Media Politicize

Mediasphere Erupts Over Purge!

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 9/18/26

Headline: “‘Straight Out of the Authoritarian Playbook’: Trump Bans CNN, MSNOW, and Politico From White House”

Subhead: “One press freedom advocate said it was “difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

“Donald Trump announced in a Friday afternoon tirade that he would ban CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from the White House. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-bans-news-networks

Coverage on this issue from some other sources:

Status News:  https://www.status.news/p/trump-press-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico

Axios:  https://www.axios.com/2026/09/18/trump-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico-white-house

AP News:  https://apnews.com/article/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-media-bans-bb675679fb10738a51bef90bde6c525a

Reuters:  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-bans-media-outlets-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house-2026-09-18/

The Hill:  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6098639-trump-bans-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/

Spiteful Media Exit?

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 9/16/26

Headline:  “Paramount Preps California Exit Amid State AGs’ Warner Bros. Merger Battle”

Subhead:  “The David Ellison-led media giant has informed AG Rob Bonta and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ offices of the plans”

“Paramount has informed the offices of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Attorney General Rob Bonta that it is preparing to leave the state amid a legal battle over its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

“A Paramount spokesperson had no comment when asked about the plans, while a spokesperson for Bass told TheWrap she is ‘focused on protecting and fighting for jobs in L.A., including critical jobs in the entertainment industry that have been a vital part of Los Angeles’ economy.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/paramount-david-ellison-california-exit/

Political Threat to Licenses

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 9/10/26

Headline:  “Latest Kimmel Censorship Is Part of the Trump FCC’s Lawless Crusade Against a Free Press”

“On Wednesday’s broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel told viewers that ABC would not air his scheduled interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee from Texas.

Kimmel indicated that the broadcast cancellation of the interview is a result of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s ongoing campaign against ABC. After President Trump repeatedly demanded that ABC lose its broadcast licenses over Kimmel’s jokes, Carr retaliated by forcing all ABC broadcast stations into a highly unusual early license-renewal process. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/latest-kimmel-censorship-part-trump-fccs-lawless-crusade-free-speech

Fighting Authoritarian Media Control

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Emily Bell and Heather Chaplin, 9/10/26

Headline: “The Fight to Save Journalism in Georgia”

Subhead: “How independent media organizations are standing together against an authoritarian government.”

“In Georgia, since a new party took power in 2024, founded by a billionaire oligarch with links to Russia, journalists are facing unprecedented attacks. All sorts of repression have become more common: physical assaults, arrests, arbitrary fines, suspensions of accreditation, and more. But perhaps the most devastating blow was less direct. After the government clamped down on all foreign funding and grants to Georgian organizations, citing them as examples of malign foreign interference, many independent media outlets lost as much as 90 percent of their budgets. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/kicker/the-fight-to-save-journalism-in-georgia-zeg-tbilisi-sinatle-chai-khana-lights-must-stay-on-antadze-bakradze.php

Some Rt. Media Questioning . . .

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Article in Media Matters by Sage Hodil, Hanne MacDonald & Reed McMaster,9/11/26

Headline:  “Why are some right-wing media figures pouring cold water on Trump’s sudden call to send Americans $5,000?”

Subhead: “While some call it ‘bold,’ others in right-wing media are saying that Trump’s $5,000 midterm idea is ‘flagrant bribery’ that ‘would simply be inflationary'”

“Right-wing figures are divided on President Donald Trump’s claim during his September 9 speech at the GOP midterm convention that the government will send $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of Congress, with some arguing ‘we can’t afford’ the ‘inflationary’ payments and equating them to ‘flagrant bribery,’ while others claimed Trump’s plan is ‘creative’ and ‘a bet on the future.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/why-are-some-right-wing-media-figures-pouring-cold-water-trumps-sudden-call-send-americans

FCC Meddles in Broadcast Content

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Article in Meidasnews by Brett Meiselas, 9/9/26

Headline:  “Kimmel Says Trump FCC Threats Forced Talarico Interview Off TV

Subhead:  “The ABC host says his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will be relegated to YouTube after threats from Trump’s FCC, months after Stephen Colbert’s Talarico interview was similarly kept off broadcast television.”

“Jimmy Kimmel says his upcoming interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC, pointing the finger directly at President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission and its threats against the network and its affiliates.

“During his Wednesday night monologue, Kimmel announced that Talarico would appear for an interview Thursday, but viewers won’t actually be able to watch it on broadcast television. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://meidasnews.com/news/kimmel-says-trump-fcc-threats-forced-talarico-interview-off-tv

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 9/10/26

Headline:  FCC commissioner: Kimmel’s ‘self-censorship’ shows Trump’s bid to ‘control’ media working

“The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) lone Democratic commissioner is pointing to ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s decision not to broadcast an interview with Texas Senate nominee James Talarico (D) as evidence of what she called the Trump administration’s attempts to stifle free press. . .

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6082338-fcc-commissioner-censorship-jimmy-kimmel-abc/

Media Cover Up Voter Suppression?

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Article in AlterNet by Thom Hartmann, 9/8/26

Headline: “The dark electoral secret the media has hidden for 50 years”

“For over 50 years, our media has been covering up Republican voter suppression efforts. This year, though, they’re getting so obvious that it’ll be interesting to see if they continue to whitewash the practice. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/long-lines-voting/

Fighting Public Mediacide

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | As ‘perfect storm’ hits public media, initiative seeks a reimagined system to serve communities”

Subhead:  “Poynter Institute, Public Media Company will guide effort to recommend plans for renewed public media after federal funding cuts”

“A little more than a year ago, the federal government delivered a devastating blow to a critical part of our media landscape: It defunded public media.

“The move, under the direction of President Donald Trump, stripped important funding from public radio and television stations that provide crucial news and information from our biggest cities all the way to our most rural outposts. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/as-perfect-storm-hits-public-media-initiative-seeks-a-reimagined-system-to-serve-communities/

FCC Wrecking Broadcasting?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 9/1/26

Headline: “Opinion | Trump’s threats against the press don’t have to succeed to do damage”

Subhead:  “The FCC has no authority to punish Kristen Welker for her Trump analysis. That doesn’t make the president’s threat harmless.”

“. . .The FCC really can’t do anything to Welker over her critique of Trump’s candidate endorsements. As Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner on the FCC, tweeted, ‘As I’ve said many times, the FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn’t like.’

“However, Gomez added, ‘These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-purposeful-inaccuracy-fcc-threat/

Media Frenzy?

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Article in The Guardian by Mehdi Hassan, 9/1/26

Headline: “The media’s Hasan Piker obsession is letting Republican Mike Rogers off the hook”

Subhead:  “Mike Rogers isn’t merely campaigning alongside a controversial supporter. His campaign put an extremist on its faith leadership team”

“Turn on cable news. Pick up a newspaper. Log on to Twitter. It doesn’t seem to matter where you get your political news: for the past month, the leftist Twitch streamer has become one of the dominant subjects of coverage, conversation and controversy surrounding the crucial Michigan Senate race between the Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Republican Mike Rogers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/01/hasan-piker-mike-rogers-media