Press Freedom

A Win or Free Speech

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Article in Daily Beast by Owen Mason-Hill 6/5/26

Headline: “John Oliver Defeats Defamation Suit After Damning Takedown”

“John Oliver’s brutal takedown of a U.S. healthcare manager who made the Last Week Tonight host want to ‘punch a hole in the wall’ has been protected by law.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, dismissed a defamation suit brought against Oliver, 49, by the subject of one of his HBO show’s ‘scathing critiques’ on Tuesday.

The win maintains Last Week Tonight’s perfect record against defamation lawsuits intact. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/john-oliver-wins-defamation-suit-after-damning-takedown/

CBS favors Trump?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Scott Pelley accuses CBS News leadership of favoring the Trump administration”

Subhead:  “In his first interview since being fired from CBS News, the former ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent also blasted leaders he says don’t understand TV news”

“. . .In the first interview since his controversial firing last week, Pelley spoke with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro and continued to make serious allegations about network leadership. He also went over in detail what led to the fiery meeting last week with new ’60 Minutes’ executive producer Nick Bilton, a former New York Times technology columnist and documentary filmmaker who has no real experience in traditional TV news. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/scott-pelley-thumb-on-scale-trump-bari-weiss/

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo 6/8/26

Headline:  “Scott Pelley sparks backlash from right with New York Times interview on CBS, 60 Minutes”

“Scott Pelley, the longtime ’60 Minutes’ correspondent who was fired by the network last week after criticizing its new leadership, is sparking scorn from conservatives over a new interview with the New York Times.

“During the wide-ranging interview, Pelley fought back tears as he described being fired by top bosses at CBS News, accused its corporate leadership of altering coverage to please President Trump and called for the ouster of the network’s top editor Bari Weiss. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5915100-conservatives-pelley-criticize-media/

Interview Tyrants?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Joel Simon, 6/1/26

Headline:  “Should Journalists Interview Dictators?”

Subhead:  “Encounters on the line between control and conditions.”

“. . .The trope of the dictator interview—presenting a despot as a celebrity, a figure of popular fascination with whom a reporter has managed to secure time—crystallized in the sixties and seventies, when Oriana Fallaci, an Italian journalist and provocateur, confronted Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, among others. In 1979, not long after the triumph of the Iranian revolution, she interviewed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and—famously—ripped off her chador, calling it a “stupid medieval rag.” Barbara Walters took the opposite tack, humanizing and personalizing repressive leaders such as Fidel Castro, whom she first interviewed in 1977, and Mu‘ammar Gaddhafi, with whom she spoke a dozen years later. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/should-journalists-interview-dictators-dan-rather-jon-lee-anderson-christiane-amanpour.php

Replacement for “60 Minutes”

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Article in The Wrap by Alyssa Ray, 6/3/26

Headline:  “Jimmy Kimmel Rips the ‘Trump Suck-Ups’ at CBS News After Scott Pelley’s ’60 Minutes’ Termination | Video”

Subhead: “ ’60 Minutes’ will be replaced by new episodes of ‘Reporters Unleashed,’  the late night host quips”

“The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host touched on Pelley’s ousting from the storied news program during Wednesday’s monologue, in which he celebrated the longtime journalist for standing for ‘truth and integrity.’

“ ‘Last night, the Trump suck-ups at CBS fired a great and deeply respected journalist, Scott Pelley, from his job at “60 Minutes,” because he stood up for truth and integrity at a show that’s been the gold-standard for broadcast journalism for 57 years,’ Kimmel said. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/jimmy-kimmel-reacts-scott-pelley-60-minutes-firing-slams-cbs-news/

Mickey Media Standing Up!

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Article in Slate byLizzie O’Leary 6/2/26

Headline:  “Disney Finds Its Spine”

“In normal times, in a normal Federal Communications Commission, Anna M. Gomez’s job might be described as wonky. But now is not that time.

“A large part of my role is to call out this administration’s abuses of the First Amendment, particularly when it chooses to weaponize the FCC in trying to shut down any voices that it doesn’t like,” said Gomez. “And we see this constantly, there is a constant infringement on the free press and on the First Amendment and on the rights of viewers and listeners to see and hear what they want to see. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://slate.com/business/2026/06/fcc-disney-abc-renewal-lawsuit-brendan-carr.html

Understand Freedom of the Press

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Article in The Atlantic by Adrienne Lafrance, 6/1/26

Headline:  “Use It or Lose It”

Subhead:  “Freedom of speech, and of the press, can be guaranteed only if Americans exercise their rights.”

“. . .Far too many people behave as though freedom of the press refers only to freedom for professional journalists. But journalists are not in some special category. The right to free press is, like free speech, a basic freedom that applies to all Americans who choose to exercise it. The First Amendment tells the government that it cannot encroach on any American’s right to speak and publish. Freedom of the press is not about the press; it’s about the freedom.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/free-press-first-amendment-rights/687317/

Reporter Not in Jail Yet?

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Article in Babylon Bee by Staff, 5/28/26

Headline: “Impatient Liberal Journalist Starting To Suspect Trump Will Never Send Her To A Concentration Camp”

“ATLANTA, GA — An impatient liberal journalist employed by . . . began to express doubts this week that President Trump will ever send her to a concentration camp.

“Sources said that Ginny Balton, a field reporter based in Atlanta, felt well-informed until only recently when she had to report on Trump exposing more government fraud and limiting the power of government, which was nothing at all like the actions of Adolf Hitler. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/impatient-liberal-journalist-starting-to-suspect-trump-will-never-send-her-to-a-concentration-camp

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