Media Uber Alles


Article in The Nation by Steve Scherer, 3/20/26

Headline:  “Correspondent to Uber Driver”

Subhead:  “I once documented human displacement and desperation. Now, due to a crumbling media ecosystem, I am living it.”

“. . .After serving as Reuters’s Ottawa bureau chief for five years, my job was eliminated in a cost-cutting drive. . .”

“As a correspondent who covered politics on two continents, I have seen politicians in other countries use immigrants as scapegoats. It’s always a deadly approach, especially for the immigrants. But Trump needs scapegoats to distract from the gaping wound that is the relentless shrinking of America’s once-great middle class. That social grouping once included me. But not anymore. . . .”

“South of the border, in the United States, more than 10,000 journalists lost their jobs between 2022 and 2024, according to Nieman Reports. . .”

“When I lost my job, I told myself, ‘If all else fails, I’ll drive for Uber.’ Well, here I am, and it’s not as comforting as I thought it would be. I used to think I was different from the migrants I wrote about—protected by a passport, a salary, a press badge. But the past two years have stripped away that illusion. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/from-foreign-correspondent-to-uber-driver/

Internet Media in Trouble?

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

Notice on Washington Post

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

Join or Fight AI?

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Stephen J. Adler, 3/13/26

Headline:  “How Journalists Can Make AI Work for Them”

Subhead:  “A framework for newsrooms to use AI in ways that don’t sacrifice quality or lessen oversight.”

“Ask a working journalist about AI, and you’re likely to hear a string of expletives, an indictment of tech companies, and—especially if the person is over fifty—a searing lament for times past.

“The use of AI in journalism has recently created controversy everywhere from the Cleveland Plain Dealer to the Associated Press, as many reporters have passionately disagreed with managers who have insisted on its value in reporting and drafting stories. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/how-journalists-can-make-ai-work-for-them.php

No Press Pass For You

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

War – Not Iran – But MAGA Media

 

Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 3/6/26

Headline: ” ‘You unbelievable coward’: conservative US media in open warfare over Iran”

Subhead:  “Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin are all trading blows over US involvement – while Sean Hannity says he’s staying out of it”

“The stars of the conservative media movement have been duking it out – in extremely personal terms – over Donald Trump’s decision to enter the United States into a conflict with Iran.

While it can be hard to cleanly group the warring factions, much of the fighting has centered on disagreements about whether the US is too deferential to Israeli interests. Those arguing that position most prominently include former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, while conservative media personalities like Mark Levin (a current Fox News host) and Ben Shapiro have strongly supported both the American intervention in Iran and collaboration with Israel. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/06/conservative-media-open-warfare-over-iran

Newspaper Gets it Right

Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 3/4/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Inside The Star Tribune’s coverage of the Minneapolis immigration raids”

Subhead:  “Publisher and CEO Steve Grove shares how the paper balanced aggressive reporting with care for journalists covering a deeply personal story”

“One of the biggest news stories of 2026 has been the immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, and the protests that have gone along with those operations. Some 4,000 federal agents descended on the Twin Cities back in January, sparking a story that gathered massive national attention.

“The story tragically gained even more attention on Jan. 7 when Renee Good, a poet and mother of three, was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Two weeks later, an ICU nurse named Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent.

“As I said, this was a huge national story. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/minnesota-star-tribune-coverage-ice-raids/

War Concerns Show Up in Media

 


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

Headline: “Opinion | As coverage intensifies, polls show Americans are uneasy about the Iran strikes”

Subhead:  “Nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the strikes and just as many don’t believe President Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation”

“. . .A CNN poll shows 59% of Americans disapprove of the attack. The poll also found that 60% of Americans don’t believe President Donald Trump has ‘a clear plan for handling the situation’. . .’

“Meanwhile, The Washington Post texted 1,000 Americans to get their thoughts on the attack. The results: 45% opposed, 39% supported and 17% were unsure. In addition, 47% said the U.S. should stop military strikes, compared to 25% who said they should continue.. .”

The New York Times ran interesting side-by-side videos on its homepage on Monday. As I just referenced above, there was a clip of Trump saying, ‘I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.’ Again, that was in 2024. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-negative-polling-iran-strikes/

Some Media Justify Bombing?


Article in FAIR by Belén Fernández, 3/2/26

Headline:  “US Media Mostly Care for Iranians When They Can Be Used to Justify Bombing”

“. . .In the aftermath of the strikes, certain US corporate media outlets unleashed ostensible critiques of the war—having apparently spontaneously forgotten their own fundamental role in paving the warpath by devoting the past several decades to demonizing the Iranian government (or ‘regime,’ as we are required to refer to imperial foes). . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/us-media-mostly-care-for-iranians-when-they-can-be-used-to-justify-bombing/

CNN Now Discovering Evidence?

Article in Mediaite by Tommy Christopher, 2/26/26

Headline: CNN Anchors Make Major Change To Trump-Epstein Sex Crimes Disclaimer Amid Bombshell Revelations”

“. . .For months, CNN anchors and reporters have frequently followed their discussions of Trump and Epstein by saying, for example: “We should point out there is no evidence of wrongdoing against President Trump related to Epstein.’ That verbiage has been used as recently as this past week. . . .’

“On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, host Anderson Cooper reported on the new development with a new disclaimer, telling viewers “we should point out here the President has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein” . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/cnn-anchors-make-major-change-to-trump-epstein-sex-crimes-disclaimer-amid-bombshell-revelations/