Media Supression

Covering War Buildup or Not?

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 2/18/26

Headline:  “As Trump Marches US Toward Iran War, Critics Ask: Where’s the ‘Pushback’ From Dems and Media?”

Subhead:  “It’s astonishing that we’re building up for a significant military clash, and Congress isn’t involved, no real case is being made to the public, and the average American has no clue.”

“Amid reports that President Donald Trump is pushing the US toward a “massive” war in Iran, critics have found themselves shocked by the lack of ‘pushback’ from top Democrats and mainstream media institutions.

“Barak Ravid reported for Axios on Wednesday that, with a deal between the US and Iran appearing increasingly out of sight, “the Trump administration is closer to a major war in the Middle East than most Americans realize’ and ‘It could begin very soon.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-iran-war-pushback

CBS Censored Interview for FCC?

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Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 2/18/26

Headline:  “Colbert dismisses CBS statement on Talarico interview: ‘I’m just so surprised’ “

” ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday dismissed CBS’s denial that it blocked his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico from airing as ‘crap.’

“ ‘They know damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers, who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air,’ Colbert said during his show Tuesday evening.

“ ‘In fact, between the monologue I did last night, and before I did the second act talking about this issue, I had to go backstage,’ he continued. ‘I got called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers. Something that had never, ever happened before.’

Colbert told viewers on Monday that CBS, which is owned by Paramount, said he could not have Talarico on the broadcast over concerns about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ‘equal time’ rule. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5743078-colbert-cbs-talarico-interview/

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 2/18/26

Headline:  “FCC chair Brendan Carr says media were ‘lied to’ over Stephen Colbert controversy”

Subhead: “Carr says the Federal Communications Commission has also opened an enforcement action into ABC’s the View“

“The chair of the US’s top media regulator claimed on Wednesday that journalists had been tricked into covering claims by the late-night host Stephen Colbert that he had been blocked by his network from interviewing a Texas Senate candidate. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/feb/18/fcc-brendan-carr-stephen-colbert

Grim Reaper for WaPo?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 2/18/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Will The Washington Post exist in five years? A veteran insider weighs in.”

Subhead:  “Former Post media reporter Paul Farhi joined ‘The Poynter Report Podcast’ to explain how the newsroom reached this moment and what may come next”

“It’s still hard to believe what happened at The Washington Post.

“In just one day earlier this month, owner Jeff Bezos and then-publisher and CEO Will Lewis took a sledgehammer to one of the most respected and legendary news outlets in history by laying off more than 300 journalists, accounting for, according to some reports, more than 40% of the staff. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/future-washington-post-for-sale-closed-down/

Another One Bites the Dust

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Article in Mediaite by Sarah Rumpf, 2/16/26

Headline:  ” ‘Another Black Eye for Bari’: Insiders Dish on What Drove Anderson Cooper to Quit 60 Minutes“

“. . .Cooper, who also anchors his AC360 show weeknights on CNN and is a correspondent for the cable news network, has been a correspondent with 60 Minutes for nearly two decades, winning four Emmys and numerous other accolades for his reporting. . .”

“His departure from 60 Minutes — first reported by Lachlan Cartwright at Breaker — comes after a tumultuous year on the venerated television program, after several longtime staffers left, network brass pushed through a controversial settlement with President Donald Trump in order to help pave the way for CBS’s parent company Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/another-black-eye-for-bari-insiders-dish-on-what-drove-anderson-cooper-to-quit-60-minutes/

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 2/16/26

Headline: “Cooper’s Final Minutes”

Subhead: “While Anderson Cooper cited the desire to spend more time with family as he announced his exit from “60 Minutes,” Status has learned that deeper issues at the Bari Weiss-led network played a role in his stunning departure.”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/anderson-cooper-60-minutes-bari-weiss

More Media Targets!

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Article in Washington Post by Will Oremus, 2/13/26

Headline:  “Trump’s campaign against ‘left-wing’ media finds a new target: Apple News“

Subhead:  “Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a letter to Apple that he’s “not the speech police” but warned the company that its choice of articles could violate the law.”

