Rt. Wing Media Justify Murder?

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Article in Media Matters by Noah Dowe & Isabela Sherk, 1/28/26

Headline:  “The right-wing media figures who have justified Alex Pretti’s killing by Trump’s DHS”

Subhead:  “MAGA media and far-right figures smeared Pretti, calling him a “race traitor” who aimed to ‘commit a mass murder’ “

“Following the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, many right-wing media figures jumped to blame Pretti for his own death and spread false information about his actions.

“ ‘Shame on that individual for creating the very consequences that ultimately cost him his life,’ said one Newsmax guest. Former Fox host Megyn Kelly remarked, ‘Do you know why I wasn’t shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/right-wing-media-figures-who-have-justified-alex-prettis-killing-trumps-dhs

Journalists – Ferguson to Minneapolis

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Article in Poynter by Kristen Hare, 1/28/26

Headline:  “For journalists who covered Ferguson, the news from Minneapolis feels ‘uncomfortably familiar’ “

Sybhead:  “Journalists who covered Ferguson reflect on what they learned — and what feels different — as unrest unfolds again in Minnesota”

“In the summer of 2014, a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis. As journalists began getting arrested, Poynter sent me back to the city — where I’d spent five years reporting — to cover what was happening. . .”

“Still, while compiling a list of newsrooms in Minnesota to follow for nuanced, accountable, community-centered reporting, I’ve been thinking a lot about the journalists I met more than a decade ago in Ferguson. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/local-news/2026/from-ferguson-to-minneapolis-what-journalists-learned-covering-protests/

 

WaPo Twisting Slowly. . .

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Article in Status by Natalie Korach, 1/28/26

Headline: “The Post’s Audience of One”

Subhead:   “As Jeff Bezos continues to snub The Washington Post, the mood inside the newsroom has darkened—though staffers are pressing on with not only public, but behind-the-scenes appeals to the billionaire, Status has learned.”

“Over the past several days, as reports about The Washington Post’s looming layoffs have reverberated throughout the industry, staffers on the newspaper’s sports desk have quietly begun receiving phone calls from the section’s leadership. In the private conversations, according to people familiar with them, management has all but encouraged journalists to start looking for jobs elsewhere. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/washington-post-staffers-cuts-jeff-bezos-campaign

Armed Forces Newspaper in Danger?

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Article in NPR On the Media by Staff, 1/28/26

Headline:  “Stars and Stripes in Peril”

Stars and Stripes, the venerated, independent award-winning newspaper that has served the armed services for roughly a century, may be getting an uninvited makeover, courtesy of Pete Hegseth’s Defense Department. In a statement posted on X earlier this month, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Stars and Stripes would no longer be carrying wire reports from the Associated Press, and that it would steer away from all that is woke or might sap morale. Parnell said the defense department would be bringing the newspaper “into the 21st century.”

Read the full article at:

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

Journalist Exposes Secret Lists

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Article in Common Dreams by Brett Wilkins, 1/28/26

Headline: ” ‘She’s Lying’: Journalist Exposes Secret Watch Lists That Trump Official Says Don’t Exist”

Subhead:  ” ‘If we don’t explore more why all of these secret lists exist,’ one US intelligence officer said, there could be ‘even more of an environment of paranoia on the ground and more tragic killings.’ “

“Despite denials from a senior Trump administration official, secret watchlists of Americans are being used by federal agencies to track and categorize US citizens—especially protesters, activists, and critics of law enforcement—as ‘domestic terrorists,’ investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein reported Wednesday.

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/secret-watchlists-of-americans

Media – Gaza Short Attention Span?

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Chart from FAIR

Article in FAIR by Julie Hollar, 1/28/28

Headline:  “After Trump Declared Gaza War ‘Over,’ Media Lost Interest”

“Since President Donald Trump declared that ‘the war in Gaza is over’ on October 3, 2025, US news outlets’ interest in the occupied territory has plummeted. In a FAIR search of US-related news sites using Media Cloud, a news media database, coverage of Gaza post-ceasefire agreement averaged just 1.5% of the news hole—significantly less than the level of coverage before the agreement. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/after-trump-declared-gaza-war-over-media-lost-interest/

MAGA Media and Violence?

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Article in Raw Story by Robert Davis, 1/27/26

Headline:  ” ‘Bloodthirsty’: MAGA media calls for violence after nurse’s killing leaves analysts aghast”

“Two analysts were stunned on Tuesday after a flood of “bloodthirsty” MAGA media personalities called for President Donald Trump to inflict more violence against protesters in Minneapolis following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

“Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark, and Will Sommer, the publication’s senior reporter, discussed how the MAGA media sphere reacted to Pretti’s death during a new episode of ‘Bulwark Takes’ on Tuesday. They highlighted examples from commentators like Megyn Kelly, who claimed she felt no sympathy for Pretti after he was killed, and Greg Kelly, who said immigration officers were right to mistake Pretti’s phone for a gun. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/maga-2675052416/

Fighting Media Consolidation

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 1/27/26

Headline: “Dozens of Groups Send FCC a Letter of Support for Petition to Deny Illegal Nexstar-Tegna Merger”

Subhead: “This massive broadcast-industry merger would be a blatant violation of the law prohibiting one company from too much control over local airwaves”

“On Tuesday, 28 public-interest groups, labor unions and civil-rights organizations sent the Federal Communications Commission a letter of support for a public-interest petition to deny the proposed merger of Nexstar and Tegna.

The petition — filed at the end of 2025 by Free Press, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians—Communications Workers of America (NABET-CWA), The NewsGuild—Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA), the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry and Public Knowledge — calls on the agency to reject a merger that would create an illegal broadcast conglomerate. The deal would exceed the 39-percent audience-reach “National Cap” Congress set. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/dozens-groups-send-fcc-letter-support-petition-deny-illegal-nexstar-tegna-merger

Getting the Propaganda Right?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones 1/27/26

Headline:  “Opinion | How bystander video and newsroom analysis undercut the White House narrative on Alex Pretti”

Subhead:  “The administration tried to shape the story, but evidence and detailed analysis appear to have forced a rare recalibration”

“. . .In the minutes and hours and days after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot 10 times and killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday, many inside the Trump administration immediately pointed fingers at Pretti. They said he was ‘brandishing’ a gun. They called him a ‘domestic terrorist.’ They said he meant to ‘massacre law enforcement.’

“Some conservative media outlets ran with that storyline.

“None of these statements were rooted in truth. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/video-evidence-alex-pretti-white-house-messaging/

CBS, Does She Get It?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 1/27/26

Headline:  “Bari Weiss tries to win CBS staffers’ trust amid ‘noise’ over 60 Minutes segment”

Subhead:  “In her first town hall, Weiss expressed some regret over her decision to pull 60 Minutes segment at the last minute”

“During her first address to CBS News employees as editor in chief, Bari Weiss acknowledged that there had been “a lot of noise” about her tumultuous tenure and said that some staffers might decide they don’t support her or want to continue working at the company.

“ ‘I just want to start by saying: I get it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan/27/bari-weiss-cbs
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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 1/27/26

Headline:  “Weiss and the Wary”

Subhead:   “The new CBS News chief finally addressed her skeptical newsroom, presenting her vision of the network’s future and fielding tough questions about her editorial views—though some staffers told Status they left unconvinced.”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/bari-weiss-cbs-news-town-hall