Did CBS News Jump the Shark?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 1/6/26

Headline:  “The Dokoupil Debacle”

Subhead:  “A chaotic on-air rollout, cringe social media posts, and MAGA-friendly editorial choices have turned Tony Dokoupil’s ‘CBS Evening News’ debut into a source of embarrassment and growing alarm inside the network’s newsroom.”

“On Tuesday evening, newly installed ‘CBS Evening News’  anchor Tony Dokoupil closed out just his second official broadcast with a surreal segment: a glowing tribute to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. . .”

“Even under normal circumstances, an ostensibly objective newsman’s lighthearted praise of a cabinet member’s political portfolio would have been jarring. But it was particularly striking in context of the last several days. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/tony-dokoupil-cbs-evening-news-rollout

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Article in The New Republic by Edith Olmstead, 1/6/26

Headline:  “Bari Weiss’s New CBS Project Debuts—and Is a Total Disaster”

Subhead:   “The CBS Evening News launch didn’t exactly go to plan.

“First day, big problems here. . .”

“During his first foray into evening news Monday, Dokoupil face-planted while transitioning out of a story on Venezuela while Bari Weiss, the right-wing shill tapped to become editor in chief of CBS News, reportedly looked on from the control room. . .”

https://newrepublic.com/post/204977/bari-weiss-cbs-evening-news-tony-dokoupil-major-issues

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 1/6/26

Headline:  “CBS News’ new era begins with press freedom concerns and technical stumbles”

Subhead:  “Tony Dokoupil’s rushed anchor debut and a Venezuela interview that sidestepped Pentagon press restrictions mark an uneasy start to the Bari Weiss era”

“. . .CBS not only sat down with Hegseth, it allowed him to define a U.S. military operation in Venezuela as a ‘law enforcement’ action, argue Congress need not be notified, and openly discuss American oil interests, all without confronting the administration’s crackdown on the press itself.”

read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/tony-dokoupil-cbs-evening-news-new-host/

R.I.P. CPB

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Public media are not state-controlled media

Article in The Guardian by Lauren Aratani, 1/5/26

Headline:  “Corporation For Public Broadcasting formally dissolves after federal funding cuts”

Subhead:  “Board of directors vote to dissolve organization after nearly 60 years in operation after funding cuts under Trump”

“The nonprofit charged by Congress with allocating funds to NPR, PBS and other US public radio and television stations announced is dissolving after massive federal funding cuts under Donald Trump.

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced on Monday that its board of directors had voted to dissolve the organization after nearly 60 years in operation. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/05/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-board-dissolves

BBC Questionable Right?

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Article in Slashdot bu Sagepub, 1/2/26

Headline:  A Decade of BBC Question Time Data Reveals Imbalance in Journalist Guests

A new study [PDF] from Cardiff University analyzing a decade of the popular topical debate programme BBC Question Time found that the broadcaster’s flagship political debate show relies disproportionately on journalists and pundits from right-wing media outlets, particularly those connected to The Spectator magazine.

Researcher Matt Walsh examined 391 editions and 1,885 panellist appearances between 2014 and 2024. Journalists from right-leaning publications accounted for 59.59% of media guest slots, compared to just 16.86% for left-leaning outlets. . .”

No equivalent frequency existed for left-wing journalists. . . The BBC maintains that Question Time aims to present a “breadth of viewpoints,” but the data suggests the programme’s construction of impartiality tilts notably in one direction.

Read the full article at:

https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/01/02/1542232/a-decade-of-bbc-question-time-data-reveals-imbalance-in-journalist-guests

Fake News for Fake Journalist?

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Article in Daily Beast by Jack Revell, 1/2/26

Headline:  “MAGA’s Favorite ‘Journalist’ Busted Paying to Fake ‘News’”

“The ‘journalist’ at the center of a viral clash over alleged Somalian welfare fraud once paid Hispanic laborers to protest outside the White House in support of President Joe Biden.

“Nick Shirley, 23, is currently being praised and amplified by the MAGA right, including FBI Director Kash Patel and billionaire Elon Musk, for a video purporting to reveal ‘Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal.’

“While the YouTuber with no journalism background and only a high school-level education claims to ‘bring the truth to all’ of his 1.35 million subscribers, he has previously been shown to be staging his content. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/magas-fav-journalist-paid-hispanic-laborers-for-bizarre-stunt/

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Article in Babylon Bee by Staff, 1/2/26

Headline:  “Republicans Vow To Uncover All Somali Fraud And Then Do Nothing About It Except Fundraise”

“With allegations of money laundering in Minnesota and other states growing by the day, Republican lawmakers in Washington have vowed to uncover all Somali fraud in Minnesota and then do nothing about it except to fundraise for future elections.

“It is absolutely vital that we uncover as much fraud in Minnesota as possible so that we can fundraise off it,’Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. ‘Some of us have elections coming up.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://babylonbee.com/news/republicans-vow-to-uncover-all-somali-fraud-and-then-do-nothing-about-it-except-fundraise

 

No Bones About Media Scanning?

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Article in Raw Story by David Edwards, 1/2/26

Headline: ” ‘What is wrong with journalism?’ MAGA doc slams reporters for believing Trump’s MRI claim”

“Pro-MAGA podcaster Dr. Drew Pinsky lashed out at reporters for believing President Donald Trump’s claim that he had an MRI procedure instead of being tested by CT scan equipment. . .”

