Press Freedom

Ban All Media Except Paramount?

by

Article in The Wrap by Kim Murphy, 9/19/26

Headline: “Elizabeth Warren Blasts Paramount Merger Settlement Talks: ‘Massive Mistake to Cave’”

Subhead: “The senator cites CNN’s ban from the White House in warning that the merger could create a ‘Trump-controlled media conglomerate'”

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) issued a warning Saturday that it would be a ‘massive mistake to cave’ on 12 states’ lawsuit against Paramount Skydance’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warren’s statement comes amid reports that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is in advanced talks on a potential settlement with the company, which would remove the only remaining regulatory hurdle impending the transaction. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/public-policy-legal/elizabeth-warren-paramount-merger-settlement-massive-mistake/

Mediasphere Erupts Over Purge!

by


Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 9/18/26

Headline: “‘Straight Out of the Authoritarian Playbook’: Trump Bans CNN, MSNOW, and Politico From White House”

Subhead: “One press freedom advocate said it was “difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

“Donald Trump announced in a Friday afternoon tirade that he would ban CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from the White House. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-bans-news-networks

Coverage on this issue from some other sources:

Status News:  https://www.status.news/p/trump-press-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico

Axios:  https://www.axios.com/2026/09/18/trump-ban-cnn-ms-now-politico-white-house

AP News:  https://apnews.com/article/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-media-bans-bb675679fb10738a51bef90bde6c525a

Reuters:  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-bans-media-outlets-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house-2026-09-18/

The Hill:  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6098639-trump-bans-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/

Some Citizens Think Press Control OK?

by


Article in Poynter by Jon Greenberg, 9/15/26

Headline:  “Americans give their take on press freedom. You should worry”

Subhead:  “A new Pew-Knight study finds broad support for press freedom but also surprising support for giving the government power over the press”

“Fresh off the presses from a Pew Research Center and Knight Foundation collaboration, a new report shows solid support for a free press. Just about three-quarters of the public say a free press is extremely or very important to society.

“But under some circumstances that would make many journalists bristle, large shares of Americans think it’s OK to limit the press. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2026/americans-press-freedom-pew-knight-study/

 

How Do Media Cover “Name Change”

by


Article in Poynter by Matthew Crowley, 9/14/26

Headline:  “Trump renamed Lake Ontario. Newsrooms still have to decide what to call it”

Subhead:  “The AP is sticking with Lake Ontario, as it did with Gulf of Mexico. Its decision shows why changing a name doesn’t necessarily change common usage.”

“For the Associated Press stylebook, Gulf of Mexico stayed. Lake Ontario will, too.. . .”

“But the AP kept Gulf of Mexico, saying the name had stuck for four centuries and that, as a global news agency, it needed to keep place names and geography easily recognizable to all audiences.

“On Tuesday, the AP again cited longevity when explaining why it will keep Lake Ontario. The new guidance, uploaded to the online stylebook, says, ‘Lake Ontario has carried that name for more than 400 years. Refer to it by its original name. If it is relevant to the story, acknowledge and explain the name Trump has chosen.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2026/trump-lake-ontario-lake-america-ap-style/

Hen in a Foxhouse

by

Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 9/14/26

Headline: “She’s Donald Trump’s least-favorite Fox News host. But Jessica Tarlov remains undeterred”

Subhead: “The 42-year-old liberal commentator regularly co-hosts the network’s 5pm talk show, taking flak from her conservative colleagues and harsh insults from the president.”

“. . .The US president regularly bashes Tarlov on his Truth Social platform, in April calling her “one of the Least Attractive and Talented People on all of Television”, and demanding that Fox “GET HER OFF THE AIR.”

But, as a rotating co-host of political talkshow The Five, the 42-year-old former pollster and Democratic strategist has carved out a prominent role for herself as the network’s most capable messenger for the left, regularly doing battle with conservative co-panelists like Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/14/jessica-tarlov-fox-news-liberal

Political Threat to Licenses

by

Article in Free Press by Staff, 9/10/26

Headline:  “Latest Kimmel Censorship Is Part of the Trump FCC’s Lawless Crusade Against a Free Press”

“On Wednesday’s broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel told viewers that ABC would not air his scheduled interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee from Texas.

Kimmel indicated that the broadcast cancellation of the interview is a result of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s ongoing campaign against ABC. After President Trump repeatedly demanded that ABC lose its broadcast licenses over Kimmel’s jokes, Carr retaliated by forcing all ABC broadcast stations into a highly unusual early license-renewal process. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/latest-kimmel-censorship-part-trump-fccs-lawless-crusade-free-speech

Censoring Information From Military

by


Article in The Atlantic by Erik Slavin, 9/9/26

Headline: “The Inside Story of What Happened at Stars and Stripes“

Subhead: “For generations, the newspaper has served American military families. That work must continue. And it must remain editorially independent.”

“. . .Uniformed military leaders have not lost the means to analyze and act on useful journalism. But publicly denouncing the reporting or the news outlet makes it far less likely that they will. Attacking people for telling the truth creates a chilling effect for truth tellers—including those who are themselves in the military.

“The best journalism unearths information that complex bureaucracies overlook or suppress, intentionally or not. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/09/pentagon-military-newspaper-independence-supression/688547/

Insulting Women in the Media

by


Article in The Wrap by Alyssa Ray, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Trump Launches Back-to-Back Attacks on ‘3rd Rate’ Kaitlan Collins and ‘Unattractive’ Maggie Haberman

Subhead: “’Fake News is getting worse and worse in the U.S.A.,’ the president writes”

“Donald Trump once again publicly criticized CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, launching back-to-back attacks against the female journalists on social media.

On Tuesday, the president kicked off his renewed attacks on female journalists by zeroing in on Collins on Truth Social, where he blasted her as a “3rd rate” anchor. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/trump-attacks-kaitlan-collins-maggie-haberman-truth-social/

Media – Digging Out the Facts

by

Article in Mediaite by Kathryn Wilkens, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Trump Rages at Maggie Haberman and New York Mag Over 9/11 Reports: ‘Liars and Scoundrels’

“President Donald Trump erupted at New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and New York magazine on Tuesday over reporting about his whereabouts following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and his plans for this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration, demanding retractions while calling journalists ‘liars and scoundrels’ and attacking Haberman as ‘unattractive both inside and out.’. . .”

“. . .During Tuesday’s Tunnel to Towers event on the Ellipse, Trump recounted being near One Liberty Plaza when two firefighters, fearing the building was about to collapse, grabbed him under the arms, ‘literally lifted me up,’ and carried him away. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-rages-at-maggie-haberman-and-new-york-mag-over-9-11-reports-liars-and-scoundrels/

Fighting Public Mediacide

by


Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 9/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | As ‘perfect storm’ hits public media, initiative seeks a reimagined system to serve communities”

Subhead:  “Poynter Institute, Public Media Company will guide effort to recommend plans for renewed public media after federal funding cuts”

“A little more than a year ago, the federal government delivered a devastating blow to a critical part of our media landscape: It defunded public media.

“The move, under the direction of President Donald Trump, stripped important funding from public radio and television stations that provide crucial news and information from our biggest cities all the way to our most rural outposts. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/as-perfect-storm-hits-public-media-initiative-seeks-a-reimagined-system-to-serve-communities/