Reporters Only Stenographers Now?

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/14/25

Headline:  “Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy”

Subhead:  “The network, which is generally supportive of the Trump administration, has joined ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN in not signing the Defense Department press policy.”

“. . .Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,’ the news networks wrote. ‘The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/14/fox-news-among-broadcasters-refusing-sign-pentagon-press-pledge/

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Article in Mediaite by Sarah Rumpf, 10/14/25

Headline:  “Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Press Crackdown Gets Absolutely Walloped on Fox News by Retired General”

“Retired General and former Vice Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Jack Keane was bluntly critical of the Pentagon’s new press restrictions Tuesday, telling Fox News anchor Bret Baier this was an improper attempt to “spoon-feed information” to journalists. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/pete-hegseths-pentagon-press-crackdown-gets-absolutely-walloped-on-fox-news-by-retired-general/

 

Student Journalists Polarized?

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Carolina Abbott Galvao, 10/13/25

Headline:  “Student Journalism Is Fraught, Too”

Subhead:  “The dispute over plans for MediaFest, the nation’s largest conference of student journalists, reflects the polarization of the news industry that awaits them.”

“In late July, a group of student-journalism advisers convened on Zoom to discuss a brewing controversy over opinion, reporting, and religion. They were preparing for MediaFest—the nation’s largest conference of student reporters and their mentors, which will take place in Washington, DC, this week. Steven Sandberg, a student media adviser at Oregon State University, had been browsing the event schedule when he came upon a list of speakers slated for a portion of the conference called the “faith track.” “I saw pretty far-right, anti-LGBTQ language,” he said. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/feature/student-journalism-mediafest-fraught-religion-faith-reporting.php

Nothing to Report in Gaza

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Article in Common Dreams by Jessica Corbett, 10/13/25

Headline:  “Ceasefire Sparks Fresh Calls for Global Media Access to Gaza”

Subhead:  “Press groups are also demanding justice for the more than 200 journalists slaughtered in Palestinian territory over the past two years.”

“. . .’It is particularly critical for American journalists to overcome the Israeli government’s attempts to hide the aftermath of the US-funded devastation in Gaza,’ CAIR [Council on American-Islamic Relations] added. ‘Reporters must immediately receive access to Gaza so they can see and report on the consequences of the genocide for themselves’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/journalism-in-gaza

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Article in Mother Jones by Moran Barkai and Paul TUllis, 10/13/25

Headline:  “Israeli Media’s Distorted View of the War in Gaza”

Subhead:  “While global news showed a humanitarian disaster, most outlets in Israel remained silent.”

“In December 2023, nearly three months after the October 7 massacre, the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies gathered members of the country’s media. . .”

“For months on TV, nationalism, grief, and revenge had mixed freely. Israeli victims’ testimonies were common, as were first responders’ accounts. The idea of a second Holocaust, requiring a massive military response, was a regular talking point. But the suffering in Gaza was hardly noted. By mid-December, close to 20,000 people in Gaza had been killed. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/israeli-media-gaza-channel-television-press-distorted-view/

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Article in FAIR by Drew Favekh, 9/27/25

Headline:  “When Palestinians Die in Israeli Captivity, US Media Almost Never Take Note”

“The different treatment accorded to the plights of Palestinian and Israeli prisoners by US corporate media illustrates a persistent double standard that treats some people as more human than others. . .”

“The lack of US media attention in 2025 cannot be attributed to a lack of either abuses or available leads. In July, an exposé by Israeli newspaper Haaretz (7/6/25) showed Megiddo Prison to be one of the more brutal of Israeli prisons. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/when-palestinians-die-in-israeli-captivity-us-media-almost-never-take-note/

Some Media Waking Up Now?

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Article in The Guardian by Edward Helmore, 10/13/25

Headline:  “US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information”

Subhead:  “Defense department policy requires outlets to vow not to obtain unauthorized files and restricts access to some areas”

“Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new defense department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.

“The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been widely criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/13/defense-department-media-news-rules

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/13/25

Headline: “News outlets broadly reject Pentagon rules before deadline for signing”

Subhead: “The Washington Post joined the New York Times, Newsmax and CNN in refusing to sign the restrictive new policy.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/13/prominent-media-reject-new-pentagon-rules-before-signing-deadline/

Stopping Reporting With Force

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 10/10/25

Headline: “Border Patrol Agents Arrest Chicago News Producer and Ram Vehicle in Hasty Getaway”

“Masked Border Patrol agents on Friday arrested a TV producer for WGN News in Chicago, threw her into an unmarked van, and rammed into another vehicle as they drove away.”

“A video posted on Facebook by a bystander named Josh Thomas shows three masked agents pinning Debbie Brockman on a street in Chicago’s North Side as they handcuff her. Thomas asks her name, which she gives, before Thomas asks the agents, ‘You guys wanna share your names, too?’. . .”

“They declined. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/ice-agents-arrest-chicago-news-producer-and-ram-vehicle-in-hasty-getaway/

Local Journalism Gets it Right

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Article in Media Matters by Noah Howe & Pete Tsipis, 10/10/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media say Portland is a war zone under siege. On-the-ground coverage paints a different picture.”