” ‘He did not have an MRI. He did not have a CAT scan. He had a coronary calcium score, which is done with a CAT scan machine,” Pinsky said during his Friday broadcast. “They’re so effing ignorant! They don’t know how to ask the right questions!’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.rawstory.com/drew-pinsky-trump-mri/?utm_source=superhead

Right-Wing Host Says Legacy Media Dead

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Article in Mediaite by Zoe Engels, 1/1/26

Headline:  ” ‘Nothing Will Happen at CBS’: Megyn Kelly Declares Legacy Media ‘Dead”

“SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly pronounced the death of legacy media on Thursday, declaring ‘nothing will happen at CBS’ in a post on X.

“She seized the opportunity to slam the network in her reply to a post featuring incoming CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil instructing viewers to make him ‘earn’ their trust.

“ ‘Nothing will happen at CBS,’ Kelly wrote on X. ‘Nothing. Legacy media is dead and evening news has been totally irrelevant for a long time.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/nothing-will-happen-at-cbs-megyn-kelly-declares-legacy-media-dead/

Even More Duopoly Rules Discarded?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 12/31/25

Headline:  “Labor Unions and Media Justice Groups File Petition Urging the FCC to Reject Nexstar’s Proposed Takeover of Tegna“

“The petition to deny the transfer of broadcast licenses from TEGNA to Nexstar was filed 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. In their filing the petitioners state that the merger would result in an illegal broadcast conglomerate, exceeding the 39-percent audience-reach ‘National Cap’ set by Congress.

“Though Nexstar and TEGNA seek a waiver of this limit, the commission is prohibited by law from waiving, altering, or eliminating this National Cap. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/labor-unions-and-media-justice-groups-file-petition-urging-fcc-reject-nexstars-proposed

Nothing to Report Here

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Article in Daily Kos by Bidenmytime, 1/1/26

Headline:  “While the Media focuses on Childcare Fraud in Minnesota…”

Here is what else is going on…

Of course they are looting the Kennedy Center. They are looting everything.

”Democrats on the committee said they obtained documents that suggest the national cultural centre is being operated as a ‘slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/1/2361007/-While-the-Media-focuses-on-Childcare-Fraud-in-Minnesota

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Article in The Washington Post by Elahe Izadi on MSN, 1/1/26

Headline:  “The ‘TrumpKennedyCenter.org’ website is taken. This comedian owns it.”

“The organization’s leaders might have wanted a new website to replace kennedy-center.org, too. But if they’d hoped for trumpkennedycenter.org, they were out of luck. A comedian bought it months ago.

“As soon as Trump began gutting the Kennedy Center board earlier this year, I thought, ‘Yep, that name’s going on the building,’” explains Toby Morton, a comedy writer with ‘South Park’ and ‘Mad TV’ credits who buys political domains and turns them into satirical websites as a form of activism. . . .”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-website-trumpkennedycenterorg-is-taken-this-comedian-owns-it/ar-AA1SJNVP

Fake News media “Influencer” Exposed?

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Article in The Intercept by Jonah Valdez, 12/31/25

Headline:  “Right-Wing YouTuber Behind Viral Minnesota Fraud Video Has Long Anti-Immigrant History”

Subhead:  “Before alleging fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley built a following with anti-immigrant clips.”

“The day after Christmas, far-right YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video claiming to have exposed fraud at Somali-owned day care centers in Minnesota. . .”

“This isn’t the first time the conservative YouTuber has gotten the attention of the Trump administration. . . At age 23, his videos aren’t merely influencing his audiences — they’re also influencing government action. . .”

“ ‘The very real-world consequence is that it’s going to exacerbate the situation that we have in Minnesota right now where we have a lot of people, including U.S. citizens or people with lawful status being arrested and detained by ICE,’ said Ana Pottratz Acosta, who leads the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School.

“The video, she said, reinforces xenophobic tropes about the Somali community, specifically tying the community to fraud. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/31/nick-shirley-videos-minnesota-somali-day-cares-fraud-claims/

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Article in The Hill by Tara Suter, 12/31/25

Headline:  “CNN reporter grills YouTuber whose Minnesota day care video went viral”

“. . .In the video, shared by Elon Musk and Vice President Vance this week, Shirley knocks on doors at various day care centers, pointing out that no children are visible, which he cites as evidence that they are improperly collecting funds. . .”

“. . .Nikki Brown, commissioner of the new Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, responded to the video this week, saying the centers in question had active licenses, with the exception of the center with the misspelled name, which she said closed last week. . .”

“ ‘There have been ongoing investigations with several of those centers. None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud,’ she added. .. .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5668221-cnn-reporter-confronts-youtuber-minnesota-daycares/

Network Slowly, Slowly Sinking

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Article in Mother Jones by Mika Bauerlein, 12.30.25

Headline:  “The End of CBS News”

Subhead:  “Why corporate media won’t come to save us.”

“. . .Now, editors-in-chief often, annoyingly, ask for changes in stories. I was one, and I did it. But what no editor in her right mind will do is yank a piece at the last minute, after it has been reported, vetted, fact-checked, lawyered, greenlit for publication, and promoted for several days. For if you do that, the issue will no longer be the reporting. The issue will be your management. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/the-end-of-cbs-news/