By Scott Nover, washingtonpost.com, 9-18-26 President Donald Trump said he is banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House for reporting what he called “fake news,” breaking with long-running protocol for relations between the executive office and the press. Court precedent in press-access cases has largely held that while the government does [...]
Distinguished Media Veteran Patrick Butler Will Be Featured Speaker at Oct. 27 Event FOR RELEASE: August 24, 2026 Contact: Michael O'Rielly The Media Institute 703-506-8030 Vienna, Va., August 24, 2026 – The Media Institute will honor Jan Neuharth of Freedom Forum and Jack Abernethy of FOX Television Stations at its annual “Free Speech America” [...]
The Media Institute was pleased to join an amicus brief led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and other amici filed with the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (U.S. v. Lemon and Fort). The brief aggressively supports motions by Don Lemon and Georgia Fort to dismiss superseding indictments on First [...]
By Ted Johnson, Deadline.com, 8-18-26 ABC filed an unprecedented First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC on Aug. 18, claiming that its investigations and regulatory actions are part of a Trump administration “retaliatory campaign” to curb the network’s free speech. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., also seeks to halt a [...]
By Nick Langan, RadioWorld.com, 8-7-26 President Donald Trump has nominated Republican Danielle Thumann Severs, who is a senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to serve on one of the two open seats on the commission. The nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate on Aug. 7, where it will go through a formal [...]
By George Winslow, TVTechnology.com, 8-6-26 In a landmark vote that is likely to encourage a wave of deals in the broadcast station business, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change TV station ownership rules in a way that would allow the agency to approve mergers that exceed the caps on a case-by-case basis if [...]
By Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter.com, 7-30-26ABC is officially calling on the Federal Communications Commission to drop its “extraordinary and unprecedented” proceeding to call in the Disney-owned network’s stations for an early broadcast license renewal.The network responded to the Brendan Carr-led agency in a new filing July 30.“There is no question why the Commission is singling out [...]
By Salvador Rizzo, washingtonpost.com, 7-23-26 The Justice Department agreed to withdraw subpoenas it issued to New York Times reporters after a federal judge sharply questioned the government’s demand that they testify before a grand jury about their reporting on security concerns with President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One jet. U.S. District Judge Arun [...]
By Eric Tucker and Jocelyn Noveck, APnews.com, 7-20-26 President Donald Trump’s administration sought phone records of several New York Times journalists and even those of some of their relatives, according to a motion unsealed July 20 – an unusually aggressive attempt to unmask the confidential sources of reporters who wrote about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air [...]
By George Winslow, TVTechnology.com, 7-15-26 In a move that could fundamentally reshape the broadcast industry and usher in a wave of consolidation, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on Aug. 6 on an Order that repeals the FCC’s 39% national television multiple ownership rule. Chairman Brendan Carr announced the move in an op-ed in [...]