretary Zacharia’s tenure: ‘The clock is running’ “

“. . .’Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci,’ he cracked.

“Scaramucci famously served a speedy stint — just 11 days — as White House communications director in 2017 during President Trump’s first term in office. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/6145486-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-scaramucci/

Too Chicken to Answer Questions?

by


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones 10/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Jennifer Griffin has covered 8 defense secretaries. She’s never seen a Pentagon like this.”

Subhead: “On  ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ the longtime Fox News correspondent reflects on nearly four decades of reporting, from war zones to Washington”

“. . .Griffin went on to explain why, but also said, ‘There are still very important stories being broken. Every time there’s a story the Pentagon doesn’t want, they call it fake news. That’s just a real cop-out. That’s a cop out for not wanting to answer questions — not wanting to answer questions from Congress, not wanting to answer questions from the press, and I don’t think the American people are buying it anymore’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/fox-news-jennifer-griffin-pentagon-pete-hegseth/

If it Looks Like an Oligopoly. . .

by

Article in The Wrap by Kayla Cobb, 10/8/26

Headline: “Skydance’s New TV Empire Explained: Who’s in Charge and What May Be Ahead | Analysis”

Subhead:  “With the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance now owns almost 190 shows, over 70 cable networks and two major streamers”

“A lot of attention has been paid to the future of the film industry in the wake of Skydance acquiring Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, but few are talking about the other big entertainment play of this new merger: TV. With the acquisition of WBD, Skydance now owns nearly 190 shows, more than 70 cable channels and two major streamers.

“It’s a massive portfolio that threatens to disrupt the current order of television. Over the past 12 months, networks and streaming assets owned by Paramount and Warner Bros. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/tv/skydance-tv-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-analysis/

CBS Puts Whole Hand on Scale

by


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | CBS gives JD Vance a prime-time town hall just before the midterms”

Subhead: “The Michigan event gives the vice president a national stage as Republicans make their closing argument to voters”

“In timing that is certainly good for a Republican Party looking for a last-minute rally ahead of the midterm elections, CBS announced Wednesday that it will air a town hall with Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 17 — just two and a half weeks before the pivotal Election Day. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/jd-vance-cbs-town-hall-midterms/