Tag: freedom of the press

The Kochs just got their hands on Time. Who’s next?

The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the MediaMatters website November 27, 2017:

Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who are major funders of Republican candidates and conservative organizations, now own a stake in Time Inc. On Sunday night, the Meredith Corporation announced that it is purchasing the company with the help of $650 million from a Koch equity fund. A Koch spokesman suggested this is purely a business decision, and Meredith has claimed the right-wing billionaires will not have a seat on its board or influence over the editorial decisions of the newly acquired magazines, which include Time and Fortune. But journalists are rightfully skeptical that the Kochs would enter the embattled magazine publishing business if they didn’t view the investment as a way to advance their conservative principles.

If the Kochs do begin to play a role in the workings of Time, they will join a handful of major conservative donors who have decided in recent years to purchase, fund, or launch media outlets as a way to expand their political influence. The new owners often bring in new leaders who push the newsroom to support their boss’ political interests. With print, digital, and broadcast journalism business models all faltering, right-wing billionaires will have more opportunities to pull off these sorts of takeovers in the future. Continue reading “The Kochs just got their hands on Time. Who’s next?”

CNN hits back at Trump after criticism of foreign reporting

The following article by Jason Schwartz was posted on the Politico website November 27, 2017:

Critics at the network say the president’s tweets endanger journalists in countries hostile to a free press.

Credit: Olivier Douliery, TNS

The feud between Donald Trump and CNN reached new heights on Monday, as the network came back swinging against the president’s latest attacks, including that CNN International misrepresents the U.S. to its global audience.

According to sources at the network, Trump’s tweet over the weekend criticizing CNN International produced extra frustration and exasperation because of the inherent risks of overseas reporting and the feeling that his message imperiled journalists working in countries hostile to a free press.

During his Monday broadcast, anchor Wolf Blitzerresponded to the president’s latest claims of “fake news,” saying, “CNN and CNN International are not sponsored by any state, nor any autocrat, nor any political organization, and despite the constant criticism from the president, we are unwavering in our mission, free and independent as the press should be.” Continue reading “CNN hits back at Trump after criticism of foreign reporting”

Watch: Sessions won’t say if he’ll jail journalists

The following article from the Associated Press was posted on the MPR website October 18, 2017:

Democratic Sen. Al Franken is accusing Attorney General Jeff Sessions of “moving the goalposts” in denying his interactions with the Russian ambassador.

In a testy exchange, Franken confronted Sessions about his testimony in January, in which he said he had no communications with Russians. Sessions later had to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s investigation of Trump campaign ties to Russia after it was revealed he had conversations with the ambassador. Franken says his explanations of those interactions continue to change.

But Sessions, visibly frustrated and voice rising, called Franken’s line of questioning unfair. He says he answered the question as a surrogate of the Trump campaign. Sessions says he may have discussed Trump’s campaign positions with the ambassador but insists he did not have a continuing exchange of information with him. Continue reading “Watch: Sessions won’t say if he’ll jail journalists”

Support a free press locally and nationally

The following commentary by Sen. Amy Klobuchar was printed in the Eden Prairie News August 24, 2017:

In Minnesota, we understand the importance of a free press.  It’s hard to forget in our state — Minnesotans are among the most engaged citizens in the country.  Last year we again ranked first in the nation in voter turnout, Minnesotans volunteer at the second highest rate in the country.  And we usually look to our local newspapers as the first stop for the information we need.

In my house growing up, it was impossible to forget the importance of a free press.  My dad was a journalist.

As a reporter and a columnist, my dad, Jim Klobuchar, covered it all.  On the night of the presidential election in 1960, as a young stringer for the Associated Press, he was among the first in the country — if not the first — to call the race for President John F. Kennedy.  He was fearless, whether it was reporting from Moscow with a Soviet Intourism guide assigned to him at all times or taking tear gas covering protests outside of a political convention.  Digging for the truth was his job.  Finding the truth made it all worth it. Continue reading “Support a free press locally and nationally”

Trump Threatens Freedom Of The Press In Leaks Crackdown

The following article by Tom Porter with Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website August 6, 2017:

Satirists have repeatedly drawn on the similarities between President Donald Trump and Middle Eastern and African dictators, for installing his family in senior advisory positions in the White House as much as his excessive self-regard and his respect for military tough men. Now critics can tick off another point on the autocrat checklist following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s announcement Friday of a new crackdown on leakers that will include a Justice Department (DOJ) review of policies governing how the department deals with media outlets that publish leaked information.

Sessions and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats announced at a press conference that more DOJ and FBI resources would be directed towards pursuing leakers, particularly those who pass information on to the press and foreign officials. Continue reading “Trump Threatens Freedom Of The Press In Leaks Crackdown”

Trump Wants To Flood White House Press Briefings With Sycophants

The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the Media Matters website January 17, 2017:

Donald J. Trump in Selma, NC. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

Donald Trump has a message for the White House press corps: The press briefing room the journalists have used since the 1970s belongs to him, and if he wants to take it away, he can.

On Saturday, Esquire reported that the incoming Trump administration has discussed evicting the press from the briefing room and holding the daily briefings with the press secretary in a space outside of the White House. “They are the opposition party,” a senior official told the magazine. “I want ’em out of the building. We are taking back the press room.” Continue reading “Trump Wants To Flood White House Press Briefings With Sycophants”

Trump’s New Tactics With the Press Follow the Old-School Authoritarian Model

Journalists will be targeted in ways we didn’t imagine.

The following article by Kali Holloway was posted on the Alternet website January 16, 2017:

Donald Trump is fulfilling the role of an authoritarian demagogue so thoroughly that if this whole disaster were a movie, it would be criticized for being formulaic and cliched. His frequently expressed hostility toward the media comes right out of a well-worn copy of the Dictator’s Playbook, and he has repeatedly revealed himself to be an enemy of a free press. Continue reading “Trump’s New Tactics With the Press Follow the Old-School Authoritarian Model”