Press Freedom

Media History Repeated?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by John Alsop, 6/16/25

Headline:  “The Other Echoes of 2020”

Subhead:  “How this media moment mirrors the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, beyond police attacks on the press.”

Last week, I wrote in this newsletter about attacks, mostly perpetrated by law enforcement, on journalists covering the protests that followed the recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, and how they echoed the summer of 2020, when police assaulted journalists covering the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd: an Australian TV reporter was hit while talking to camera, which also happened in 2020; ditto the on-air detention of a CNN correspondent; as of last Monday, the US Press Freedom Tracker was working to document at least twenty-six anti-press incidents in LA . . . As last week progressed, the echoes continued: the confirmed number of injured Australian journalists alone jumped to three; an LA police officer was caught on camera shoving and screaming at an ABC journalist; as of Friday, the Press Freedom Tracker was working to document at least fifty anti-press incidents.  . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/other-echoes-2020-floyd-padilla-australia.php

No Coverage for Disasters?

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Article in Indian Country Today by Annie Rosenthal and Chad Bradley, 6/16/25

Headline:  “What defunding public media would mean for the West”

Subhead: “Data show that rural, tribal and Western stations would be most impacted by the Trump administration’s attempt to cut funding for the Center for Public Broadcasting. “

“Late last fall, members of Bethel, Alaska’s search and rescue team met at the local public radio station, KYUK, for a program called River Watch. Over an hour and a half, they took calls from listeners around the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, comparing notes on the safety of the ice at different points along the Kuskokwim River. . .”

“He wanted to warn listeners in other towns: “There is no trail right now. None of the open water is marked. So it’s advised not to be traveling back and forth from Aniak.”

KYUK is the only daily news source for the region, which is roughly the size of Oregon, and River Watch is a staple of its programming. . .”

Read the full article at:  

https://ictnews.org/news/what-defunding-public-media-would-mean-for-the-west/

 

Journalist Survival Kit

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Article in Poynter by Al Tompkins, 6/13/25

Headline: “25 guidelines for journalists to safely cover unrest”

“Your goal should be to get close enough to observe the scene without endangering yourself or others, or interfering with security or rescue operations”

“With protests scheduled around the country on Saturday, Poynter is republishing a 2021 article with tips about covering unrest. . .”

“1. Your attitude is crucial. Show respect, follow police orders, don’t argue while tensions are high. To avoid being mistaken for a demonstrator, use your best judgment and try not to wear clothing that matches what demonstrators are wearing (e.g., all black). Also, engage with police before the event so they know who you are and may be less likely to arrest you. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2025/25-guidelines-for-journalists-to-safely-cover-unrest/

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Article in FAIR by Shirlynn, 6/13/25

Headline:  “For Media, Unruly Protesters Are Bigger Problem Than Trump’s Police State”

Subhead: ” ‘Violence’ and ‘anarchists’ “

“While major media sources described these protests as ‘mostly peaceful,’ they nevertheless tended to dwell on what was depicted as rioting and protester violence. In its morning newsletter, the New York Times (6/9/25) set the scene:

” ‘Hundreds of National Guard troops arrived in the city, and crowds of people demonstrated against President Trump’s immigration raids. They clashed with federal agents, leaving burned cars, broken barricades and graffiti scrawled across government buildings downtown.’ ”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/for-media-unruly-protesters-are-bigger-problem-than-trumps-police-state/

 

Clawing Public Media

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Public Media is NOT State-media

Article in Democracy Now by Staff 6/13/25

Headline:  “House Approves Trump Request to Rescind $9.4B for Foreign Aid and Public Media”

“The U.S. House on Thursday approved in a 214-212 vote President Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for international aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, which will freeze $8.3 billion in appropriated foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public media, pending another vote in the Senate.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/13/headlines/house_approves_trump_request_to_rescind_94b_for_foreign_aid_and_public_media

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Article in the New York Times by Megan Mineiro & Catie Edmondson, 6/13/25

Headline:  “Trump’s $1.1 Billion Public Broadcasting Clawback Faces Pushback in the Senate”

Subhead: “Some Republican senators are voicing concern over the House-passed bill that would rescind $9 billion that Congress already approved, including money for NPR and PBS stations in their states.”

“Dakota Talk Radio in the tiny town of Lake Andes, S.D., is one of dozens of rural radio stations across the United States that could see more than half of its budget vanish.

“The station in Unalakleet, Alaska, a remote village in the western Arctic, could lose more than 90 percent of its funding.

“President Trump’s plan to claw back $9 billion in spending already approved by Congress, which Republicans pushed through the House this week and is pending in the Senate, would slash $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/politics/trump-public-broadcasting-senate.html

 

VOA Back to Iran?

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Article in Raw Story by Daniel Hampton, 6/13/25

Headline: “Voice of America service airing to Iran ‘urgently called back’ amid airstrikes “

“A government-funded international broadcaster that provides news in Persian and which primarily targets audiences in Iran has been ‘urgently called back,’ according to reports.

“The Voice of America Persian Service was cut by President Donald Trump in a March 15 executive order that shut down VOA Persian TV, along with other U.S.-funded international broadcasters. The service’s funding was cut and nearly all staff were placed on administrative leave.

