Media News

News about the media.

Spanish-Language Media Shift

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Media Matters illustration

Article in Media Matters by Monica Rodriguez, Janos Balazs & Torri Lonergan, 10/15/26

Headline:  “Discontent in Spanish-language conservative media illustrates GOP’s deteriorating Hispanic coalition”

“Since early in his second term, President Donald Trump has been facing criticism from Spanish-language right-wing media figures over his approach to the economy, the Iran war, and mass deportation. This fall — as some of these figures have warned that Republicans will suffer in the midterm elections as a result of the administration ‘failing’ on immigration and economic policy — polls suggest that Latino voters could be a major swing demographic in November. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/spanish-language-media/discontent-spanish-language-conservative-media-illustrates-gops

Press Secretary – No Press?

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Article in The Guardian by Shrai Popat, 10/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s new press secretary says it’s ‘unknown’ how much she’ll deal with media”

Subhead:  “Katie Zacharia tells Guardian her first, widely panned, press briefing followed whirlwind sprint to appoint her to key role”

“Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary says it is ‘unknown’ how much she will engage with the press or hold briefings with reporters, as she faces mounting questions over her legal credentials.. . .”

“Now the White House press secretary, she also would not clarify on Thursday how often she intended to brief the press. . . ‘and that Trump “is his best spokesperson, and I will interact as needed’.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/15/katie-zacharia-trump-press-secretary-interview

Public Radio Breaks With Universities

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Luch Schillerm 10/13/26

Headline: “All They’re Going to Hear Is Capitulation”

Subhead: “The Trump administration’s ideological attacks on public media and education converge at university-based radio stations. Some are breaking free.”

“. . .Sarah Morris calls it a “conscious uncoupling.” She is the general manager of KCUR, the major NPR station in Kansas City; her station is licensed to the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and has been since 1957. The two entities—the University of Missouri and KCUR—decided in 2025 to separate in a style Morris characterized as ‘believed to be mutually beneficial, friendly and well down the path toward independence’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/all-theyre-going-to-hear-is-capitulation-trump-attacks-public-media-education-university-radio-stations-kut-npr-texas.php

After Merger, Comes the Cutting

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Article in Reuters by Deborah Mary Sophia and Neil J Kanatt, 10/1/26

Headline:  “David Ellison’s appointment of Kreiz brings cost-cutter to Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery”

“. . .David Ellison’s choice of Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz as his co-captain at the new Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery signals what the media behemoth will care about most: running a lean, cost-efficient ​business that can pump more money out of its storied franchises. . .”

“That skillset positions Kreiz well to take on the task of knitting together two legacy media giants saddled with roughly $80 billion in debt while delivering the $6 billion in cost-savings promised from the industry-shaping merger. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/david-ellisons-appointment-of-kreiz-brings-cost-cutter-paramount-warner-bros-2026-10-01/

Citizens Worried About Press Freedom

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Article in UPI by By Jill Keppeler, 9/29/26

Headline: “Percentage who say U.S. media have ‘a lot’ of freedom hits new low”

“. . .Slightly more than two in three Americans now say that U.S. news media have “a lot” of freedom, a new low, a Gallup poll released Tuesday said.

“The percentage shows a marked political divide. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/29/perception-of-press-freedom-hits-new-low/5151790716634/

 

Carr Accident

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Article in Status, by Oliver Darcy, 9/29/26

Headline: “Comcast’s Carr Calculation”

Subhead: “While the company announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal, Status has learned executives are weighing whether to hang on to their local television stations rather than risk a fight with Trump’s FCC.”

“Earlier this summer, when Comcast announced that it would spin off its NBCUniversal assets into a separate company, most of the industry assumed that the conglomerate’s owned-and-operated television stations would be divested with the rest of the media portfolio. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/comcast-nbc-stations-spinoff-fcc-brendan-carr

Report on Opposing Side?

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Article in Mediaite by Zachary Leeman, 9/25/26

Headline: “New York Times Hits Back at Critics Slamming Their Reporter for Attending Briefing With Iranian President”

“. . .The backlash got loud enough that New York Times spokesperson Nicole Taylor dropped a statement pushing back:

” ‘Our reporter Farnaz Fassihi is being unfairly criticized for attending a briefing with Iran’s president and foreign minister, a meeting she attended along with editors and reporters from major American and British new outlets. This is what newsgathering looks like; reporting conversations conducted with Iranian government officials is standard, legally protected journalistic work. Never before has a head of government attended the U.N. General Assembly while at war with the United States; our reporting on Tehran’s proposals provides the public with insight into Iran’s negotiating strategy and prospects for peace.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/new-york-times-hits-back-at-critics-slamming-their-reporter-for-attending-briefing-with-iranian-president/

Streaming Killing Public Media?

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Article in The Guardian by Mark Sweney, 9/19/26

Headline:  “‘A losing battle’: will UK public service broadcasters survive amid US onslaught?”

Subhead:  “Jobs and programme budgets in firing line at BBC, Channel 4 and ITV as they are outgunned by YouTube and Netflix“

“‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC or Channel 4 disappeared,’ says one of the thousands of TV staff at risk of redundancy, as British broadcasters face what has rapidly become a fight for survival against US digital rivals.

“’My generation grew up with Netflix and YouTube … Honestly, I feel like it is a losing battle.’

“Over the course of the summer the crisis facing the UK’s biggest public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV – has reached fever pitch amid announcements of deep job cuts and talk of business models unfit to face up to the deep-pocketed streamers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/19/uk-public-service-broadcasters-us-bbc-channel-4-itv-netflix-disney-amazon

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/

Radio Active Magazine 9/8/26

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Headline:  “Today’s Radio Active Magazine & Media & Democracy for Sept. 19: ‘The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy’

Tune in to http://KKFI.ORG for thelive episode 6:00 PM CST.

“The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy is the theme of to night’s Radio Active Magazine, to be released a week from Saturday, Sept. 19, as ‘Media & Democracy’ on Audioport for Pacifica.

This features a presentation by Rachel Clark about news media in the US and Japan and their impact on the political economy.

The podcast with a video and highlights is available in the article on “The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy” on Wikiversity: