WAPO Goes Down Slippery-Slope

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Article in The Guardian by Marina Dunbar, 3/10/25

Headline:  “Top Washington Post columnist quits after piece critical of Bezos is scrapped”

Subhead:  “Ruth Marcus dissented from paper’s new opinion policy of supporting only ‘personal liberties and free markets’”

“Washington Post associate editor and top political columnist Ruth Marcus is reportedly resigning following the decision by the CEO, Will Lewis, to kill her opinion column critical of the billionaire owner Jeff Bezos’s latest changes to the paper.

“ ‘It is with great sadness that I submit my resignation as columnist and associate editor of the Washington Post,’ Marcus wrote in a letter addressed to Lewis and Bezos and posted on X by a New York Times media reporter.

“Last month, Bezos announced changes to the opinion section that appeared to more closely align the Post with the political right, saying that only columns that supported ‘personal liberties and free markets’ would henceforth be published.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/mar/10/washington-post-ruth-marcus-resigns

NPR Keeping Truth Alive

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Article in the Columbia Journalism Review by Bill Grueskin, 3/7/25

Headline:  “Under Attack, NPR Does Its Job”

“Brendan Carr, the newly appointed chair of the FCC, has made no secret of his antipathy for mainstream press—including NPR, which he recently alleged may be violating the law by broadcasting commercial messages.

“It’s an unusually timed claim, but as Carr made clear in a conversation with Semafor’s Ben Smith last week, he’s out for vengeance after four years of a Democratic administration in Washington. That’s why it’s all the more encouraging to see NPR stand tall with its tough-but-fair coverage of the Trump administration.

“One of NPR’s latest and most significant examples: reporter Stephen Fowler dug into many of the most absurd, multimillion-dollar claims made by Elon Musk’s DOGE group. He found error upon error—each of which pointed in the same direction of exaggerated or nonexistent savings for taxpayers. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/laurels-darts-under-attack-npr-does-its-job.php

War on the Media

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Article in The Nation by Sasha Abramsky, 3/7/25

Headline:  “Trump Abandons Ukraine, and Wages a War Against the Free Press”

Subhead:  “The White House’s attacks on the media are starting to look remarkably similar to those waged in other countries that have embraced autocratic leaders in recent years.”

“The damage, of course, isn’t just overseas. At least in part, Europe—whose leaders were recently lectured by the AfD-courting Vice President Vance for alleged infringements on free speech rights—is looking at America and seeing a country founded on the principle of free speech that is now willing to use the vast intimidatory powers of the federal government to clamp down on points of view, both in the US and overseas, that it disagrees with. . .”

“. . . Trump’s team is also taking a hatchet to the First Amendment, waging a war against the media and against universities that is starting to look remarkably similar to wars in Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and other countries that have embraced autocratic leaders in recent years.

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-pivots-war-against-media/

Fact Check Media Statements?

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Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 3/6/25

Headline:  “Why all those Trump fact checks are too little too late”

Subhead:  “Many Americans distrust the media, largely because false claims have gone unchallenged for so long.”

“In the wake of Tuesday’s onslaught, mainstream news agencies—those whose leaders claim to be about journalism rather than partisanship—offered up fact checks. Unfortunately, these generally fail to make a dent in our political scene. I know because I spent years doing them both on air and online at CNN.

“To understand why these fact checks have so little discernible impact, we need to think about the different audiences. There are those who already dislike serial liars and would never vote for them; for this audience, these fact checks preach to the choir. There are those who adore or support the liar; for them, these fact checks fall on deaf ears.

“There also are millions of Americans who are not firmly in either camp and care deeply about the truth. Unfortunately, a great many of them have lost faith in large news organizations. . .”

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/why-fact-checking-trumps-speech-almost

We’re Watching Your Media!

