Trump’s FTC Wages a War on Media Criticism
The FTC’s intervention against media criticism outfits comes from the same censorious impulse that weaponized the Trump FCC to stifle criticism.
‘This Is the Only Post-9/11 Case Seeking Accountability for Torture to Reach a Jury’:
CounterSpin interview with Baher Azmy on Abu Ghraib justice
“I do think mainstream journalists need to understand the intersection between profit-making and incentives to go to war.”
‘A Media System Built on Profit Is Incredibly Fragile’:
CounterSpin interview with Jim Naureckas on MAGA vs. the First Amendment
“The regulatory system is being used to steer media ownership towards billionaires who are going to be friendly to Trump.”
Pete Hegseth’s War on Journalists (and Iran Too)
As the US and Israel’s war on Iran continues to worsen, Hegseth’s attacks on the media have also escalated.
How Will Corporate Lobbyists Fix Healthcare? Don’t Ask—Because You Can’t
Corporate news sources now issue press releases without bothering to include any information about who to contact with follow-up questions.
Jim Naureckas on MAGA vs. 1st Amendment, Baher Azmy on Abu Ghraib Justice
If we cut off our ability to have a widespread public debate, whatever “solutions” we’re told “we” came up with have nothing to do with democracy.
‘The Matter Is Being Radicalized and Solutions Are Being Ignored’:
Special CounterSpin episode on the history of Iran propaganda
“Whenever you see sanctions, you really should think war, because that’s really ultimately the outcome.”
As Washington Succeeds in Wrecking Cuba’s Economy, US Media Blame the Victim
As the Trump regime tightens the screws on Cuba by further restricting oil to the country, legacy media continue to toe the government’s line.
Leading US Papers Defend the Indefensible in Iran Aggression
Editorials in three of the United States’ most prominent newspapers offered varying degrees of support for the US/Israeli aggression against Iran.
A History of Iran Propaganda
CounterSpin has been tracking US news media failings, omissions and propagandizing on Iran for decades. We revisit some of that conversation this week.
‘Even with Congressional Authorization, the War Would Still Be an Act of Aggression’:
CounterSpin interview with Gregory Shupak on US/Israeli Iran aggression
“Those who start the war are responsible for all horrors that take place within the context of that war.”
US News Orgs Nearly Silent on Israel’s Violent Suppression of Journalism
Reports that documented Israel’s shameless targeting of the journalists who cover its war crimes were met with near silence by US corporate media.
Gallup Ends Presidential Approval Polling After 88 Years—Likely Because a President Disapproved
Gallup’s extensive database had allowed journalists to compare approval ratings among all presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt at various stages of their tenure.
‘Advocates Know How to Fight Attempts to Repress Black History’:
CounterSpin interview with Naomi Bethune on anti-Black history
“Right now is the exact moment that we should be looking back on the conditions that marginalized people experienced at this country’s formal conception.”
Gregory Shupak on the US War on Iran
It’s hard to parse US corporate news coverage of the attacks on Iran if you aren’t willing to let go of the idea that might does not, in fact, make right.
Three Massive Funds Control a Chunk of Most Media:
Maybe that's why you might not have heard of them
Putting the interests of capital writ large above all else is the Big Three’s job.
Covering for International Abusers, Media Reverse Victim and Offender in Iran
US corporate media frequently presented Iran as responsible for the predictably violent consequences of the US/Israeli aggression.
‘What Do Americans Think?’—and by ‘Americans,’ We Mean Right-Wing Texans
Media are still trying to turn Trump’s decision into a problem for the party that didn’t launch the unpopular war rather than for the one that did.
‘It’s Taken for Granted That Cuban Sovereignty Doesn’t Matter’:
CounterSpin interview with Reed Lindsay on the war on Cuba
“It’s our government, with our resources, that is essentially playing a huge role in causing the suffering in Cuba.”
US Media Mostly Care for Iranians When They Can Be Used to Justify Bombing
US corporate media tend to humanize Iranians only when they can be portrayed as victims of their own government.
