MAGA’s Little Helpers: Sinclair, Nexstar and the Consolidation of Broadcast TV
Sinclair and Nexstar need to stay in Trump’s good graces to ensure FCC approvals. To survive, however, their ABC affiliates need national programming.
‘There’s No Space in the American Landscape Where the Shadow of the Prison Doesn’t Fall’:
CounterSpin interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal on media and power
“You can’t talk about media without talking about power, because you know and I know that much media is about sucking up to power.”
Under Trump, Criticism Is Now Criminal
After the killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, Trump escalated his war on free speech, calling for criminalizing criticism of himself.
Mumia Abu-Jamal on Media and Power
Mumia Abu-Jamal’s 1982 conviction exposed flagrant flaws in corporate media’s storytelling around crime and punishment and race and power.
NPR’s Economics Lessons Come With Neoliberal Spin
Summer School sidelines critical perspectives to teach its audience that privatization, austerity and deregulation are pivotal to freedom and prosperity.
‘Media Need to Report on the Real Cost of Data Centers’:
CounterSpin interview with Jai Dulani and Vivek Bharathan on data center opposition
“This is because of community pushback, communities that are saying, this is not worth the environmental threat that these data centers pose.”
When a Shooter Is Trans—and Not a Cis Male—Suddenly Identity Matters
Most media outlets focused on profiling the shooter—who was transgender—treating the shooting as an isolated case rather than part of a larger, systemic issue.
CPB Is Dead, But We Need Public Media More Than Ever
With the Project 2025 dream of pulling the plug on CPB realized, what happens next for public broadcasting?
US Cartooning Tradition in Peril in Trump’s First Year
In the era of Trump, publishers are, for a variety of reasons, encouraging cartoonists to approach the president on bended knee.
‘Kristi Noem Is Actually Claiming Videotaping DHS Officers Is Violent’:
CounterSpin interview with Matthew Cunningham-Cook on criminalizing witness
“It’s an extremely dangerous time for the free press, and it’s critically important that journalists not be kowtowing to this administration.”
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.
UN Declares Genocide in Gaza While 250 US Lawmakers Are in Israel
It is surely in the interest of the public to know if their local representatives were in Israel networking with parties to what the UN has labeled a genocide.
‘The White House Is Shaking Down Media Owners to Get Them to Follow the Trump Agenda’:
CounterSpin interview with Tim Karr on media capitulation
“Unfortunately, the companies that have the freedom to report on it aren’t willing to take up their constitutional right, and speak truth to power.”
‘Near Daily’ Israeli Assaults on Lebanon Have Become Non-News for Western Media
Western corporate media have increasingly lost interest in reporting on Israel’s unceasing war on its northern neighbor.
Jai Dulani and Vivek Bharathan on Data Center Opposition, Keith McHenry (2024) on Homeless Policy
Something so vaguely named as a “data center” is actually a physical thing in real neighborhoods affecting real people.
For US Corporate Media, Italy’s Gaza Protests Had Two Strikes Against Them
After a massive Italian mobilization against genocide in Gaza, there was only a smattering of online coverage among US corporate media outlets.
Trump Turns Pentagon Into Department of War on First Amendment
The Trump directive transcends the anti-democratic tradition of suppressing military information, taking the nation into new authoritarian territory.
Charlie Kirk Purges Show the Need to Stand Up to Government Bullying
In the wake of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s shooting on September 10, getting rid of troublesome voices has become easier.
ACTION ALERT: Snopes Thinks Kirk Was Kidding About Killing Gays Being ‘God’s Perfect Law’
Please ask Snopes to reevaluate its finding that Charlie Kirk was not endorsing the stoning of gays, which he called “God’s perfect law.”
As Ellison Buys Out TikTok, US Moves Toward One-Party Media
The Ellison duo taking over both CBS and CNN, as well as controlling a major social media network like TikTok, would be dangerous for democracy.
