Media Turmoil

Something Not Smelling Right?

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 9/23/26

Headline: “A foul Musk lingers over the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger”

“The conservative owners of the Paramount media empire are reportedly considering approaching billionaire Elon Musk for an investment.

“If a deal is made, it would give the GOP donor influence over Paramount—as well as Warner Bros. Discovery, which Paramount is set to acquire.

“Musk is a longtime friend of billionaire Larry Ellison, who owns Paramount alongside his son, David Ellison. Larry was an investor in Musk’s bid to buy Twitter. Now called X, its algorithms have been changed by Musk to promote hateful, bigoted, and conspiratorial content. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/9/23/800102363/media/musk-lingers-over-paramount-warner-bros-merger/

Coming Storm in the Media

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review By Carolina Abbott Galvão, Ivan L. Nagy and Riddhi Setty, 9/23/26

Headline: “How Should We Cover the Climate Story?”

Subhead:  “Speaking with climate reporters about staying on the beat—because, as Bill McKibben put it, ‘for better or for worse, by this time next year, there’s no doubt in my mind that climate coverage will be at the forefront.’”

“. . .Climate journalism can feel like a series of devastating yet foreseeable tragedies, all happening against a drumbeat of bad news—like the United Nations report this month that global temperatures will rise past a dangerous threshold. Meanwhile, climate desks at legacy organizations have shrunk or disbanded, including at NPR. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/how-should-we-cover-the-climate-story.php

Punish Others for Your Own Leaks?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 9/23/26

Headline: “The Source Behind the Ban”

Subhead: “The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, Status has learned.”

“. . .The White House singled out six stories published by POLITICO, including a June 2026 article that cited a ‘senior administration official’ who put the odds of the U.S. striking a deal with Iran to end the war at between 80 and 85 percent. That senior administration official, Status has learned, was none other than Vice President JD Vance. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/white-house-press-ban-jd-vance-source-iran

CNN in quicksand After Paramount?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Amos Barshad, 9/22/26

Headline:  “Done and Dusted”

Subhead:  “With the collapse of the California-led challenge to Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros., the future of an independent CNN hangs in the balance.”

“William Tong is the attorney general of Connecticut, a member of a coalition of states that, up until this weekend, was suing to stop Paramount’s 111-billion-dollar merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. . . Deep into Sunday night, Tong told me, ‘I was fighting. I wasn’t willing to concede until late into the evening.’ That fight is now officially over: a consent decree has laid out Paramount’s legally obligated concessions, allowing the merger to go forward. A string of major entertainment and news entities—including CNN and CBS—will be under the control of one corporate behemoth controlled by the Ellison family. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/done-and-dusted-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-takeover-california-states-challenge-collapse-attorneys-general-independent-cnn-consent-decree.php

Paramount Smiling – Sketchy Deal?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 9/21/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s Bonta Blowout”

Subhead: “David Ellison worked the phones over the weekend to secure a settlement for his Warners takeover—but the deal’s supposed safeguard for CNN is already drawing skepticism from inside the network as staffers brace for what’s next.”

“On Monday afternoon, Paramount boss David Ellison and California Attorney General Rob Bonta formally announced that they had struck a deal to resolve the major antitrust lawsuit threatening the company’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. In announcing the settlement, ending a lawsuit brought by a dozen states and led by California, Ellison reiterated his belief that uniting the two companies through the mega-deal will ‘build’ a ‘stronger Hollywood.’

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/david-ellison-paramount-cnn-board-bonta-settlement

Ban All Media Except Paramount?

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Article in The Wrap by Kim Murphy, 9/19/26

Headline: “Elizabeth Warren Blasts Paramount Merger Settlement Talks: ‘Massive Mistake to Cave’”

Subhead: “The senator cites CNN’s ban from the White House in warning that the merger could create a ‘Trump-controlled media conglomerate'”

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) issued a warning Saturday that it would be a ‘massive mistake to cave’ on 12 states’ lawsuit against Paramount Skydance’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warren’s statement comes amid reports that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is in advanced talks on a potential settlement with the company, which would remove the only remaining regulatory hurdle impending the transaction. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/public-policy-legal/elizabeth-warren-paramount-merger-settlement-massive-mistake/

Mediasphere Erupts Over Purge!

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 9/18/26

Headline: “‘Straight Out of the Authoritarian Playbook’: Trump Bans CNN, MSNOW, and Politico From White House”

Subhead: “One press freedom advocate said it was “difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

“Donald Trump announced in a Friday afternoon tirade that he would ban CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from the White House. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-bans-news-networks

Coverage on this issue from some other sources:

Status News:  https://www.status.news/p/trump-press-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico

Axios:  https://www.axios.com/2026/09/18/trump-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico-white-house

AP News:  https://apnews.com/article/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-media-bans-bb675679fb10738a51bef90bde6c525a

Reuters:  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-bans-media-outlets-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house-2026-09-18/

The Hill:  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6098639-trump-bans-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/

Local News, New Flight Path

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Article in Poynter 9/16/26,by Stephanie Edgerly and Tim Franklin

Headline:  “Local news audiences aren’t disappearing, but their habits are changing fast”

Subhead:  “A three-year Medill survey found declining TV and radio use, growing reliance on smartphones and creators, and deep skepticism about AI in news”

“In 2024, the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University conducted its first in-depth survey of Chicago-area news consumers to understand how smartphones and social media were remaking the relationship between audiences and local news. . .”

“This article was originally published by Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative. . .”

Read the full  article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/medill-survey-local-news-consumption-2026/

NBC Interviews a Bot, Really!

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Article in Mediaite by Ahmed Austin Jr., 9/14/26

Headline: “‘How Bizarre Is This?’ NBC News Airs Interview with AI-Generated Actress”

“NBC News aired an interview Monday that entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas conducted with an AI actress named Tilly Norwood.

“The interview premiered on Monday morning’s edition of 3rd Hour of Today. While introducing the interview, co-host Al Roker remarked, ‘How bizarre is this?’ Melas then added it was ‘quite an assignment’ before the segment began.

“Melas effectively did the interview like she would with any other virtual interview, with her speaking to Norwood via video call. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/how-bizarre-is-this-nbc-news-airs-interview-with-ai-generated-actress/

Hen in a Foxhouse

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 9/14/26

Headline: “She’s Donald Trump’s least-favorite Fox News host. But Jessica Tarlov remains undeterred”

Subhead: “The 42-year-old liberal commentator regularly co-hosts the network’s 5pm talk show, taking flak from her conservative colleagues and harsh insults from the president.”

“. . .The US president regularly bashes Tarlov on his Truth Social platform, in April calling her “one of the Least Attractive and Talented People on all of Television”, and demanding that Fox “GET HER OFF THE AIR.”

But, as a rotating co-host of political talkshow The Five, the 42-year-old former pollster and Democratic strategist has carved out a prominent role for herself as the network’s most capable messenger for the left, regularly doing battle with conservative co-panelists like Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/14/jessica-tarlov-fox-news-liberal