Urgent Reporting Can Wait

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Article in FAIR by Janine Jackson, 8/19/25

Headline: “Media in Hiding From the Most Urgent Questions of the Day”

“. . . Corporate media are calling this kind of thing reporting, but reporting would keep at least one foot in the facts. So when White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (X, 8/12/25) tweets that ‘crime stats in big blue cities are fake,’ would a press corps worth its salt say ‘some advocates dispute that,’ or would they show all the actual real-world data?

“Ideally, the blathering of a man who thinks that ‘the real rates of crime, chaos and dysfunction are orders of magnitude higher’ than that might be met with questions about, for one thing, whether he knows what ‘orders of magnitude’ means, but also, where is he looking for these official rates of ‘chaos and dysfunction’?

“But the press corps we have are engaged, like the New York Times, in hiding from the most urgent questions of the day. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/media-in-hiding-from-the-most-urgent-questions-of-the-day/

Saving Empire With a Deal

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/20/25

Headline:  “Opinion | Why did CBS settle with Trump? Media mogul Shari Redstone speaks”

Subhead: “Paramount’s controlling shareholder says settling with Trump was in the company’s best interest”

“Trump’s case stood little to no chance in court, but the general narrative was that Paramount settled with Trump to get the required approval from his administration for the merger.

At the center of all this was Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount.

Now, The New York Times’ James B. Stewart has a new major story out — “Why Did Shari Redstone Do It?” — which details the 13 months of negotiations between Paramount and Skydance, as well as the reasoning behind settling the lawsuit with Trump. . .”

Read the full article at:

ttps://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/why-did-cbs-settle-with-trump-media-mogul-shari-redstone-speaks/

Someday, People Will Not be Afraid

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Article in Poynter by Kelly McBride, 8/20/25

Headline:  “Washington, D.C., is filled with journalists. Here’s a primer on filming police and soldiers in public places”

Subhead:  “Public spaces and private ones with permission are usually fair game; if accused of obstruction, backing off is best”

“. . .It doesn’t matter whether you are a journalist; we all have the same right to free speech in public places. This includes sidewalks, streets, Metro stations, parks and government buildings. That right to free speech includes the right to take pictures and record video.

“Here is some basic information for journalists and others who want to document law enforcement and soldiers working in D.C. . . .”

Read the full article at:

ttps://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2025/rules-report-film-police-soldiers-public/

Keeping Public Media From Drowning?

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 8/19/25

Headline: “Foundations step in to offer $37 million lifeline to public media”

Subhead:  “The Knight, MacArthur and Ford foundations are among those pledging emergency funding after Trump’s rescission stripped federal funding from PBS and NPR stations.”

“Major philanthropic organizations said Tuesday that they are committing nearly $37 million in emergency funding to keep public media stations afloat after Congress passed President Donald Trump’s rescissions bill, which eliminated $1.1 billion in federal funding from PBS and NPR stations over the next two years. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/19/npr-pbs-foundations-funding/

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Steve Waldman, 8/20/25

Headline:  “What Will the Next Era of Public Media Look Like?”

Subhead: “After the demise of CPB, the industry has an opportunity to build more creative models for public support.”

“. . .In response, Knight, MacArthur, and several other foundations announced this week that they were funding a Public Media Bridge Fund to fill the absence of CPB. About a hundred TV and radio stations were receiving more than 30 percent of their revenue from CPB; many of those would be in danger of going dark. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/what-will-the-next-era-of-cpb-public-media-look-like.php

Alaska Was Great Success!

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Article in AlterNet by David Badash, 8/19/25

Headline:  ” ‘Pure cult spin’: Leavitt uses press conference to rage against media after Trump’s failed summit”

“In a series of sharp criticisms, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the media for its coverage of President Donald Trump’s Alaska Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, claiming despite the goalposts that Trump himself had set but did not meet, it was ‘highly productive’ and ‘successful. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/media/leavitt-press-conference/

Remember Media Duopoly Rules?

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Article in Poynter by Al Tompkins, 8/19/25

Headline: “Nexstar’s takeover of Tegna would require an overhaul of FCC ownership rules”

Subhead: “The proposed sale would exceed the FCC’s 39% cap, igniting debate among broadcasters, unions and press groups”

“Nexstar announced Tuesday that it intends to buy Tegna for $6.2 billion — a deal that has been rumored for weeks. To pull off what would be the biggest change in TV broadcast ownership history, however, the Federal Communications Commission would have to relax rules limiting how much of the country one company can reach with its over-the-air signal.. . ”

Read the full Article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/nexstar-tegna-fcc-ownership-rules-media-consolidation/

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Article in Freepress by Staff, 8/19/25

Headline: “Nexstar’s Unlawful Acquisition of TEGNA Is a Bad Deal for the Public “

“. . .The newly combined Nexstar entity, if allowed, would have 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and 132 of the country’s 210 television Designated Market Areas (or DMAs). The deal would violate the national broadcast-ownership cap, which the FCC lacks authority to increase or eliminate, as Free Press recently discussed in comments opposing the FCC’s proposed reexamination of this law. . .”

