Media Politicize

Attacks on Media Outlined

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Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 8/10/26

Headline: “What 100-plus federal actions reveal about the Trump administration’s campaign against the press”

Subhead: “For 18 months, Poynter has tracked federal actions affecting journalists and news access, revealing a rapid, sweeping change in the media landscape”

“Since taking office, President Donald Trump has reshaped much of American political and civil life, and in doing so, indelibly altered the country’s media landscape. Over the past year, Poynter has documented more than 100 federal actions affecting journalists and access to the news through its Press Freedom Watch project.

“Some have targeted individual reporters, resulting in raids, assaults and detentions. Others have taken aim at outlets, subjecting disfavored newsrooms to investigations, lawsuits and funding cuts. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/trump-press-freedom/

Rt. Media Don’t Like Vote?

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Article in Media Matters by Jack Winstanley & Zachary Pleat, 8/10/26

Headline:  “Right-wing media have been arguing for decades that fewer Americans should have the right to vote”

Subhead:  “Repealing the 19th Amendment, disenfranchising welfare recipients, and requiring a civics test — right-wing media are full of ideas about how to restrict voting “

“. . .President Donald Trump’s efforts to suppress the vote have a significant ideological precedent. For decades, right-wing media have advocated restrictions on voter eligibility, laying the groundwork for Trump and his allies to undermine the upcoming midterms and push for policies that would make it harder for some Americans to vote. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/election-denial-voter-fraud-and-suppression/right-wing-media-have-been-arguing-decades-fewer

Reporting is “Treason”?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones and Angela Fu, 8/7/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Donald Trump accuses The Washington Post of treason”

Subhead: “A reported squabble with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week resulted in “fake news” accusations from the Trump administration”

“. . .In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump wrote ‘The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing.’. . .”

He later wrote, “This rumor was started by The WashingtonComPost, [sic] one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE. In actuality, I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/donald-trump-accuses-the-washington-post-of-treason/

FCC Free Speech Threat?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 8/6/26

Headline:  “Free-Speech Advocates Mark Out Chairman Carr’s History of Censorship as the FCC Convenes Its August Meeting”

“On Thursday, sign-holding volunteers and advocates marked out FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s disturbing history of censorship outside the entrance to the agency’s Washington headquarters. . .”

“The Corruption Walk exposes the FCC chairman’s role as President Donald Trump’s censorship czar. This shameful history, recounted in a series of 11 signs, details the chairman’s corrupt attempts to silence and bully any media that refuse to bow to Trump’s anti-democratic White House agenda. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/free-speech-advocates-mark-out-chairman-carrs-history-censorship-fcc-convenes-its-august

CBS Scoop Put in Grave?

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Article in Alternet America by Ryan Rose, 8/4/26

Headline:  “Bari Weiss’ CBS Had an Epstein Exclusive and Buried It”

Subhead: “60 Minutes Killed Story About Epstein’s Shady Bank Transactions”

“. . .CBS’s 60 Minutes had the story on Jeffrey Epstein’s shady bank transactions months ago. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed Democratic Senator Ron Wyden in March about her own reporting into how Wall Street banks and the U.S. Virgin Islands government enabled Epstein.

“Wyden found that Deutsche Bank AG failed to promptly notify authorities of more than $250 million in questionable transfers tied to Epstein, including cash to pay women in Russia and Eastern Europe. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternetamerica.com/p/bari-weiss-cbs-had-an-epstein-exclusive

Harassing Freelancers Now?

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Article in The New York Times by Devlin Barrett, 8/1/26

Headline:  “Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources”

Subhead:  “A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.”

“A freelance reporter has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter. . .”

“In the months since Mr. Cole’s subpoena, The Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have faced similar subpoenas seeking information about their reporting. The news organizations have resisted. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/times-subpoena-reporter-trump-north-korea.html

No More Mister Nice Network!

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/31/26

Headline:  “Opinion | ABC is done playing defense against the FCC”

Subhead:  “The network’s unusually forceful filing accuses the FCC of retaliation and warns of a chilling effect on the media”

“For more than a year, the Federal Communications Commission and its chairman Brendan Carr have repeatedly hassled, threatened and tried to intimidate ABC. . .”

“But now, ABC says it has had enough.

In a fervent filing with the FCC, ABC is accusing the commission of “attempted censorship.” The FCC is targeting the network, ABC claims, simply because the FCC doesn’t like what the network sometimes says. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/abc-accuses-fcc-attempted-censorship/

WaPo Slowly Going Under?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/31/26

Headline:  “Washington Post’s opinion editor resigns after just one year in role:

Subhead:  “Adam O’Neal did not give reason for his departure at end of August in another major shakeup at US publication”

“The Washington Post had realized a state of relative calm in the five months since the paper was turned upside down in February, when nearly half the newsroom was laid off and its unpopular publisher, Will Lewis, abruptly resigned.

“But on Friday, staffers were shocked to find out that Adam O’Neal, a millennial hired last year to lead its opinion section, was already leaving. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/31/washington-post-opinion-editor-resigns-adam-oneal

ABC Persecuted?

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Article in The New Republic by Sophie Jager, 7/30/26

Headline:  “ABC Accuses Trump’s FCC of Trying to Censor the Whole Media Industry”

Subhead:  “ABC fired back at the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the agency of “attempted censorship” and “retaliation.”

“ABC accused the Federal Communications Commission Thursday of “attempted censorship” and a clear “retaliation” effort meant to send a message to every other media company in the country.

“The Administration has openly and repeatedly called for the revocation of ABC’s licenses, because it dislikes the content and viewpoints expressed on ABC network programs,” ABC wrote in a fiery 119-page regulatory filing to the agency. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/post/213787/abc-trump-fcc-censorship-media-industry

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Article in Reuters by David Shepardson, 7/30/26

Headline: “ABC says FCC seeks to intimidate network over news coverage”

“. . .Walt Disney-owned, ​ABC said on Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission’s threat to revoke the network’s broadcast licenses is ‌part of an unprecedented campaign of intimidation over broadcast content the Trump administration dislikes.

“ABC said that the Trump administration agency’s nearly unprecedented decision to order an early license review of the eight Disney-owned ABC stations is a warning from the government to other media companies. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/abc-says-fcc-seeks-intimidate-network-over-coverage-2026-07-30/

Rt. Media Rebrand War?

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 7/29/26

Headline:  “The growing MAGA media despondency over the Iran war quagmire”

Subhead:  “Benny Johnson once called to rebrand the Strait of Hormuz in the US’s image, but now he has acquiesced to Iranian control over the crucial waterway”

“As President Donald Trump’s war on Iran extends into its sixth month, some figures on the right are recalibrating their messaging from an original demand for maximalist victory to something much more modest.

“Although the war has created some fractures in right-wing media, at the outset of the conflict it had no shortage of boosters — either Iran hawks or MAGA hacks. Now, as the Iranian government has survived months of bombing and operationalized its previously unrealized control of the Strait of Hormuz, some of those pundits are scaling back their ambitions. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/growing-maga-media-despondency-over-iran-war-quagmire