“Apple News, the popular newsreader app that comes installed on every iPhone, is the latest media property to be warned by a regulator appointed by President Donald Trump over charges of liberal bias.

“On Wednesday, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to Apple chief executive Tim Cook expressing concern about ‘reports that Apple News has systematically promoted news articles from left-wing news outlets and suppressed news articles from more conservative publications.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/12/apple-news-bias-ftc-ferguson-letter/

Authoritarians Always Attack Media

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen R. Weissman, 2/12/26

Headline:  “Don Lemon’s Travail Is a Warning of Rising Authoritarianism; I Would Know”

Subhead:  “My experience as a university professor in Congo demonstrates that repressive governments may go after a variety of observers sympathizing with militant protesters by purveying false or distorted reports of their actions. . .”

“Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is under federal indictment for participating in a Minnesota protest group’s obstruction of a church service. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday. News of his prosecution took me back more than five decades to when I was a young university professor in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). At that time, President Mobutu Sese Seko’s government threatened to arrest me for my alleged involvement in student disruptions.

“In both cases, increasingly authoritarian governments decided to clamp down on independent observers—journalists or others—who sympathized with community activists. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/don-lemon-authoritarianism

Journalist Hires Prosecutor to Prosecute

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Article in New York Times by Ernesto Lodonu

Headline:  “Don Lemon Hires Federal Prosecutor Who Quit Over Immigration Crackdown”

Subhead:  “Facing charges over his role at a church protest, Mr. Lemon, a journalist, retained a veteran litigator who recently resigned from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota.”

“The federal prosecution of the journalist Don Lemon took an unlikely turn on Tuesday.

“Facing charges over his presence at a church protest challenging the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, Mr. Lemon has hired as one of his defense lawyers a veteran criminal litigator who, until just weeks ago, was helping lead the prosecutor’s office that has charged Mr. Lemon with felonies.

“Joseph H. Thompson, a former senior federal prosecutor who resigned from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota in mid-January over the Justice Department’s handling of the immigration operation, has joined Mr. Lemon’s defense team, according to a court filing. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/us/joseph-thompson-don-lemon-minneapolis-protest.html

Justice Coming for Prosecutor?

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Article in Common Dreams by Staff, 2/9/26

Headline: “FPF complaint targets prosecutor over Washington Post reporter raid”

“WASHINGTON – On Friday, Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) filed an attorney disciplinary complaint against Gordon Kromberg, the federal prosecutor who reviewed and signed the search warrant application targeting Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson.

“. . . Recently unsealed court records disclose what many suspected: The government failed to alert the court that authorized the warrant to the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, a federal law that, in most cases, forbids the use of search warrants for journalistic work product and documentary materials.

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/fpf-complaint-targets-prosecutor-over-washington-post-reporter-raid

Media Smiling Time!

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Article in Huffpost by Ed Mazza, 2/5/26

Headline:  ” ‘Truly Unhinged’: Critics Rip Trump After Uncomfortably ‘Weird Exchange’ With Reporter”

Subhead:  “Trump is facing heavy criticism over comments he made to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.”

“Collins had asked the president about justice for victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was once his close friend. . .”

” ‘You are the worst reporter,’ Trump fired back. ‘CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she’s a young woman ― I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.’

“Collins tried to interject that she was asking about Epstein survivors, but Trump kept going. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-kaitlan-collins-smile-reaction_n_6982cdece4b074c50785b319?origin=top-ad-recirc

Media Threats – Democracy Menace?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 2/2/26

Headline:  “Opinion | This is what it looks like when a government tries to intimidate reporters”

Subhead: “The arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort signals a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against the press”

“President Donald Trump and his administration, over the past 10 years, have stooped to many low and distressing levels in their all-out assault on the media: lawsuits, threats of lawsuits, bans, funding cuts and insults.

But last week, the administration did what was previously thought of as unthinkable. It reached for an even more ominous attack. It arrested two journalists. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-arrest-don-lemon-georgia-fort/