Media Politicize

Murdoch Grooming Fox

by

Article in Reuters by Reuters, 7/27/26

Headline: “Rupert Murdoch’s wish to re-merge Fox Corp and News Corp ‘could happen in future,’ court documents and video show”

“Rupert Murdoch’s longstanding wish to reunite his Fox Corp, . . . and News ​Corp. . . could happen in a potential merger that would unite a TV company with a widespread news operation, cementing the family’s control ‌over a smaller empire, court documents and video show.

“Discussions of a possible re-merger were revealed during the last few weeks in unsealed court documents and an attorney’s testimony related to a family succession saga that began in 2023. The judicial official overseeing the matter released the findings at the end of July. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/rupert-murdoch-considering-re-merger-fox-corp-news-corp-court-documents-video-2026-08-27/

Why Are Cameras Off Now?

by


Article in FAIR by Louise Liu, 8/26/26

Headline: “Networks Were Ordered to Stop Filming Trump—and They Didn’t Protest the Illegal Censorship”

” ‘Cameras off the president right now.’

“This direct command could be heard this weekend on the live broadcast of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, an IndyCar street race orchestrated by President Donald Trump’s administration . . .”

“At one point, the presidential couple engaged in heated conversation—possibly regarding, some speculated (Mercury News, 8/24/26), the presence of Trump’s personal assistant Natalie Harp, with whom he has an unusually close relationship. As this discussion transpired, a terse command to the camera operator could be heard: ‘I need the cameras off the president right now. Cameras off the president right now. Turn the cameras.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/networks-were-ordered-to-stop-filming-trump-and-they-didnt-protest-the-illegal-censorship/

Journalist Sources in Jeopardy

by


Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 8/25/26

Headline:  “‘The day I disclose, my career is over’: the journalist facing an $800 daily fine to keep her sources secret”

Subhead: “If Catherine Herridge’s petition to the US supreme court fails, she’ll be on the hook for a daily fine until she discloses her sources – a case unsettling press freedom organizations”

“For 18 days this summer, veteran journalist Catherine Herridge walked to her Washington DC mailbox and dropped off a check for $800. The money was required by law to cover a judge-imposed sanction after she was found in contempt of court in 2024 for refusing to disclose her sources. It. . .”

The check drop is now on hold. The judge who issued that order, Christopher R Cooper, has since clarified that Herridge doesn’t need to pay the fine until she has a chance to plead her case to the supreme court, which she petitioned late last week. . .”

“‘Reporter-source confidentiality is the lifeblood of investigative journalism,’ said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation. ‘Whistleblowers in a position to expose abuses won’t trust journalists to protect them, and won’t come forward, if they believe reporters will be threatened with financial ruin for not outing them in court.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/aug/25/catherine-herridge-journalist-supreme-court

Media Blacklist?

by


Article in The Intercept by Nick Turse, 8/24/26

Headline:  “Pentagon Spokesperson Admits There’s a Secret Blacklist of Journalists”

Subhead:  “When pressed about the Iran war, a CENTCOM press official threatened to put an Intercept reporter on a ‘list of people to disregard.'”

“U.S. Central Command maintains a secret directory of journalists who have been blacklisted by the press office, according to an official with CENTCOM public affairs. The disclosure comes amid a failed war in Iran, a ‘cover-up’ of U.S. casualties from that conflict, and repeated refusals by CENTCOM to address questions about civilian deaths in Iran, including the killing of a family recently disclosed by The Intercept.

“The CENTCOM official who revealed the existence of the list threatened that this reporter could be added to it for calling the command too often. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theintercept.com/2026/08/24/pentagon-military-journalist-blacklist-press-media/

Censoring News to Troops?

by


Article in Daily Beast by Sarah-Jane Collins, 8/22/26

Headline:  “Hegseth Launches Twisted Attack on Free Press Over Carrier Scandal”

Subhead:  “The publisher and editor of Stars and Stripes were given the boot after an interview cautioning against censorship.”

