Selective Coverage

Press Missing Something?

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Article in FAIR by Pete Tucker, 11/2/26

Headline:  “When Trump’s Prosecutions Become Persecutions, Headlines Should Say So”

“With the midterm elections shaping up to be a stinging rebuke of his gold-plated presidency, the tempo of Donald Trump’s political prosecutions—a hallmark of his second term—has increased. Headlines and story-framing lead paragraphs, however, routinely fail to highlight the authoritarian nature of these persecutions. . .”

Read the full Article at:

https://fair.org/home/when-trumps-prosecutions-become-persecutions-headlines-should-say-so/

Media Ignore Something Important?

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Article in The Nation by Elie Mystal, 10/30/26

Headline: “Why Is the Media Ignoring the Stunning New Trump-Epsteim Allegations?”

Subhead: “In this week’s Elie v. U.S., our justice correspondent asks why the media is obsessing over Obama’s Cheesecake Factory joke while largely ignoring allegations of Trump’s sexual assaults. . .”

“. . .If asked, mainstream media types would no doubt argue that the lack of coverage of these latest rape allegations stems from the fact that previous rape allegations failed to ‘move the needle.’ Trump’s sexual misconduct (both alleged and litigated) is ‘baked in’ to people’s understanding of the man. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/newsletter-why-is-the-media-ignoring-the-stunning-new-trump-epstein-allegations/

They Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Facts!

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/30/26

Headline: “Ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega on overhaul at CBS News: ‘It hurts to watch’”

Subhead: “Vega said she still doesn’t know why she was fired from the show, which has experienced a slump in ratings”

“Cecilia Vega, the 60 Minutes correspondent fired as part of a dramatic overhaul of the CBS News show this spring, said it “hurts” to see what has happened to the storied newsmagazine and other segments of the network, and repeated allegations that she was told to insert “factually untrue” information into her work. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/30/60-minutes-correspondent-cecilia-vega-cbs-news

Rt. Media Have Gas Problem

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Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleat, `10/28/26

Headline:  “The prominent pro-Trump pundits who admit that the Iran war drove up gas prices — and have no regrets”

“Gasoline and diesel prices remain elevated eight months into President Donald Trump’s unauthorized war against Iran. Right-wing media commentators, in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, have returned to defending high gas prices as a worthwhile sacrifice to stop an Iranian nuclear program that they claimed in 2025 had been “obliterated” by U.S. airstrikes that June. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/prominent-pro-trump-pundits-who-admit-iran-war-drove-gas-prices-and-have-no-regrets

Selective Analysis in NYT

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 10/15/26

Headline:  “New York Times cleans up Vance’s bigotry”

“Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance became one of the most prominent Republican voices to attack Texas’ Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico with bigoted homophobic and transphobic remarks.

“But in covering these smears, The New York Times downplayed Vance’s hateful rhetoric and even sought out a justification from a friendly pro-Republican source. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/15/800112897/media/new-york-times-cleans-up-vances-bigotry/

Reporters Unwelcome

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Article in Poynter by Angela Fu, 10/15/26

Headline: “A shrinking local press is making it easier for public officials to restrict access”

Subhead: “Reporters across the country say they’re being denied credentials, shut out of government spaces and stonewalled by public officials”

“As CNN, Politico and MS NOW challenge their White House ban in court, a similar press access battle is playing out in Utah — one that dates back to the beginning of last year. . .”

“Across the country, journalists at the state and local levels are experiencing many of the same access issues as their national counterparts. They are being turned away from press conferences, stonewalled by politicians and excluded from government spaces they previously had access to. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/local-news-press-access-public-officials/

Too Chicken to Answer Questions?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones 10/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Jennifer Griffin has covered 8 defense secretaries. She’s never seen a Pentagon like this.”

Subhead: “On  ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ the longtime Fox News correspondent reflects on nearly four decades of reporting, from war zones to Washington”

“. . .Griffin went on to explain why, but also said, ‘There are still very important stories being broken. Every time there’s a story the Pentagon doesn’t want, they call it fake news. That’s just a real cop-out. That’s a cop out for not wanting to answer questions — not wanting to answer questions from Congress, not wanting to answer questions from the press, and I don’t think the American people are buying it anymore’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/fox-news-jennifer-griffin-pentagon-pete-hegseth/

Propaganda / Media

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Fox News at 30: Even the pretense of impartiality is all but gone”

“Fox News’ role as a Republican propaganda machine is clear to anyone who has bothered to peruse its programming — President Donald Trump knows it, Fox co-founder Rupert Murdoch knows it, disgraced network co-founder Roger Ailes knew it, and longtime viewers like me certainly know it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-30-even-pretense-impartiality-all-gone

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Susie Banikarim, 10/9/26

Headline: “After Thirty Years, Fox Remains the House Ailes Built”

Subhead: “Racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and consistently high ratings. . .”

“. . .Though much has been made of the fracturing of right-wing media, Fox remains the most popular and powerful source of news-like content for many Americans. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/after-thirty-years-fox-news-remains-house-ailes-built-racism-misogyny-xenophobia-high-ratings.php

CBS Puts Whole Hand on Scale

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | CBS gives JD Vance a prime-time town hall just before the midterms”

Subhead: “The Michigan event gives the vice president a national stage as Republicans make their closing argument to voters”

“In timing that is certainly good for a Republican Party looking for a last-minute rally ahead of the midterm elections, CBS announced Wednesday that it will air a town hall with Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 17 — just two and a half weeks before the pivotal Election Day. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/jd-vance-cbs-town-hall-midterms/

Media Reported “Little Excursion”?

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Article in Poynter by Amy Sherman and Maria Briceño, 10/6/26z

Headline:  “Trump said the Iran war would last weeks. Now he says the media got it wrong.”

Subhead:  “Trump now says his 4-6 week estimate was about eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat. That’s not what he said at the time.”

“Donald Trump told them would be over in a matter of weeks — has led to higher inflation and energy prices, including for gasoline.

“Now seven months into the conflict, Trump is defending his decision to attack Iran with Israel on Feb. 28, but he’s recasting his initial timeline for what he once labeled a ‘little excursion.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2026/trump-iran-war-timeline-media-fact-check/