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Article in The Register by Iain Thomson, 3/6/25

Headline:  “Uncle Sam mulls policing social media of all would-be citizens”

Subhead:  “President ordered immigration officials to ramp up vetting of foreigners ‘to the maximum degree’ “

“. . . On January 20 this year, President Trump signed an executive order calling for much tougher vetting of foreign aliens, and in response, USCIS has this week proposed rules saying all of those already in the country who are going through some process with the agency – such as applying for permanent residency or citizenship – will have their social media scanned for subversion.

“That means if you came to America before foreigners’ internet presence was screened as it now is, and you’re now seeking some kind of immigration benefit, at this rate you’ll be subject to the same scanning as those entering the Land of the Free today.

“What’s changed is they are seeking to extend the review of social media to non-citizens inside the US, not just people arriving in the country, as has previously been the case,” explained Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications and public affairs for the Migration Policy Institute, told The Register.”

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/06/uscis_social_media/

WH Rabbit-Response Media Team

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Article in The Washington Post by Drew Harwell and Sarah Ellison, 3/6/25

Headline:  “Inside the White House’s new media strategy to promote Trump as ‘KING’ “

Subhead:   “The Trump administration has transformed its traditional press shop into a rapid-response influencer operation, and “they’re all offense, all the time.”

“. . .The effort was part of a new administration strategy to transform the traditional White House press shop into a rapid-response influencer operation, disseminating messages directly to Americans through the memes, TikToks and podcasts where millions now get their news.

After years of working to undermine mainstream outlets and neutralize critical reporting, Trump’s allies are now pushing a parallel information universe of social media feeds and right-wing firebrands to sell the country on his expansionist approach to presidential power.

For the Trump team, that has involved aggressively confronting critics like Gomez, not just to ‘reframe the narrative’ but to drown them out, said Kaelan Dorr, a deputy assistant to the president who runs the digital team.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/06/trump-white-house-media-social-influencers/

Not All Media Give-In

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Article in The Hill by Filip Timotija, 3/6/25

Headline:  “CBS News’ parent company Paramount filed a pair of motions in district court to dismiss President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit stemming from the “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Harris right before the 2024 presidential election.”

Subhead:  “One of two motions, both filed in U.S. district court for the Northern District of Texas on Thursday, said the president’s lawsuit is an ‘affront to the First Amendment and is without basis in law or fact.’ “

“Paramount’s legal team wrote that Trump is seeking to “punish a news organization for constitutionally protected editorial judgments they do not like.

“ ‘They not only ask for $20 billion in damages but also seek an order directing how a news organization may exercise its editorial judgment in the future,’ they said. ‘The First Amendment stands resolutely against these demands.’ ”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5181790-cbs-files-motions-to-dismiss-trump-20-billion-lawsuit/

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Article in Status by (liver Darcy, 3/3/25

Headline:  “Shell-Shocked at CBS“

Subhead:  “As Paramount’s merger with Skydance nears the finish line, CBS News chief Wendy McMahon and ’60 Minutes’ boss Bill Owens have faced escalating pressure to settle Donald Trump’s lawsuit—including from incoming president Jeff Shell.”

” Last October, Jeff Shell, the veteran media executive set to serve as president of Paramount Global after its merger with Skydance Media is finalized, convened a meeting with CBS News chief Wendy McMahon, ’60 Minutes‘ boss Bill Owens, and government relations officials. . .”

“At the meeting, Shell requested that McMahon and Owens comply with Trump’s demand and release the transcript, according to people familiar with the matter. Shell’s involvement in the editorial matter immediately set off alarm bells. McMahon and Owens later told associates they were disturbed that Shell was inserting himself into the newsroom’s decision-making, given that Paramount’s merger with Skydance has yet to close and that corporate interference in journalistic matters is traditionally anathema. Even more troubling, Shell seemed to believe CBS News should have simply appeased Trump, despite the dangerous precedent it would set.”

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-cbs-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement-talks

Some Journalists Gain Access!

