Media Politicize

No Press Pass For You

by

Article in AP by Martha Bellisle, 3/10/26

Headline:  “Judge denies restraining order for conservative media figures who sought press passes”

“SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state lawmakers were within their rights when they declined to issue press passes to three conservative media figures, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in a case that echoes a national discussion over who qualifies as a journalist.

“The Democratic-controlled Washington House of Representatives early this year declined to issue press credentials that would have granted the three access to parts of the Capitol in Olympia that are off-limits to the general public. The body said they were not bona fide journalists because they are participants in the political arena — advocating for certain agendas and hosting or speaking at rallies. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/press-pass-podcasters-conservative-media-a8f5b5ceac3627dc1931b07a87952551

Oily Media

by

Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleate, 3/10/26

Headline:  “Trump’s media allies embrace oil wars”

Subhead:  “Amid encouragement from right-wing media, Trump is reportedly considering seizing Iran’s oil”

“Soon after President Donald Trump launched his war against Iran, Fox News and Newsmax personalities began talking about the possibility of Trump taking control of Iran’s oil industry, and multiple news reports now say the administration is not ruling out such a move.

“This development follows months of encouragement from right-wing media figures to do a similar takeover of Venezuela’s oil industry, which Trump embraced after taking military action to depose President Nicolás Maduro. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/trumps-media-allies-embrace-oil-wars

Fox Gives Advice to Tanker Pilots

by


Article in Daily Kos by Walter Einenkel, 3/9/36

Headline:  “Sailing through a war zone is no big deal, says Fox News”

“The crew over at ‘Fox & Friends’ is twisting itself into a propaganda pretzel trying to spin President Donald Trump’s Iran war, with hosts Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones unabashedly sharing their bizarre thoughts Monday. . .”

“Kilmeade then chastised oil-tanker captains for refusing to sail through a potential war zone in the Strait of Hormuz.

“If you want to diminish the Iranian threat, if you want to make sure that this ends up with complete Iran capitulation, sow some guts and go through that strait and do it,” he said. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/9/2372385/-Sailing-through-a-war-zone-is-no-big-deal-says-Fox-News?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_9&pm_medium=web

FCC Doesn’t Probe Fox News?

by

Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 3/9/26

Headline:  “Shouldn’t Brendan Carr be launching an FCC probe of Fox Broadcasting Co.?”

“Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr faces an important test of his stated standards for news organizations this week: If he’s not just looking to punish media outlets for being insufficiently deferential to President Donald Trump, he must launch a news distortion investigation of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Broadcasting. . .”

“Fox News’ right-wing propagandists would lose their minds if a Democratic president did such a thing. But on Sunday morning, the network instead seemed to hide the president’s disrespect toward the dead. While purporting to cover the previous day’s event, Fox & Friends Weekend aired months-old footage. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/shouldnt-brendan-carr-be-launching-fcc-probe-fox-broadcasting-co

No Bad News Allowed!

by


Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 3/4/26

Headline:  “Hegseth cares more about ‘fake’ media coverage than dead troops”

“On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against accurate reporting on the deaths of American soldiers that have occurred thanks to President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

“Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Hegseth parroted Trump’s use of the phrase “fake news” to describe fact-based reporting on news reflecting negatively on the administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/4/2371618/-Hegseth-cares-more-about-fake-media-coverage-than-dead-troops

– – – – –

Article in Mediaite by Willa Pope Robbins, 4/4/26

Headline: ” ‘WTF?’ Dan Abrams Slams Trump Administration’s Attacks on Media for Reporting Soldiers’ Deaths”

“Mediaite founder Dan Abrams called out Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s attacks on the media’s coverage of Iran on Wednesday, slamming the secretary for “insulting” the fallen U.S. service members in his attempts to blame news outlets for negative reporting on the conflict. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/wtf-dan-abrams-slams-trump-administrations-attacks-on-media-for-reporting-soldiers-deaths/

– – – – –

Article in Huffpost by Graeme Demianyk, 3/4/26

Headline: “Pete Hegseth Complains Reporting On Dead Troops Is Trying To ‘Make The President Look Bad’ “

Subhead:  “The defense secretary bemoaned the ‘tragic things’ that make ‘front page news.’ “

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday suggested the media’s reporting of American troops killed after the U.S. went to war with Iran is only to make President Donald Trump “look bad.”

“In an astonishing attack on journalists during a news briefing at the Pentagon, the former Fox News host and Army veteran was touting the early achievements of Trump’s conflict in the Middle East when he complained about ‘tragic things’ making ‘front page news.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hegseth-troops-killed-media-trump_n_69a87b30e4b0865be0c6d334?origin=home-whats-happening-unit

Media Projecting War on Someone Else?

by

Article in FAIR by Julie Hollar, 3/4/26

Headline: ” ‘What Do Americans Think?’—and by ‘Americans,’ We Mean Right-Wing Texans”

Subhead:  “Media are still trying to turn Trump’s decision into a problem for the party that didn’t launch the unpopular war rather than for the one that did.”

