Press Freedom

Fighting Public Mediacide

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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/

No WH Talking Points? Get Fired.

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Article in The Guardian by Victoria Bekiempis and Jeremy Barr, 9/8/26

Headline: “Ex-60 Minutes managing editor says fired staffers ‘refused to be accomplices’ in show’s ‘destruction’

Subhead: “Guy Campanile addresses ouster in Facebook post and says ‘we were told to leave because we insisted on doing our jobs’”

“The former managing editor at 60 Minutes, who was fired in May with several other top correspondents, has spoken out about the ouster, saying he and his colleagues, were dismissed because they ‘would not compromise our principles or reputations by jamming unverifiable notions or White House talking points into our reporting’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/08/60-minutes-managing-editor-facebook-post

Report Weapons Use – Treason?

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Article in Al Jezerra by Staff, 9/3/26

Headline:  “Trump calls media ‘treasonous scum’ over reports of low Iran war munitions”

“US President Trump has again pushed back on media reports detailing dangerously low munitions stockpiles as the US-Israel war on Iran stretches into its seventh month.

“In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the military was producing munitions at ‘levels never seen before” and has “far more than we could ever use’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/9/4/iran-war-live-us-rules-out-iran-talks-until-ship-attacks-stop?update=4915298

WaPo Tacking Left?

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Article in The Wrap by A.J. KAtz, 9/1/26

Headline: “Defends Iran War Report Amid ‘Traitor’ Criticism”

Subhead: “The update comes after the paper reported that senior military leaders warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against prolonged large-scale operations”

“The Washington Post editorial board defended the paper’s reporting that senior military leaders are concerned the U.S. military is being stretched thin by the war with Iran, following criticism from the Pentagon and one of the newspaper’s own columnists.

“ ‘In a free society, there is an overwhelming public interest in knowing these facts,’ the board wrote. ‘The Constitution guarantees the rights of news organizations to publish such information.’

“The defense comes after WaPo columnist Marc Thiessen called the confidential government source behind the reporting a ‘traitor’ and said the leaker should be prosecuted, as TheWrap previously reported. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/washington-post-editorial-board-defends-traitor-iran-war-report/

Rage Against Media by Computer!

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Article in The Daily Beast by Lauren Hartley, 8/31/26

Headline:  “MS NOW Star Torches Trump On-Air For ”Rage Posting’ Against NBC Host”

Subhead:  “The journalist sounded the alarm on Trump’s tendency to kill the messenger”

“MS NOW’s Peter Alexander blasted President Donald Trump on air on Monday, saying, ‘The truth is still the truth, and you deserve to know it, whether a president likes it or not.’
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“Alexander’s remark came after Trump attacked the journalist’s former colleague, Meet the Press host Kristen Welker.

“On Sunday, Welker said on D.C.’s local NBC station that there had been “mixed results” for Trump’s endorsed candidates. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ms-nows-peter-alexander-torches-donald-trump-on-air-for-rage-posting-against-nbc-host-kristen-welker/

“Meet The Press” Word Irks Trump?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/31/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Trump calls on the FCC to punish Kristen Welker — for accurate commentary”

Subhead:  “He once again called on federal regulators to punish journalism he dislikes, despite the FCC having no authority to do so”

“. . .President Donald Trump is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to do something that it does not have the authority to do. And why? Because he’s angry about something a journalist said on television.

“Prior to the airing of Sunday’s ‘Meet the Press’ on NBC, moderator Kristen Welker spoke with WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C.

“Welker pointed out that Trump is ‘going to loom large’ over the upcoming midterm elections. Then she accurately noted, ‘He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-kristen-welker-rebuke-punishment/

Only Approved-Speech Allowed?

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Article in The Atlantic by David A. Graham, 8/31/26

Headline:  “Trump Is Trying New Ways to Quelch Americans’ Press Freedom”

Subhead:  “The president’s latest attacks are dangerous, unconstitutional—and maybe self-defeating.”

Desensitization is one of Donald Trump’s most powerful tools: Through repetition, he acclimates Americans to troubling and dangerous ideas. Occasionally, though, his statements and actions are so outrageous that they can still provide a shock. . .”

Yesterday morning, Trump started off with a post on Truth Social demanding that the Federal Communications Commission do something about “THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA.” About 15 minutes later, he followed this with a long rant about Kristen Welker of Meet the Press, complaining that she had noted that Trump’s record in recent endorsements had been ‘a mixed bag.’ . . . ‘Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/08/trump-new-attacks-american-press-freedom/688478/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_term=short

Report Problems, Get Fired

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Article in The Guardian by Robert Mackey, 8/27/26

Headline:  “Three journalists sue Pentagon after being fired from military news outlet”

Subhead:  “Three employees of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news service, allege they were fired after reporting on USS Abraham Lincoln”

“Three journalists who were fired by the Pentagon from a US government-funded news outlet sued the Department of Defense in federal court on Thursday, arguing their dismissals were illegal and violated their first amendment rights to free speech.

“The three journalists were all employees of Stars and Stripes, which their court filing calls “the U.S. military’s independent news source since the Civil War with a long history of editorial independence, free from news management or censorship by military command”. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/journalists-sue-pentagon-stars-and-stripes

Why Are Cameras Off Now?

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Article in FAIR by Louise Liu, 8/26/26

Headline: “Networks Were Ordered to Stop Filming Trump—and They Didn’t Protest the Illegal Censorship”

” ‘Cameras off the president right now.’

“This direct command could be heard this weekend on the live broadcast of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, an IndyCar street race orchestrated by President Donald Trump’s administration . . .”

“At one point, the presidential couple engaged in heated conversation—possibly regarding, some speculated (Mercury News, 8/24/26), the presence of Trump’s personal assistant Natalie Harp, with whom he has an unusually close relationship. As this discussion transpired, a terse command to the camera operator could be heard: ‘I need the cameras off the president right now. Cameras off the president right now. Turn the cameras.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/networks-were-ordered-to-stop-filming-trump-and-they-didnt-protest-the-illegal-censorship/

Media Sharks Want to Feed

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/24/26

Headline: “Opinion | Why the media has reason to focus on Natalie Harp story”

Subhead:  “Influential aide to President Trump who shapes information he receives wrote personal letters, defended him on social media after Jan. 6”

“Perhaps the most publicized name on the national political scene over the past couple of weeks has been Natalie Harp, the White House aide who never seems more than a few steps away from President Donald Trump.

“And there’s a good reason for all the attention and coverage she is receiving. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/why-the-media-has-reason-to-focus-on-natalie-harp-story/