Media Turmoil

Stopping Media Merger?

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Free Press Press Release by Staff, 3/23/26

Headline:  “Unlawful Approval of Largest Broadcast Merger in History”

Subhead:  “Notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit comes as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr continues his campaign to censor and control a free and independent press in the United States”

“WASHINGTON – On Monday, Free Press, the Communications Workers of America, the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry, Inc. and Public Knowledge filed an appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s rushed approval of the largest broadcast television merger in U.S. history.

“The challenge, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asks the court to stop the merger of Nexstar and Tegna before it proceeds and the companies combine all operations, and asks the court to set aside the FCC’s approval of the deal. The groups assert that the merger is unlawful — in contradiction of laws established by Congress and of FCC procedures, too. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/public-interest-coalition-sues-fcc-unlawful-approval-largest-broadcast-merger-history

Judge Bari Show?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 3/19/26

Headline:  “CBS’ Judgment Day”

Subhead:  “Staffers at CBS News tell Status they are “on edge like crazy” as the newsroom readies itself for mass layoffs overseen by Bari Weiss that will reshape the storied outlet around her vision for it”

“Over on 57th Street, at the CBS Broadcast Center on the West Side of Manhattan, anxiety and fear in the air are palpable. Over the last 24 hours, word has spread amongst staffers that the axe is set to fall imminently, with a second round of mass layoffs poised to hit the David Ellison-owned newsroom just months after the last round. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cbs-news-layoffs-bari-weiss-ce41

Internet Media in Trouble?

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Article in Status by Natalie Korach, 3/18/26

Headline:  “HuffPost’s Buzz Kill”

Subhead:  “As BuzzFeed teeters on the brink, HuffPost staffers tell Status that anxiety is rippling through the newsroom and raising uncomfortable questions about the progressive outlet’s uncertain future.”

“Last week, BuzzFeed sent another shockwave through media circles by disclosing that the company may not have enough liquidity to continue operating over the next year, raising speculation that what was once one of digital media’s crown jewels could be heading toward bankruptcy. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/buzzfeed-bankruptcy-huffpost-future

Rt. Wing Media Upset?

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Article in Media Matters by Noah Dowe, Alex Guiden & Ben Van Bloem, 3/18/26

Headline: “Some right-wing media figures are urging Trump to declare early victory and leave Iran”

Subhead:  “Newsmax host Michael Savage: ‘Is it possible we could just pack up and go home? Or must we kill half the population in the name of peace?’ “

“As President Donald Trump’s war with Iran continues, some right-wing commentators are urging the administration to ‘declare victory’ and ‘get out’ of Iran ‘before it gets much worse’. . .”

“Some right-wing figures are fearful of what a military quagmire in the Middle East would “do to us at the midterms,” and a number of right-wing media personalities are now urging the administration to save face by declaring victory. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/some-right-wing-media-figures-are-urging-trump-declare-early-victory-and-leave

Notice on Washington Post

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 3/17/26

Headline:  “US media mogul sees a big opportunity in the cuts at the Washington Post“

Subhead:  “Robert Allbritton’s Notus plans to double its newsroom staff, which includes hiring prominent ex-Post journalists”

“Robert Allbritton, the billionaire media entrepreneur, said he was “pained” by the Washington Post’s decision to lay off a large chunk of its newsroom in early February. But he also saw it as an opportunity to hire some of the Post’s most well-known journalists, including many who would have been hard to poach in previous years. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/17/notus-hire-washington-post-staff-robert-allbritton

On Media Under. . .?

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Article in Washington Post by Scott Nover, 3/17/26

Headline:  “The Ellisons are building a media empire. Trump keeps cheering them on.”

Subhead:  “The president and defense secretary have each heaped praise on Larry and David Ellison as the Justice Department reviews Paramount Skydance’s Warner Bros. deal.”

“President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly celebrated the wealthy Ellison family’s growing media empire in recent days, even as the Trump administration is reviewing Paramount Skydance’s deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery and its assets including CNN for $110 billion.. .”

“Trump’s fresh praise for the Ellisons comes as the president has spent weeks insulting the press over their coverage of the Iran war. On Sunday, Trump alleged without evidence in a Truth Social post that news organizations were running AI-generated Iranian propaganda and should be charged with “TREASON for the dissemination of false information. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/17/trump-hegseth-praise-ellisons-approval/

“Winning” Against the Media?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 3/17/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Trump is bragging about the damage he’s done to the press”

Subhead:  “In a Truth Social post, the president cited high-profile TV news exits, public media defunding and canceled shows as proof he is ‘winning’ “

“Lost in the midst of President Donald Trump’s constant complaining about media coverage of the war in Iran, as well as FCC commissioner Brendan Carr’s threats to networks, was a weekend post on Trump’s Truth Social that revealed just how much contempt the president has toward the press.

“In the remarkably distressing post, Trump bragged about the damage he has done to the media.

“Under a section called “Gone,” Trump boasted of how PBS and NPR have been defunded. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-truth-social-press-news-media/

Reporters and Contradictions

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Article in Mother Jones by Anna Merlan, 3/11/26

Headline:  “The Pro-MAGA Press Can’t Agree on How to Cover Trump’s War on Iran”

Subhead:  “A combination of fight, flight, fawn, and freeze. ”

“Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth conducted a remarkably peevish press conference on the United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran. At various points, journalists in the briefing room asked—reasonably enough—whether there was ‘a concern of this spiraling into a longer war.’

“ ‘Did you not hear my remarks?’ Hegseth responded, sounding indignant. . .”

“The prickly exchange was notable, considering that the current Pentagon press pool is almost entirely made up of right-wing outlets who typically provide overwhelmingly pro-Trump coverage. The previous Pentagon press corps walked out en masse in October after refusing to sign a restrictive media policy and were largely replaced by a variety of conservative media organizations and influencers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/maga-press-iran-war-donald-trump/

No Press Pass For You

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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

Indigenous Media in Trouble

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Liam Scott, 3/10/26

Headline:  “On Standing Rock, Local News Is Teetering”

Subhead:  “ ‘We are like living ghosts,’ the editor of the Teton Times said.”

“In January, the Lakota Times, a newspaper based in southwestern South Dakota, on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, abruptly announced its closure, citing ‘unforeseen circumstances and health issues.’ Avis Red Bear, an Indigenous journalist based in McLaughlin, a small town in the center of the Standing Rock reservation, took the closure of the Lakota Times especially hard. . .”

“To other Indigenous journalists, Red Bear helped pioneer the importance of independent Indigenous media. ‘She stands as a beacon of tenacity and commitment to producing local news,’ said Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, founder of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, which publishes the independent news site Buffalo’s Fire. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/standing-rock-local-news-teetering-teton-lakota-times-sioux-native-indigenous-media-avis-red-bear.php