Media Hawks are Angry

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz. 6/17/26

Headline:  “Right-wing hawks absolve Trump of Iran MOU responsibility, blame Vance instead”

“The right-wing media’s hawks recognize the reported memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance signed with Iran on Sunday is a dog’s breakfast that fails to achieve the administration’s stated war goals and leaves the U.S. in a weaker geostrategic position than before it began. But they also understand that the cult-like structure of the MAGA movement means that criticizing Trump directly could trigger an audience revolt . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/right-wing-hawks-absolve-trump-iran-mou-responsibility-blame-vance-instead.

Et Tu NBC?

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Article in Status by Natalie Korach, 6/17/26

Headline:  “NBC’s Ballroom Blowback”

Subhead: “An NBCUniversal executive’s candid remarks justifying Comcast’s donation to Trump’s ballroom stunned reporters in the room and reignited questions about the company’s motives, Status has learned.”

“On Wednesday, NBC-owned stations news directors and NBC News investigative reporters gathered for a network training day ahead of the 2026 Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in National Harbor, Maryland. But amid a day of the usual presentations and speeches, some attendees were surprised to hear what sounded like an NBCUniversal executive suggesting that parent company Comcast’s multimillion-dollar donation to Donald Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project was simply a cost of doing business. . .

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/comcast-ballroom-donation-trump-nbc-news

Quitting Media Work?

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Article in Poynter by Megan Griffith-Greene & Tony Atkins, 6/17/26

Headline: “Should I stay or should I go? How to decide whether it’s time to leave your journalism job”

Subhead:  “The news about the news is looking grim. Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about making a major career change”

“The media industry has been messy lately. Consolidation, layoffs, ownership priorities and public disputes seem to be making as much news as the actual news. The instability — and all the spilled media tea — leaves a bad taste.

“If you’re working through that instability, how do you evaluate whether it’s worth it to stay, or whether it’s time to move on?. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/should-i-leave-my-journalism-job/

Many Rt. Wing Media Are Unhappy

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 6/27/26

Headline:  “The right-wing media revolt against Trump’s proposed MOU with Iran”

Subhead:  “Conservative pundits are trashing the White House’s memorandum of understanding”

“Right-wing media figures and outlets, including many that have been all-in on President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, are in open revolt against his proposed memorandum of understanding that seeks to deescalate the conflict. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/right-wing-media-revolt-against-trumps-proposed-mou-iran

Hope for Citizen-Based News

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 6/16/26

Headline: “California’s Civic Media Program Marks Significant Progress Over Past Efforts to Fund Local News”

Subhead:  “Civic-media leaders say more improvements are necessary to meet the needs of the state’s diverse and historically underserved communities”

“SACRAMENTO — On Monday, the state of California unveiled the details of a groundbreaking multimillion-dollar program to support local newsrooms across the state. The California Civic Media Program will distribute an initial $20 million in grants as a public-private investment in local reporting that’s essential to the civic health of the state’s diverse communities. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/californias-civic-media-program-marks-significant-progress-over-past-efforts-fund-local-news

CNN Moving Closer to the Edge

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 6/16/26

Headline:  “The CBS-CNN Courtship”

Subhead:  “Behind the scenes, Status has learned that top executives at CNN and CBS News have quietly convened for meetings as Paramount moves closer to acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, uniting the two news operations.”

“A few weeks ago, as CBS News and   inched closer to a corporate marriage, top executives from the two news organizations and their parent companies convened for an introductory meeting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cbs-news-cnn-merger-bari-weiss-mark-thompson-paramount

Local Stations – Exploding Prices?

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Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleat & Gideon Taaffe, 6/15/26

Headline:  “Sinclair’s national programs offer a Trump-friendly spin on his costly oil and gas prices, while local broadcasts show harm to Americans”

Subhead: “Local stations — including some owned by Sinclair — have been at the forefront of documenting American pain at the pump”

“Americans are feeling pain at the pump and elsewhere thanks to the ongoing surge in oil and fuel prices from President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, and local television news stations have been at the forefront of documenting that pain, with even some local stations owned by the right-wing Sinclair Broadcast Group airing such coverage. Sinclair’s national programming, however, has often applied a Trump-friendly spin while discussing high gas prices, downplaying the increases and suggesting they’ll be short-lived. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fuel-files-rising-gasoline-oil-and-fertilizer-prices/sinclairs-national-programs-offer-trump

FAIR, 40 Years

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Article in FAIR by Jeff Cohen, 6/12/26

Headline: “Forty Years of Raising Hell About Corporate Media Bias”

“. . .I came up with the idea for FAIR in the mid-1980s, when corporate news outlets were on bended knee for a reactionary, declining, war-mongering president—and when Reaganism was ushering in an era of dangerous media mergers. Thankfully, FAIR is still around to challenge today’s even worse media conglomeration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/forty-years-of-raising-hell-about-corporate-media-bias/

60 Minutes Losing its Glow?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Will we recognize the country’s most-watched news program after this overhaul?”

Subhead: ” ’60 Minutes’ is at a crossroads, and some wonder how — and if — the show will recover from recent changes”

“. . .This past season, the show had seven people introduce themselves: Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim. All of them, superb journalists.

That number is now down to four. Cooper left the show on his own accord after the season, saying his schedule had become too busy and that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Vega and Alfonsi were fired by CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss, who also fired the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon, and replaced her with Nick Bilton, who has no real experience in TV news. . .”

Read the full article at

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/will-60-minutes-be-recognizable-new-york-knicks-win/

Paramount Acquisitions

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Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 6/112/26

Headline:  “Justice Department approves Paramount bid to acquire Warner Bros.”

“The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Paramount’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the merger between the two global entertainment giants.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/media/5922500-doj-clears-paramount-warner-deal/

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Article in Common Dreams by Brett Wilkins, 6/12/26

Headline: ” ‘This Fight Isn’t Over’: Opponents Turn to State AGs After DOJ Approves Paramount-Warner Merger”

“Now that the federal government has abandoned antitrust enforcement in favor of cronyism and runaway consolidation, state attorneys general must step in to block this deal,” said one critic. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/doj-approves-paramount-warner-merger

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 6/12/26

Headline:  “Justice Department Clears Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger”

“The regulator determined that the $110 billion deal is “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/paramount-warner-bros-merger-cleared-department-of-justice/