“Polling before and immediately after President Donald Trump’s Iran attacks has shown clear public opposition to war with Iran. . .”

“While public opposition to the war since it began has received fairly widespread coverage, at the New York Times, public opinion was framed in an entirely different way: The paper spotlighted six right-wing Texans in a piece (3/2/26) purporting to illustrate the question . . .”

“It’s one of the most egregious examples yet of the Times‘ ongoing series we like to call ‘Trump Supporters Support Trump’ (e.g., FAIR.org, 2/15/17, 7/24/19, 2/4/26). Frankly, it’s hard to come up with any explanation for this wildly skewed framing, other than offering a sop to right-wing critics of the paper. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/what-do-americans-think-and-by-americans-we-mean-right-wing-texans/

Open-Ended Media?

by

Article in Media Matters by Payton Armstrong, 3/4/26

Headline: “Christian media figures have claimed that the Iran war could signal “the second coming” or the ‘End Times’ and said ‘we are watching incredible prophecy in this time come to pass’ “

“Right-wing Christian media are praising President Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in launching military strikes against Iran, with some figures likening Trump to Cyrus the Great and Constantine the Great and claiming that ‘we are watching incredible prophecy in this time come to pass.’. . .”

Read the full article at”

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/christian-media-figures-have-claimed-iran-war-could-signal-second-coming-or-end

Trump IS MAGA Media?

by

Article in The hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 3/3/26

Headline:  “Trump knocks Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly over Iran criticism: ‘MAGA is Trump’ “

“President Trump and his allies are pushing back on a number of top conservative media figures typically loyal to him who have questioned ongoing U.S. military action in Iran amid fears of a prolonged war in the Middle East.

“The president said former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, both of whom have publicly broken with him over U.S. military operations in Iran, do not represent the view among his base of supporters.

“ ‘I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,’ Trump said, adding of Kelly specifically that ‘she was critical of me for years and I didn’t lose. I won all three times by a lot.’. . .”

Read the full article at:
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5764439-donald-trump-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-iran-conflict/

What Should MAGA Media Do Now. . .?

by

Article in The Guardian by J Oliver Conroy, 3/2/26

Headline:  ” ‘Open betrayal’ or ‘just and imperative’? Trump’s Iran strikes divide conservative media”

Subhead:  “Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran has divided the American right – from Murdoch’s cheerleaders to Maga isolationists”

“As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump repeatedly pledged to get the US out of ‘endless wars’, put ‘America first’ and focus on domestic policy. . .”

“Now the Trump administration’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran has shocked the US and the world. It has also divided conservative media in the US – with many journalists and pundits on the right celebrating Trump’s decision to confront a longtime American foe, but others expressing dismay or confusion at the revival of a Bush-style interventionism . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/02/trump-iran-strikes-right-wing-conservative-media

– – – – –

Article in Media Matters by Noah Dowe, Zachary Pleat & Gideon Taaffe, 3/2/26

Headline: “MAGA media feud erupts over Trump’s war against Iran: ‘We’re not supposed to be running around doing this anymore.’ “

Subhead:  ” ‘An illegitimate regime’ vs. ‘Pimps for the enemy’ “

“Media figures in right-leaning spaces are bickering about President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. The strikes so far have reportedly killed multiple Iranian leaders and many civilians; three American service members have reportedly been killed in action, more seriously wounded, and Trump said that there likely will be more casualties.

“Many prominent right-wing figures spoke out in praise of the war.. .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/maga-media-feud-erupts-over-trumps-war-against-iran-were-not-supposed-be-running

Don’t Call Me Shirley!

by

Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 2/27/26

Headline:  “MAGA media provocateur Nick Shirley boosted an antisemitic video. It was only a matter of time.”

Subhead:  “Shirley, who helped spur the federal crackdown in Minneapolis, promoted and defended a video from Tyler Oliveira titled ‘I Exposed New Jersey’s Jewish Invasion…’ ”

“One of the most important developments in right-wing media in the last few years is the rise of a class of provocateurs who create on-the-ground, documentary-style videos targeting communities based on their religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs. . .”

“On February 25, Shirley promoted and defended an antisemitic video made by fellow YouTuber Tyler Oliveira titled ‘I Exposed New Jersey’s Jewish Invasion… .’ The video runs more than an hour long, and it seeks to transform pedestrian, local issues about land use into something sinister by relying on longstanding antisemitic tropes about Jews controlling the financial system. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/antisemitism/maga-media-provocateur-nick-shirley-boosted-antisemitic-video-it-was-only-matter-time