Media Politicize

Picture worth 1,000 Pres Secretaries

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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

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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

Media Collusion?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 8/19/26

Headline:  “Revealed: FCC chair Brendan Carr’s close coordination with White House and rightwing media”

Subhead:  “Internal documents obtained by Guardian show White House meetings, scheduled calls with top Trump officials and communications with Fox News producers”

“. . .Between 12 March 2025 and 11 February 2026, Carr attended at least eight meetings at the White House, according to the records, and had at least three scheduled calls with administration officials, including two conversations with the chief of staff, Susie Wiles. . .”

“In addition, the files provide insight into Carr’s media strategy, including communications with producers at Fox News, and make public previously undisclosed meetings he has held with media titans such as the Fox Corp chief executive, Lachlan Murdoch, and Sinclair Broadcast Group chair, David Smith. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/aug/19/brendan-carr-fcc-white-house-exclusive

Media and Exploding Lawsuits

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Article in Axios by Sara Fisher and Kerry Flynn, 8/18/26

Headline:  “Trump’s media and defamation legal battles skyrocket”

Subhead:  “Media and defamation lawsuits involving Trump”

“. . .Trump’s efforts to target government-funded broadcasters and broadcasters regulated by the Federal Communications Commission have prompted many of those cases.”

“. . .According to Axios’ analysis, Trump, his businesses and his administration have been involved in 61 media and defamation lawsuits since 2015, including 16 in 2025 and nine so far in 2026.

Read the full article at:

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/18/trump-media-defamation-lawsuits

Stop Broadcast License Burning?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 8/18/26

Headline:  “ABC sues Trump’s media regulator over demand for TV license renewals”

Subhead:  “Network alleges FCC is trying to send ‘chilling message’ in retaliation for content the administration disapproves of”

“ABC has sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), arguing that it is being retaliated against for content-based reasons in a move it warns threatens the independence of the press.

“The network filed the lawsuit on Tuesday after being forced to apply early to renew its license to broadcast on the eight local television stations it owns. It is waiting to hear whether the Brendan Carr-led FCC approves its renewal requests, or, more likely, holds a hearing on their merits. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/18/abc-sues-trump-federal-communications-commission

 

Mainstream Media Distortion?

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Article in Common Dreams by Roger Bybee, 8/7/26

Headline:  “Establishment Media: Narrow Wisconsin Loss for Hong I​s Massive Defeat for the Left”

Subhead:  “Her defeat was welcomed by conventional media and pundits impatiently awaiting some sign that a wave of progressive victories was finally being halted by sensibly moderate Midwestern voters. But is this accurate?”

“Mainstream media voices reflexively advising ‘moderate’ politics for the Democrats have unveiled a comfortably reassuring explanation of the razor-thin 3,796-vote defeat of democratic socialist Francesca Hong. . .”

Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary provided the opportunity to serve up a pre-baked narrative favored by many journalists. Following democratic socialist Francesca Hong’s narrow defeat. . . ‘The socialists met their match,’ The New York Times concluded smugly. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/media-wrong-hong-s-defeat

Media Damage Control?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 8/17/26

Headline:  “What Karoline Leavitt Leaves Behind”

Subhead:  “The outgoing press secretary further damaged the relationship between the federal government and the journalists who cover it.”

“. . .What Leavitt seemed to understand better than many of her predecessors was that, inside the MAGA court, the goal of press relations is to put on a good show. . .”

“. . .The Guardian’s Arwa Mahdawi wrote on Friday. ‘Leavitt’s legacy in government was attacking Trump’s enemies and spouting lie after lie after lie.’

“What I find most troubling about Leavitt’s tenure is how she and the wider Trump administration seemed to conceptualize the role of their press relations team. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/what-karoline-leavitt-leaves-behind-trump-press-secretary-outgoing-damaged-relationship-white-house-press-corps-federal-government-journalists-combative-style-showmanship.php