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Yona TR Golding, 3/3/25

Headline:  “Wires Crossed”

“This move does not give the power back to the people—it gives power to the White House.”

“f you had asked me to come up with the most pandering question possible to put to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, I don’t think I could have produced something better than the softball lobbed by Breitbart reporter Matt Boyle at the Trump administration’s first press briefing, in January. “You laid out several of the actions that President Trump has taken,” Boyle said to Leavitt. “Obviously, it’s a stark contrast to the previous administration and a breakneck speed from President Trump. Can we expect that pace to continue?” (“There is no doubt President Trump has always been the hardest-working man in politics,” Leavitt replied. “This president did more in the first hundred hours than the previous president did in the first hundred days.”)

More of this fawning treatment, it seems, is coming soon. . .”

“It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925,” she added, noting that the goal is including outlets that have been excluded in the past and “restoring power back to the American people, who President Trump was elected to serve.” In the first configuration, the wire service spots usually reserved for journalists from Reuters and the Associated Press were designated for conservative outlets Newsmax and Blaze Media.

https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/wires-crossed-ap-reuters-new-media-press-pool-white-house-leavitt-softball.php

Right-Wing Media Hate Medicaid

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 3/4/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media lay foundations for Republican cuts to Medicaid”

Subhead:  “Steve Bannon and other right-wing figures are proposing drastic rollbacks to Americans’ health insurance coverage to pay for Trump’s massive tax cuts for the rich”

“Right-wing media figures have spent the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term urging congressional Republicans to drastically cut spending on Medicaid to offset the huge cost of President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts for the rich.

“The conservative pundits pushing this line have floated several policy options for the Medicaid cuts, including implementing work requirements for recipients or changing funding for the insurance program for poor people into a block grant issued to states. Many conservative figures also baselessly blame undocumented immigrants for driving up Medicaid costs, even though they are generally prohibited from accessing the program.”

https://www.mediamatters.org/health-care/right-wing-media-lay-foundations-republican-cuts-medicaid

 

Washington Post Cracking Up?

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Article in Mediaite by Kathrun Wilkens, 3/3/25

Headline:  “Exclusive: Marty Baron on Jeff Bezos, The Washington Post, and Trump’s Crackdown on the Press”

“A few months after legendary journalist Marty Baron was hired as the top editor of The Washington Post in 2013, billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought the paper.

During his eight years leading The Post — a dramatic run that included Donald Trump’s first term in office and ten Pulitzer Prizes for the paper — Baron maintained a good relationship with Bezos and has praised the billionaire for standing up to Trump’s efforts to crack down on coverage in the years since his retirement in 2021.

In Trump’s second term, Baron fears Bezos has abandoned his resolve to maintain the independence and credibility of The Post.

The billionaire made waves last week by announcing a shift in the paper’s editorial policy. In a rare public statement, he declared that The Post’s opinion section would now advocate for “personal liberties and free markets,” and not print opposing viewpoints on those subjects.

https://www.mediaite.com/podcasts/exclusive-marty-baron-on-jeff-bezos-the-washington-post-and-trumps-crackdown-on-the-press/

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Article in The Atlantic by George Packer, 3/1/25

Headline:  “The Washington Post Is Dying a Death of Despair”

“How does a free press in this country die? Probably not the way Americans imagine. It’s unlikely—though not impossible—that heavily armed police are going to raid newspaper offices, confiscate computers, and haul editors and reporters off to jail. Media websites probably won’t go dark under government bans. Pro-regime militias with official backing won’t light a bonfire of anti-regime books and magazines on Pennsylvania Avenue. The demise of independent journalism in the United States will be less spectacular than the notorious examples of other times and places—as much voluntary as coerced, less like a murder than a death of despair.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/bezos-restrictions-editorial-independence/681878/?gift=I4LGsilsOekK9WrXBxktmnSsD3Fe4VPgZUp5v32UrZc&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share