Subhead:  “Local coverage has highlighted the peaceful nature of protests and the violent response of federal agents”

“Right-wing media claim that Portland’s protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement show a city ‘under siege’ or ‘conquered by antifa,’ but on-the-ground coverage, by both national media outlets and local media outlets, has revealed the opposite.”

“Multiple local broadcast outlets report that protests are relatively small and peaceful, with many demonstrators ‘in pajamas, sharing pastries, throwing a frisbee, and playing board games’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/right-wing-media-say-portland-war-zone-under-siege-ground-coverage-paints-different

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Editors 10/10/25

Headline:  “Local TV News Does Good”

Subhead:  “Forget about the mergers and buyouts and executive leadership for a while. The local grunts keep breaking news.”

“. . .firestorm ignited by Porter’s [California Governor Candidate] reaction to Watts’s calm, sensible questioning was just one example of what has been a banner couple of weeks for the often overlooked foot soldiers of local television news. At a time when the national conversation about TV news has been dominated by anxiety about mergers and corporate politics and hostile takeovers, it’s reassuring to see the reporters on the ground continuing to do the kind of work that makes them indispensable to the communities they serve.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/local-tv-news-does-good-porter-california-governor-fox.php

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Article in Raw Story by Robert Reich, 10/9/25

Headline:  “Opinion – How our media became so vulnerable to Trump — and what we can do about it”

“. . .today’s media ecosystem is far more vulnerable to authoritarianism than it was decades ago. . .”

“Today I want to explore three structural changes in our political economy that have made it so, and suggest what must be done to strengthen media independence.

” 1. Media concentration has facilitated censorship. . .; 2. Ultra-wealthy individuals are now controlling major media. These are people likely to be biased against the public’s right to know. . .; 3. The shift from stakeholder to shareholder capitalism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/bari-weiss-2674169028/?utm_source=breaking

 

Mental Media Malpractice?

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Article in AlterNet by Adam Lynch, 10/9/25

Headline:  ” ‘The right is in deep trouble’: Expert says far-right media ‘promotes mental degeneration’ “

“UnHerd Editor Sohrab Ahmari tells the Washington Post that the ravings of the right-wing media’s pundit class have lately gotten even crazier.

“ ‘Much of right-wing media now resembles star-child radio: a vast chamber of oft-malignant fantasies, where even once-reasonable minds go to get euthanized,’ said Ahmari. ‘Each flick of the feed pulls up a paranoia-monger more wild-eyed than the previous, warning about the evil machinations of all-powerful … apparitions of their fever dreams’. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/right-wing-media-mental/

CNN & Cable News Doomed?

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Article in Mediaite by Colby Hall, 10/9/25

Headline:  “EXCLUSIVE: One-on-One With Mark Thompson — The Man Hired to Save CNN“

“. . .Like every legacy media institution, CNN faces pressures that go far beyond the traditional 24-hour news cycle. Linear television is steadily losing its grip on viewers, cord-cutting accelerates each year, social platforms like TikTok are siphoning attention, and AI threatens to redefine what it means to deliver trustworthy, fact-based news. . .”

Read the full article at:

Nothing New at Pentagon – Move Along

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 10/9/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon Doubles Down on Muzzling Reporters”

Subhead:  “Members of the press corps covering the Department of Defense say guidelines, newly revised, remain unsignable.”

“Last month, the Department of Defense issued a memo to reporters imposing an unprecedented set of restrictions on covering the Pentagon and setting a deadline for members of the press to sign a pledge of compliance. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/pentagon-doubles-down-pete-hegseth-muzzling-reporters-press-corps-policy.php

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Article in Axios by Julianna Bragg, 10/8/25

Headline:  “New Pentagon policy sends ‘message of intimidation,’ press group says”

The Department of Defense plans to enforce new policies that ‘appear designed to stifle a free press,’ the Pentagon Press Association said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced weeks of backlash over a Sept. 15 memo restricting engagements alongside new requirements that journalists sign an ‘express agreement’ not to gather any information the department hasn’t officially authorized for release, or they risk losing access to Pentagon facilities. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/09/pentagon-press-restrictions-trump-journalists-ppa

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/9/25

Headline:  “News organizations hold out on signing Pentagon media policies ‘designed to stifle a free press’

Subhead:  “Trump administration has been accused of preparing to severely limit journalists’ ability to cover the department”

“With days left before journalists covering the Pentagon must sign on to a new set of guidelines to retain physical access to the department, major US news companies – and organizations representing their interests – remain concerned about specific policies they fear will stifle independent reporting on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/new-pentagon-press-rules-trump– – – – –

Article in The Contrarian by Jennifer Rubin and Ned Price, 10/8/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon handcuffs free press and Gaza’s potential peace deal with Ned Price”

Subhead:  “The president could really care less.”

“In a deep discussion with Jen, Ned presents the dangers of handcuffing independent journalists to reporting solely Pentagon-approved memos. “Day to day journalism is so important,” Ned shares, designating the burden of safeguarding classified information on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-pentagon-handcuffs-free-press