“But VOA Persian is widely regarded as a vital channel to reach Iranian audiences with independent news and United States viewpoints, as Iran wields tight control over the media. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/voice-of-america-2672366377/

 

Is Manufactured News, News?

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Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 6/12/25

Headline:  “Avoiding the media trap of the military parade”

Subhead:  “Help Americans see that standing against authoritarianism is patriotic.”

The military parade and protests planned for this Saturday present the media with a big opportunity to educate America. . .”

“They can explain why any hint of this being a birthday celebration for President Donald Trump rather than a celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday is not befitting a democracy, in which the people — not one person — rule. . .”

The media can help Americans who don’t follow the news closely understand why moves from the Trump administration endanger our democracy . . . And, crucially, the media can fact check those who try to use this Saturday to push anti-democratic movements under simplistic slogans.”

But instead, here’s what we’re likely to see: two-dimensional reporting that fails to dig into the issues and partisan reporting that casts the two sides as good guys vs. bad guys. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/avoiding-the-media-trap-of-the-military

Community Media Saved!

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Article in Poynter by Sopie Endrud, 6/11/25

Headline: “Facing severe budget cuts, a local television station leaned on its community — and succeeded”

Subhead:  “Prince George’s Community Television in Maryland saw an impending 75% budget slash. Instead of capitulating, the station made its value known”

“The campaign to save Prince George’s Community Television culminated at a two-hour-long county budget hearing, where 37 people wearing ‘Save CTV’ pins implored their county council to save the station.

“Jaylan Sims stood at the lectern on April 28, his voice cracking as he held up his volunteer ID card from nine years ago.

“ ‘I kept it in my room because CTV meant that much to me,’ he told the council.

“ ‘They taught me things that no other news station teaches,’ he continued. He had been allowed to use CTV’s camera and teleprompter to complete class assignments at Bowie State University. Now, a recent graduate, he credited CTV for making that achievement possible. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/prince-georges-community-tv-saved-budget-hearing/

Public Media Could be in Trouble

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PUBLIC MEDIA IS NOT STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA

Article in The Washington Post by Patrick Marley, 6/10/25

Headline:  “Rural Republicans used to back NPR. Then MAGA changed everything.”

Subhead:  “Public media is facing its biggest challenge as it fights off a vote to eliminate its federal funding.”

“. . .Polarized views of public broadcasting, along with a splintered and increasingly online media environment, pose a problem for NPR, PBS and their audiences, who will need some Republicans to break ranks to prevent the cuts that Trump is demanding as part of a larger package of budget reductions that the House will consider as soon as Tuesday. . .”

“According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in March, 43 percent of Americans supported continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS, 24 percent backed ending funding and 33 percent were unsure. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/10/npr-cuts-rural-congress/

 

No Protection for Journalists?

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Article in Common Dreams by Eloise Goldsmith, 6/9/25

Headline:  “Reporters Without Borders Decries ‘Wave of Violence’ Against Journalists at LA Protests”

Subhead:  ” ‘These protests are a matter of huge public interest and the public has a right to know exactly what’s going on,’ said the executive director of RSF USA.”

“The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, also known as RSF, on Monday condemned recorded attacks carried out largely by law enforcement, but also by protestors, against journalists reporting on protests that took place in Los Angeles this past weekend. . .”

” ‘The wave of violence against journalists on the streets of Los Angeles this weekend is unacceptable. These protests are a matter of huge public interest and the public has a right to know exactly what’s going on. The only way that can happen is if journalists are allowed to do their jobs freely,’ said Clayton Weimers, the executive director of RSF USA.

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/los-angeles-rsf-reporters-immigration

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Article in in Committee to Project Journalists by Staff, 6/9/25

Headline:  “Law enforcement injure multiple journalists, others assaulted while covering Los Angeles protests”

“We are greatly concerned by the reports of law enforcement officers’ shooting non-lethal rounds at reporters covering protests in Los Angeles. Any attempt to discourage or silence media coverage by intimidating or injuring journalists should not be tolerated,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. ‘ . . .“

Read the full article at:

https://cpj.org/2025/06/law-enforcement-injure-multiple-journalists-others-assaulted-while-covering-los-angeles-protests/

 

Reporters Expose Things

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jon Alsop, 6/9/25

Headline: “Doin’ It Live”

Subhead:  “A timely televised play won’t save the republic.”

“Fuck it! We’ll do it live! These, of course, are the immortal words of Bill O’Reilly. But George Clooney had a similar thought recently—involving a different former CBS newsman—when he decided to mount a live televised production of Good Night, and Good Luck, a Broadway play that he cowrote, based on a movie that he cowrote, based on Edward R. Murrow’s famous takedown of the demagogue Joseph McCarthy in the fifties. . .”

“Of course, Clooney and CNN were also interested in televising the show because its subject matter is supremely relevant right now, as every journalist covering it dutifully pointed out. The historical echoes ‘are extraordinary,’ even ‘eerie,’ CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote, noting the play’s themes of ‘unrestrained political power, corporate timidity and journalistic integrity.’ Clooney told the Times that, “unfortunately, this play always is timely. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/doin-it-live-clooney-cnn-good-night-good-luck-tv-live-broadcast-murrow-friendly-mccarthy.php