Rt Wing Media

Rt. Media Rebrand War?

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 7/29/26

Headline:  “The growing MAGA media despondency over the Iran war quagmire”

Subhead:  “Benny Johnson once called to rebrand the Strait of Hormuz in the US’s image, but now he has acquiesced to Iranian control over the crucial waterway”

“As President Donald Trump’s war on Iran extends into its sixth month, some figures on the right are recalibrating their messaging from an original demand for maximalist victory to something much more modest.

“Although the war has created some fractures in right-wing media, at the outset of the conflict it had no shortage of boosters — either Iran hawks or MAGA hacks. Now, as the Iranian government has survived months of bombing and operationalized its previously unrealized control of the Strait of Hormuz, some of those pundits are scaling back their ambitions. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/growing-maga-media-despondency-over-iran-war-quagmire

60 Minutes Continues its Slide?

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Article in The New Republic by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, 7/28/26

Headline:  “NYT’s Most Obnoxious Columnist Joins 60 Minutes in Pro-Trump Overhaul”

Subhead: “Bari Weiss is bringing a friendly face to the prestigious news show.”

“Conservative columnist Ross Douthat is leaving The New York Times to join the storied broadcast magazine in a new role, 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton announced Tuesday. . .”

“Despite being an early skeptic of Donald Trump’s politics and popularity, Douthat has since downplayed the president’s authoritarian and fascist tendencies while attempting to rationalize Trump’s behavior.”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/post/213657/new-york-times-columnist-60-minutes-ross-douthat-pro-trump-overhaul

Losing His Grip on Media?

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Article in Media Matters by Staff, 7/24/26

Headline: “. . .Trump’s grasp on current issues has faded because ‘he’s no longer connected to the media landscape that used to give him that insight’

Subhead:  “. . .Fox News is just echoing back to him what they think he wants to hear. All the people around him are totally sycophantic. … The incentives are just so deeply baked in now that they’ve forgotten how to have their own opinion.”

Listen to the audio at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/ms-now-msnbc/angelo-carusone-ms-nows-line-trumps-grasp-current-issues-has-faded-because-hes-no

To Air or Not to air? That is the question

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 7/14/26

Headline:  “AOC Says News Stations Have ‘Ethical Obligation’ Not To Air Trump’s Speech About Election ‘Lies’”

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said it is incumbent upon television news stations not to air a speech by President Donald Trump set for Thursday.

On Monday, Trump announced in vague fashion on Truth Social that he will deliver an address at 9 p.m. on Thursday, and did not elaborate as to its contents. Reporting indicates that the president will rehash his false claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/aoc-says-news-stations-have-ethical-obligation-not-to-air-trumps-speech-about-election-lies/

Right Sites Wrong Now?

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Article in The Righting by Howard Polskin , 7/13/26

Headline:  “Visits to All Top Right-Wing News Websites Drop for Second Straight Month”

“For the second consecutive month, year-over-year (YOY) visits to all of the 20 most popular right-wing news websites declined. According to TheRighting’s exclusive analysis of mobile and desktop traffic based on Similarweb data in June, 17 of top 20 right-wing news websites tracked regularly by TheRighting experienced double-digit decreases.

“The ongoing negative trend in traffic is bad news for news websites,” said Howard Polskin, President, TheRighting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://therighting.com/traffic-reports/visits-to-all-top-right-wing-news-websites-drop-for-second-straight-month/

Making TV Propaganda Arm?

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Article in NPR’s ‘On The Media’ by Staff, 7/10/26

Headline: “The FCC’s Pressure Campaign to Reshape Broadcast TV”

“ABC has enlisted the help of its audience to defend The View and Jimmy Kimmel against attacks from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift television to the right. Plus, the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on the networks. . . Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with  Jim Rutenberg, writer-at-large for the New York Times. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

 

Ellison’s Merger Off the Rails?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s California Nightmare” as it and 11 other states sue to block it on antitrust grounds. . .”

“David Ellison may have been California dreamin’ about getting his Warners deal cleared by the Golden State – but he’s now facing a nightmare. . .”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-states-lawsuit-rob-bonta

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:   “State Attorneys General Sue to Stop Paramount Skydance’s Corrupt Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Free Press hails state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control  media “

“On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. . .”

“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/index%2ephp/news/state-attorneys-general-sue-stop-paramount-skydances-corrupt-takeover-warner-bros-discovery

. . .From the Frying Pan. . .

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/10/26

Headline: “Opinion | What’s going to happen to CNN?”

Subhead:  “The pending Paramount merger has fueled questions about CNN’s leadership, editorial autonomy and whether politics will shape its future”

“Paramount owns CBS, which oversees CBS News. Will it be left alone after the merger? Will it fall under the umbrella of CBS News? If so, will CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss become the big boss, taking over CNN along with her CBS News duties? Will decisions at CNN be driven at all by politics, considering Paramount CEO David Ellison (and his father Larry) are allies of President Donald Trump?. . .”

Read the full article at:

After Jail, go on Media Tour?

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 7/10/26

Headline:  “Tina Peters’ right-wing media tour: Endless conspiracy theories about voter fraud and boasts about advising Trump on how to fix it”

Subhead:  “Peters’ complaints, including about ‘foreign agents,’ appear to be linked to a broader plot to subvert the midterms by manufacturing a pretext for Trump to declare a national emergency and seize control of voting systems”

“Following her release from prison last month, former Colorado election official Tina Peters has hit the ground running with more than 17 appearances in right-wing media. During her media tour, Peters has spread numerous conspiracy theories about supposed voter fraud and foreign interference in elections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/voter-fraud-and-suppression/tina-peters-right-wing-media-tour-endless-conspiracy-theories-about

Examining a Newsroom

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Article in Columbia Journalism Revue by C.J Robinson, 7/9/26

Headline: “Inside Restoration News, a Political Nonprofit’s ‘Newsroom’ “

Subhead:  “How a media outlet funded by conservative donors is ‘waging a permanent campaign to defeat the radical left.’ “

“Restoration News, which covers topics ranging from abortion to diversity in the military to local school policies, calls itself the news source for the ‘America First movement.’ It is also a line item in a political operation. The site is directly funded by Restoration of America, a right-wing nonprofit . . .”

“Unlike other ‘pink slime’ sites that use AI or automation to produce stories, Restoration News employs human writers who make use of traditional journalistic methods. . .

“But they often fail to meet established journalistic standards.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/inside-restoration-news-political-nonprofits-newsroom-conservative-donors-pink-slime-restore-military-pac-manning-bouferrache-honeybadgermom-truax.php