By Jack Queen, Reuters.com, 2-24-26 A U.S. judge on Feb. 24 blocked federal prosecutors from searching devices seized from a Washington Post reporter as part of a leak investigation, saying he would review their contents for potential evidence. The FBI searched reporter Hannah Natanson’s home in January as part of a national security investigation, a [...]
By Leo Sands and Scott Nover, washingtonpost.com, 2-18-26 Two days after CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert said he was barred from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) because of the network’s legal concerns about flouting the FCC’s equal-time rule, the commission’s chair, Brendan Carr, defended himself against allegations of censorship. [...]
By Will Oremus, washingtonpost.com, 2-12-26 Apple News, the popular newsreader app that comes installed on every iPhone, is the latest media property to be warned by a regulator appointed by President Donald Trump over charges of liberal bias. On Feb. 11, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to Apple chief executive [...]
By George Winslow, TVTechnology.com, 2-10-26 During a major Senate hearing on broadcast ownership caps, witnesses and U.S. Senators generally agreed that local journalism faces serious challenges that threaten local communities and the larger democratic system but had widely divergent views on whether the elimination of broadcast ownership rules would address the problem. U.S. Senator Ted [...]
By Cameron Coats, RadioInk.com, 2-9-26 FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty is defending the agency’s sweeping media ownership reforms, echoing the comments of many broadcasters that outdated regulations prevent stations from competing for ad revenue needed to reinvest in local communities. In a fireside chat at The Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings with Senior Fellow Nicole [...]
By Tara Suter, The Hill, 2-8-26 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a probe into ABC’s “The View” after the program held an interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, according to multiple outlets. Reuters reported Saturday (Feb. 7) that, per a source, the FCC began an investigation on whether “The View” broke rules [...]
The Media Institute joined an amicus brief (led by the Reporters Committee and other amici) that was filed in late January with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Bean Maine Lobster, Inc. v. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation). The brief supports the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in its challenge to a Maine District [...]
FOR RELEASE: January 28, 2026 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-506-8030 Vienna, Va., Jan. 28, 2026 – The Media Institute’s Communications Forum Luncheon Series will launch its 2026 season on Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C. Headlining the season opener will be Arielle Roth, Asst. Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator [...]
FOR RELEASE: January 26, 2026 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-506-8030 Vienna, Va., Jan. 26, 2026 – A paper released by The Media Institute’s initiative “The Madison Project: Free Speech and Press in American Democracy” examines the FCC’s current and future role in American communications from the perspective of FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty. [...]
By Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 1-22-26 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is changing its rules exempting certain late-night and daytime talk shows from being required to provide equal airtime to opposing political candidates. “Importantly, the FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television [...]