Read the full press release at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/nexstars-unlawful-acquisition-tegna-bad-deal-public

News Channel Clucked Too Much?

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Update below:

Article in Status by Jon Passantino, 8/18/25

Headline:  “Plucking MSNBC’s Feathers”

Subhead: “After nearly 30 years, MSNBC is dropping its name to become MS NOW a rebrand that sparked tension with NBCU and weeks of behind-the-scenes debate”

“On Monday morning, a little after 9 a.m. ET, Joe Scarborough delivered an unexpected jolt to MSNBC’s viewers. “We have breaking news as it pertains to our network: This morning, a new name of the network, the ‘Morning Joe’ host announced. ‘By the end of the year, we will become MS NOW, which stands for my source for news, opinion, and the world.’ The surprise decision unsurprisingly drew instant cheers from Scarborough, who hailed the network’s bold new logo as ‘very sporty,’ and cheered the name change as proof that ‘we’re independent.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/msnbc-new-name-rebrand-ms-now

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Article in Daily Dot by Jamie Jirak, 8/19/25

Headline:  “MSNBC is officially changing its name to MS Now, and the internet reacted as you’d expect: with memes and conspiracy theories”

Subhead:  “ ‘It’s not shocking, but it is noteworthy.’ “

“. . .Why is MSNBC changing its name?

“According to the announcement, the name change is happening due to a move to a new media company called VERSANT. MS NOW will no longer be a part of NBCUniversal and NBCNews. Instead, they will be under the same umbrella as CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, and SportsEngine. . .”

“Unsurprisingly, people have a wide range of thoughts about this news. People have taken to social media to share their feelings and make some clever jokes about MS NOW. With name changes becoming increasingly common, some people just aren’t having it. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailydot.com/viral-politics/msnbc-changing-name-to-ms-now/

Always Trust the AI Journalists

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Hilke Schellmann, 8/19/25

Headline:  “I Tested How Well AI Tools Work for Journalism”

Subhead: “Some tools were sufficient for summarizing meetings. For research, the results were a disaster.”

“Journalists now have access to an abundance of AI tools on the market that promise to assist with tasks such as transcription, note-taking, summarization, research, and data analysis. Are these tools trustworthy enough for use in the newsroom?

“There is not yet a clear answer to that question. While most news organizations have AI policies, the guidelines are typically abstract and broad, and do not address a journalist’s daily workflow. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/i-tested-how-well-ai-tools-work-for-journalism.php

Does the Shoe Fit?

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Article in The New Republic by Greg Sargent, 8/18/25

Headline:  “Trump’s Angry New ‘Dictator’ Rant to Media Alarms Experts: ‘Wake Up!’ “

Subhead:  “As Trump’s ugly ramblings about his militarization of cities get worse, prominent legal observer Joyce Vance explains how and why this is all heading to a very dark place—and what we must do to stop it.”

“With President Trump’s crackdown intensifying in Washington, D.C., he lashed out angrily at the media for describing him as a ‘dictator.’ In this same rant, he did not reassure D.C. residents and exaggerated wildly about crime there, suggesting people should thank him for his efforts. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/199192/trump-angry-new-dictator-rant-media-alarms-experts-wake-up

Dominion Over Rt. Wing Media

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 8/18/25

Headline:  “Right-wing media outlets are still paying up for 2020 election lies”

“Right-wing media company Newsmax has agreed to pay out $67 million in a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems for promoting lies about the 2020 election. The announcement adds to a tally of over $900 million paid out by right-wing outlets for peddling these lies, underlining their role in spreading mass disinformation. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/18/2339006/-Right-wing-media-outlets-are-still-paying-up-for-2020-election-lies?

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Article in UPI by Allen Cone, 8/18/25

Headline:  “Newsmax settles defamation suit by Dominion Voting Systems for $67M”

Subhead:  “Dominion alleged statements made in Newsmax’s coverage about the 2020 election were defamatory.”

“Newsmax on Monday agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation suit against the conservative media company over its 2020 presidential election coverage. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/08/18/Newsmax-settle-defamation-suit-Dominion-Voting-Systems-67-million/7281755536574/