“Long-time publisher Max Lederer and Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin were given “separation notices” that allow five days to appeal the decision. . .”

“Korte and Slavin traced the decision back to interviews they did that aired on CBS Sunday Morning in July.”

“ ‘According to the notice, I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line. The Pentagon’s public affairs office has charged me with insubordination,’ Slavin told CBS. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/hegseths-twisted-attack-on-free-press-over-carrier-scandal/

Picture worth 1,000 Pres Secretaries

by

Article in The Babylon Bee, by Staff, 8/22/26

Headline:  “New Press Secretary To Just Be Picture Of Scott Jennings Doing That Face”

“. . . The White House has announced that the new Press Secretary will just be a poster-sized photo of Scott Jennings doing that face he does.

“After a week of searching for a replacement for Karoline Leavitt, the White House settled on a 27 inch by 40 inch inkjet poster of the face Jennings makes to the camera when liberal CNN panelists make foolish statements.

“‘We love what Scott’s face brings to the table,” said President Trump. . .You can feel the disdain for the losers and haters. That’s what the journalists here are, losers and haters, so it’s a great fit’. . .”

“The White House Press Corps was outraged by the decision, stating that the lack of an actual human Press Secretary would grossly inhibit their ability as independent media to hold the government accountable for its actions.

” ‘How can an independent media function when the government will not allow us to even ask questions of a real Press Secretary?’ cried a CNN reporter. The photo of Scott Jennings, however, only smirked in response. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/new-press-secretary-to-just-be-picture-of-scott-jennings-doing-that-face

FCC Second Home?

by


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/20/26

Headline:  “Opinion | How close is FCC chair Brendan Carr to the Trump White House? New records offer a look.”

Subhead:  “The FCC is supposed to operate as an independent agency. New records reveal extensive ties among its chair, the White House and conservative media.”

“The Federal Communications Commission is supposed to be an independent government agency that “regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.”

“But it’s pretty clear that under FCC chair Brendan Carr, the agency has been acting on behalf of President Donald Trump through threats and actions against network programming that Trump doesn’t like. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/fcc-ties-white-house-trump-conservative-media/

“60 Minutes” Running Out of Time?

by

Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 8/20/26

Headline: “The ’60 minutes’ Countdown”

“The newsmagazine is racing to air amid major turbulence, with Bill Whitaker worrying he is a ‘traitor,’ Bari Weiss expressing frustration with a new contributor, and screenings behind the normal schedule, Status has learned. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/60-minutes-bari-weiss-bill-whitaker-nick-bilton-premiere

Afraid of Women Reporters?

by

Article in The Hill by Ashleigh Fields, 8/19/26

Headline: “Trump attacks on female reporters ‘much nastier,’ ‘much more aggressive’: Haberman”

“. . .Haberman, who has often been the subject of Trump’s affronts, told CNN during an interview that she’s seen his attacks grow ‘nastier’ during his second stint in the Oval Office.

“The ‘attacks on female reporters have gotten much nastier and much more aggressive and much less just about being a keyboard warrior where he would do it on Twitter in term one,’ she told host Christiane Amanpour on her podcast, ‘The Ex Files.’

“CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Haberman have faced Trump’s ire directly and covered the fallout both on air and in print. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6037866-maggie-haberman-blasts-donald-trump-rhetoric-female-reporters/

Fighting Media Takeover

by


Article and photo from Democracy Now! by Amy Goodman, 8/19/26

Headline:  “Trump’s ‘Authoritarian Takeover’ of the Media, ABC Suing FCC & the Meta Trial: Free Press’s Jessica González”

“We look at major media news with Jessica González, co-CEO of the advocacy organization Free Press. She discusses the landmark lawsuit against Meta for making its social media platforms addictive for young people, efforts to halt the Paramount-Warner Bros. megamerger, and Disney’s lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission over what it calls the Trump administration’s “retaliatory campaign” against the ABC television network. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/8/19/disney_paramount_meta