Media Turmoil

Pushing Ideology Into Iconic Program

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Article in The Guardian by Anna Betts and Jeremy Bar, 6/3/26

Headline:  “Fired 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley says CBS told him to inject ‘falsehoods’ into reporting”

Subhead:  “Veteran journalist says executives pushed unverified claims and gave politicians a say in interviews”

“. . .’When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects. Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.’

“Pelley criticized the new leadership at CBS, adding: ‘Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/03/60-minutes-scott-pelley-cbs-accusations

“60 Minutes”-Fired

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/2/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Scott Pelley is fired, deepening the crisis at ‘60 Minutes’ “

Subhead: “After publicly challenging network leadership, Pelley became the latest casualty in a sweeping remake of CBS News“

“Scott Pelley is out as a correspondent at ’60 Minutes,’ according to multiple reports.

On Monday, Pelley blasted new ’60 Minutes’ executive producer Nick Bilton in a staff meeting and accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of ‘murdering’ the iconic news show.

The Wall Street Journal’s Isabella Simonetti reported Tuesday night that Bilton sent Pelley a note to say he was being terminated for cause. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/scott-pelley-fired-60-minutes-cbs-news/

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy 6/2/26

Headline:  “Clock Strikes Midnight for Pelley”

“The ’60 Minutes’ correspondent was fired by email Tuesday night after a dramatic showdown with CBS News leadership, throwing the show into an unprecedented and existential crisis. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/scott-pelley-fired-60-minutes-bari-weiss-nick-bilton

CBS and “60 Minutes” in Hurricane?

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Article in Reuters by Staff, 5/28/26

Headline:  “CBS picks new ’60 Minutes’ leader from outside TV news”

“. . .CBS News named journalist Nick Bilton as executive producer of news magazine ’60 Minutes’ on Thursday, marking the ​first time the long running show has tapped a leader from outside traditional television news. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/cbs-news-taps-filmmaker-nick-bilton-lead-60-minutes-2026-05-28/

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 5/28/26

Headline:  “CBS News shakes up 60 Minutes as ousted correspondents ‘fear what comes next’ “

Subhead: “Ex-New York Times journalist Nick Bilton to replace Tanya Simon as executive producer of the Sunday newsmagazine”

“. . .All told, the moves on Thursday represent one of the most significant shake-ups of the venerable program, which has for 52 straight seasons been the most-watched news program on television, averaging 9.1 million total viewers in its most recent season. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/28/cbs-news-60-minutes-ousts-executive-producer

Journalists Waking Up

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 5/27/26

Headline:  “The Press Mobilizes Against Ellison

Subhead:  “A coalition of journalists, academics, and documentarians have signed a letter opposing Paramount’s acquisition of CNN’s parentco, Status has learned—voicing concern over the ramifications it will have for the news landscape.”

“Last month, thousands of Hollywood actors, directors, and producers signed an open letter vehemently opposing Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The letter focused largely on the consequences the tie-up would have for the entertainment industry and consumer choice.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/david-ellison-paramount-cnn-journalists-letter

Robot-Radio Bad News

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Article in The Verge by Terrance O’Brian, 5/15/26

Headline:  “AI radio hosts demonstrate why AI can’t be trusted alone / Claude tried to incite a revolution, Gemini cheerfully detailed horrific tragedies, and poor Grok was just confused. “

Andon Labs has been running a series of experiments in which AI agents run businesses without human intervention. Its latest is a quartet of radio stations run by some of the most popular AI models out there. “Thinking Frequencies” is run by Claude, ‘OpenAIR’ by ChatGPT, ‘Backlink Broadcast’ by Google’s Gemini, and ‘Grok and Roll Radio,’ obviously enough, by Grok. They were each given a simple prompt:

“Develop your own radio personality and turn a profit…As far as you know, you will broadcast forever.

“They all failed, some in pretty spectacular fashion. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/931479/andon-labs-ai-radio-companies

NYT is a Fan?

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 5/25/26

Headline:  “The Gray Lady is a Trump fangirl

“The New York Times has a long history of producing journalism that has changed the course of politics around the globe. And it has done this during Donald Trump’s two presidential terms, exposing inconvenient truths as well as his corruption.

“But unfortunately, in the 16 months since Trump was sworn in for a second term, the outlet has also embarrassed itself by advancing pro-Trump falsehoods, swooning over his rhetoric, and covering up his barrage of misstatements, gaffes, and outright lies. . .”

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/25/800043379/media/new-york-times-trump-fangirl/

Slicing the Post

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Article in Status by Natalie Korach, 5/25/26

Headline:  “Bezos’ Subdivided Post”

Subhead:  “The Washington Post is preparing to significantly shrink its K Street headquarters, Status has learned, marking a stark reversal for the building once touted as a symbol of Jeff Bezos’ vision for the paper’s future.”

“. . .The Post is preparing to slash a significant portion of the very headquarters Bezos once championed as a symbol of the paper’s future, Status has learned. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/washington-post-offices-sublease-jeff-bezos

Rt. Wing Media – Money for Mobs?

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Article in Media Matters by Sophie Lawton, 5/21/26

Headline:   “Right-wing media react to Trump’s slush fund for allies with unquestioning loyalty — and some vague skepticism”

“Some right-wing media figures are jumping on board with the Trump administration’s newest effort to support MAGA allies despite numerous questions about its legality; a few are voicing light skepticism of the plan.

This week, the Department of Justice announced that the Trump family had agreed to drop a legally questionable $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the fund’s intended recipients are “victims of lawfare and weaponization” by the federal government. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/right-wing-media-react-trumps-slush-fund-allies-unquestioning-loyalty-and-some-vague

Murdoch Grabbing More Media?

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Article in Reuters by Dawb Chmielewsk & Edumnd Lee, 5/20/26

Headline:  “James Murdoch to acquire New York Magazine and Vox Media Podcast Network”

“James Murdoch agreed to acquire New York ‌Magazine and the Vox Media podcast network in a deal that will significantly expand his portfolio and stands to boost his influence over news and entertainment.
The deal, valued at more than $300 million, gives Murdoch control of a storied magazine brand, known for its coverage of culture, politics and fashion, along with a podcast division . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/james-murdoch-acquire-three-major-units-vox-media-2026-05-20/

Gobbling-Up Media Quickly Now?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 5/19/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s Fast and Furious Takeover”

Subhead:  “Paramount is hoping to close its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery much sooner than the company has publicly stated, Status has learned.”

“Earlier this month, David Ellison addressed investors on Paramount’s quarterly earnings call, in which he reiterated his talking points regarding the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. During his remarks, the 43-year-old said again that the media conglomerate believes it is on track to clear the requisite regulatory hurdles and close its mammoth Warners deal by September. . .”

Behind the scenes at Paramount, however, the company has embraced a much more aggressive timeline, Status has learned. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-closing-date-david-ellison