Media Turmoil

Media Dinner Indigestion

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/27/26

Headline:  “Opinion | The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was an embarrassment”

Subhead:  “President Donald Trump’s hour of rambling, insults and ridicule left the association with little to celebrate”

“No president in the history of this country has devoted more energy and resources to trying to weaken the free press than President Donald Trump. He has sued, threatened, insulted and tried to intimidate the press, and has been successful in undermining the trust Americans have in one of the cornerstones of our democracy.

“And yet, there was Trump last Friday, being handed a microphone by the WHCA to say whatever he wanted. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/white-house-correspondents-association-dinner-trump-speech/

Paramount Paused

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Article in The New York Times by Michelle Goldberg, 7/27/26

Headline:  “A Setback for the MAGA Media Takeover”

“. . .Historically, it’s unusual for the states to take the lead on antitrust enforcement actions,” reported Variety. But the case was strong enough that last week, a California judge issued a temporary restraining order putting the merger on hold. And on Friday, Paramount, which had hoped to close the deal this month, agreed to postpone the merger until next June or the end of the trial, whichever comes first. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/opinion/media-ellison-paramount.html

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Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng & Lucas Manfredi, 7/24/25

Headline: “Why Paramount Delayed Its Warner Bros. Takeover, What the Latest Legal Twist Means | Analysis”

Subhead: “With a costly ticking fee looming, Paramount is banking on a speedy trial”

“It looked like a victory on Friday for opponents of Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount agreed to push back the acquisition — all the way to as far as next summer.

But, as with everything in this M&A saga, it’s not that simple.  . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-merger-delay-explained/

Losing His Grip on Media?

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Article in Media Matters by Staff, 7/24/26

Headline: “. . .Trump’s grasp on current issues has faded because ‘he’s no longer connected to the media landscape that used to give him that insight’

Subhead:  “. . .Fox News is just echoing back to him what they think he wants to hear. All the people around him are totally sycophantic. … The incentives are just so deeply baked in now that they’ve forgotten how to have their own opinion.”

Listen to the audio at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/ms-now-msnbc/angelo-carusone-ms-nows-line-trumps-grasp-current-issues-has-faded-because-hes-no

Acquisition – True or False?

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Article in The Babylon Bee by Staff, 7/25/25/26

Headline:  “Elon Musk Acquires Total Ownership Of The Economist“

“AUSTIN, TX — Over the course of a ninety-minute transaction, Elon Musk became the sole and absolute owner of The Economist.

“Though Musk had no reported prior interest in the aging magazine, Musk acquired total ownership of the company during a sit-down with The Economist’s Zanny Beddoes.

” ‘Well, that didn’t quite go as planned,’ sighed Beddoes, handing over her employee badge to Musk. ‘Here you go, Elon. I’ll, uh, just see myself out.’

“Musk, for his part, offered Beddoes the option to stay on with the company, on the condition that she do actual journalism. Beddoes made several loud screeching sounds in response, apparently declining the offer. . .

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/elon-musk-acquires-total-ownership-of-the-economist

Media Merger Clock is Ticking

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Article in Reuters by Brody Godoy, 7/24/26

Headline: “Paramount agrees to pause Warner Bros deal while case plays out”

“. . .​on Friday agreed to pause its acquisition of Warner ‌Bros. Discovery until after a ruling on a challenge by states to the deal, plunging the $110 billion deal into further uncertainty.  . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/paramount-agrees-pause-warner-bros-deal-while-case-plays-out-2026-07-24/

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Article in Alternet America by Ryan Rose and Alternet America, 7/23/26

Headline:  “We Have 11 Days Until the Free Press Shrinks”

“They don’t call it censorship. They call it a merger.

“Twelve state attorneys general just sued to block Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. They say the deal would gut competition, raise prices, and shrink an already hollowed-out industry. A federal judge agreed enough to pump the brakes by issuing a 14-day restraining order.

