Media Sue Government for a Change

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L Nagy, 3/4/26

Headline: “The New York Times Takes the Pentagon to Court”

Subhead:  “As the US wages war on Iran, journalists’ fight for access enters a new phase.”

“. . .Hegseth and Caine spoke for twenty-nine minutes, then opened the floor for questions. . .In the first few rows of the briefing room, MAGA-friendly reporters passed the microphone to one another for a total of thirteen minutes before Hegseth and Caine left the stage. (Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, denied that Hegseth had chosen the questioners in advance. . .”

“In December, the Times sued the Defense Department, Hegseth, and Sean Parnell, the department’s chief spokesman, arguing that the reporting guidelines violate the First Amendment. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/new-york-times-takes-pentagon-court-hegseth-parnell-lawsuit.php

Open-Ended Media?

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Article in Media Matters by Payton Armstrong, 3/4/26

Headline: “Christian media figures have claimed that the Iran war could signal “the second coming” or the ‘End Times’ and said ‘we are watching incredible prophecy in this time come to pass’ “

“Right-wing Christian media are praising President Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in launching military strikes against Iran, with some figures likening Trump to Cyrus the Great and Constantine the Great and claiming that ‘we are watching incredible prophecy in this time come to pass.’. . .”

Read the full article at”

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/christian-media-figures-have-claimed-iran-war-could-signal-second-coming-or-end

CNN and MAGA Mouthpiece

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Article in Daily Beast by Ewan Palmer, 3/3/26

Headline:  “CNN Staff Furious After MAGA Pundit Boosts Trump War Propaganda”

Subhead:  “The complaints about Scott Jennings were so severe that senior leaders at the network were called in.”

“CNN’s MAGA mouthpiece Scott Jennings left journalists at the network furious after he shared Iran war propaganda from Donald Trump that contradicted their own reporting.

Several staff complaints were made against Jennings, a firebrand figure who is often rude and dismissive during his CNN appearances, after he claimed he received intel about why the president had launched an attack on Iran, according to Status. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-staff-furious-after-maga-pundit-scott-jennings-boosts-donald-trump-iran-war-propaganda/

Did Media Forget Epstein?

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Article in Mediaite by Sean JAmes, 3/3/26

Headline: ” ‘Propaganda Slop’: Lightning Rod Journalist Calls Epstein Saga the ‘Worst Covered Story’ in Decades”

“Prominent Substack writer Michael Tracey argued that the Jeffrey Epstein saga stands out as the ‘worst covered story’ in decades in a new feature story published by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday.

THR dubbed Tracey the ‘Face of Epstein Skepticism’ in its headline, and with good reason. Tracey has fought the widespread belief that Epstein was running a massive pedophile network for rich politicians and celebrities on both his Substack blog and on X, where users frequently rip him for questioning how sordid Epstein really was. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/propaganda-slop-lightning-rod-journalist-calls-epstein-saga-the-worst-covered-story-in-decades/

War Concerns Show Up in Media

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 3/3/26

Headline: “Opinion | As coverage intensifies, polls show Americans are uneasy about the Iran strikes”

Subhead:  “Nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the strikes and just as many don’t believe President Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation”

“. . .A CNN poll shows 59% of Americans disapprove of the attack. The poll also found that 60% of Americans don’t believe President Donald Trump has ‘a clear plan for handling the situation’. . .’

“Meanwhile, The Washington Post texted 1,000 Americans to get their thoughts on the attack. The results: 45% opposed, 39% supported and 17% were unsure. In addition, 47% said the U.S. should stop military strikes, compared to 25% who said they should continue.. .”

“The New York Times ran interesting side-by-side videos on its homepage on Monday. As I just referenced above, there was a clip of Trump saying, ‘I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.’ Again, that was in 2024. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/trump-negative-polling-iran-strikes/

Trump IS MAGA Media?

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Article in The hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 3/3/26

Headline:  “Trump knocks Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly over Iran criticism: ‘MAGA is Trump’ “

“President Trump and his allies are pushing back on a number of top conservative media figures typically loyal to him who have questioned ongoing U.S. military action in Iran amid fears of a prolonged war in the Middle East.

“The president said former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, both of whom have publicly broken with him over U.S. military operations in Iran, do not represent the view among his base of supporters.

“ ‘I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,’ Trump said, adding of Kelly specifically that ‘she was critical of me for years and I didn’t lose. I won all three times by a lot.’. . .”

Read the full article at:
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5764439-donald-trump-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-iran-conflict/

Some Media Justify Bombing?

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Article in FAIR by Belén Fernández, 3/2/26

Headline:  “US Media Mostly Care for Iranians When They Can Be Used to Justify Bombing”

“. . .In the aftermath of the strikes, certain US corporate media outlets unleashed ostensible critiques of the war—having apparently spontaneously forgotten their own fundamental role in paving the warpath by devoting the past several decades to demonizing the Iranian government (or ‘regime,’ as we are required to refer to imperial foes). . .”

Read the full article at:

https://fair.org/home/us-media-mostly-care-for-iranians-when-they-can-be-used-to-justify-bombing/

Fox News Wags the Trump?

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 3/3/26

Headline: “In Iran, the most consequential test of the Fox-Trump feedback loop yet”

“President Donald Trump, across both of his terms, has regularly shaped federal policy in response to the propaganda he hears from his sycophants at Fox News. But his decision over the weekend to launch a war of choice against Iran without a clear goal may prove to be the most consequential example of this feedback loop to date.

“Trump is deeply immersed in the Fox universe. He famously consumes the network’s content; highlights particular segments that strike his fancy on social media; hires its employees to run his administration; consults its personalities for advice on domestic and foreign policy; and doles out contracts and pardons alike based on what he sees on its airwaves. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/iran-most-consequential-test-fox-trump-feedback-loop-yet

Sketchy War? – Attack Media!

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Article in Mediaite by Isaac Schorr, 3/2/26

Headline: ” ‘I Don’t Understand the Confusion’: Marco Rubio Slams Media for Questioning Reason for Iran Operation”

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio tsk-tsked the media while articulating the reason for the Trump administration’s ongoing military operation in Iran on Monday.

“Amid continued debate over the purpose and efficacy of that operation, Rubio tried to the set record straight during a gaggle with reporters on Capitol Hill.

“So look, the US conducted this operation with a clear goal in mind. I haven’t got a chance to see a lot of reporting. I don’t understand what the confusion is. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/i-dont-understand-the-confusion-marco-rubio-slams-media-for-questioning-reason-for-iran-operation/

Will New Owner Melt CNN?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 3/2/26

Headline:  “Opinion | CNN’s coverage of Iran is a reminder of its power — and what could be lost in the wrong hands”

Subhead:  “The network’s all-hands coverage of the strikes shows exactly what’s at stake as a potential sale to Paramount raises fears inside the newsroom”

“At some point overnight Friday into Saturday, while battling insomnia, I was catching up on some programs I had recently recorded. When I was done and about to head to bed, I went back to cable and came across a startling overnight breaking news alert: The United States and Israel had launched coordinated attacks on Iran. . .”

“As someone who writes about the media and has a special interest in it, I couldn’t help but wonder what CNN will look and sound like when, eventually, it will come under the control of Paramount, with CEO David Ellison, and, perhaps, CBS News, with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss?. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/what-will-happen-cnn-sale-paramount/