“Three of those days are already gone.It’s not censorship when it’s a merger. That’s the whole trick. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternetamerica.com/

Media Monopoly Deal Delayed Again

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Article in The Wrap by Benjamin Lindsay, 7/23/26

Headline:  “Paramount-WBD Deal Delayed Again as Judge Extends Restraining Order by 2 Weeks”

Subhead:  “With Thursday’s ruling, the earliest David Ellison’s deal for Warner Bros. Discovery can close is Aug. 17″

“The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger was delayed further on Thursday after a federal judge extended the temporary restraining order pausing the deal by an additional two weeks, pushing the earliest date David Ellison could close the $110 billion deal to Aug. 17. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-restraining-order-extended-2-weeks/

Will Press Event Be Like Scotland “Black Dinner”?

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 7/22/26

Headline:  “The White House Correspondents’ Association takes another futile crack at celebrating the First Amendment with Donald Trump”

“What would it take for the White House Correspondents’ Association to withdraw its invitation to President Donald Trump to attend and speak at its annual dinner on Friday?

“The event theoretically functions as ‘a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy’ — two things it is comical to propose the president values. Trump’s treatment of the media in his second term has been characterized not only by vitriolic attacks on journalists and lawsuits aimed at a slew of news outlets but also by the use of the law enforcement and regulatory apparatus to punish reporters and steer news outlets into the hands of his cronies. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/white-house-correspondents-association-takes-another-futile-crack-celebrating-first

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/23/26

Headline: “Opinion | Is the White House Correspondents’ dinner headed for another mess?”

Subhead:  “The association says the dinner celebrates a free press. Trump will likely use it to attack the press.”

“Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has all the makings of a complete clown show.

“I was going to say it has all the makings of a complete disaster, but that is how you would describe the first attempt back in April. That dinner, you recall, had to be shut down after a gunman trying to enter the event shot a Secret Service agent. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/white-house-correspondents-dinner-rescheduled-trump/

Media Merger on Hold

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Article in UPI by Joe Fisher, 7/20/26

Headline:  “Judge temporarily halts Paramount, Warner Bros. merger”

Twelve state attorneys general won a court order on Monday to halt Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. for at least 14 days.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order to a coalition of 12 states, including New York and California, in their lawsuit to block Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 3. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/20/judge-grants-restraining-order-paramount-warner-bros/3721784575875/

Media Precedent Still Valid?

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Article in The New York Times by Adam Liptak, 7/16/26

Headline:  “Could a 50-Year-Old Case Thwart Trump’s Attacks on the News Media?”

Subhead:  “The precedent said that ‘official harassment of the press’ is forbidden by the First Amendment.”

“It has been more than half a century since the Supreme Court issued its only decision on whether the First Amendment allows prosecutors to force reporters to testify about their confidential sources.

“The meaning of that precedent, Branzburg v. Hayes, is contested, and how the courts apply it may determine the fate of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to compel journalists to reveal their sources. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/us/politics/the-docket-supreme-court-press.html

Media Crash by Paramount?

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Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng, 7/14/26

Headline:  “Paramount-Warner Bros. May Face Devastating Delay With State Antitrust Suit | Analysis”

Subhead:  “The state attorneys general’s effort lives and dies on whether it gets its request for a preliminary injunction to halt the merger granted”

“A dozen states have thrown the long-awaited wrench into the Paramount deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the prospect that its plan faces a delay it can ill afford.

“The 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, on Monday filed their lawsuit challenging the $110 billion merger, alleging the deal would reduce competition in the distribution of films and give the combined company too much power when negotiating with TV distributors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-what-happens-next-after-ags-lawsuit/

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:  “USA: It’s up to state attorneys general to save the US news ecosystem from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger”

“Time is running out to stop the proposed $111 billion merger between media conglomerates Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place some of the most influential news brands in the US and worldwide under the control of a single owner. . . Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges state attorneys general (AGs) to block this merger, warning that it would reduce Americans’ access to reliable information and undermine media pluralism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-it-s-state-attorneys-general-save-us-news-ecosystem-paramount-warner-bros-merger