News Media: The Fourth Estate, The Printing Press, The Display Screen ... > "Info. War" ? Centralized Control Of The Messages

Over 3 years ago Russia invaded Ukraine.
On the third anniversary of that invasion, President Trump accused Ukraine of starting the War, though did not explain how such thing is possible given the undisputed geographic realities / occupations.

Jeff Bezos announces big change to Washington Post opinion page, top editor steps down, Opinions editor David Shipley also stepping down​

By Hanna Panreck Fox News / February 26, 2025 11:37am EST

Jeff Bezos announces big change to Washington Post opinion page, top editor steps down

Jeff Bezos announced some major changes to the Washington Post's opinion page on Wednesday following fallout at the paper due to his decision to not endorse a candidate in the election.

www.foxnews.com

Associated Press corroborates:

By LAURIE KELLMAN / Updated 3:24 PM GMT-5, February 26, 2025
The billionaire owner of The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, narrowed the topics covered by its opinion section Wednesday to defending personal liberties and the free market, a pivot away from its traditional broad focus and prompting the news outlet’s opinion editor to resign.
Bezos, who also is the founder and largest individual shareholder of Amazon, said on X that “viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
The move was received by some as an indication that Bezos is making decisions for the storied news outlet with an eye toward avoiding retaliation by President Donald Trump. Bezos, though, cast the change as a modernization from the days when newspapers offered opinions on a broad range of topics. Now, he said, “the internet does that job.”

https://apnews.com/article/washington-post-bezos-opinion-trump-market-liberty-97a7d8113d670ec6e643525fdf9f06de

To clarify WaPo owner / $Billionaire Bezos' position:
The Washington Post newspaper will no longer be presenting an objective standard of editorial opinion, as that more conventional, traditional standard of objective journalism might be available elsewhere.

From the article above:

"... with an eye toward avoiding retaliation by President Donald Trump."

It is no exaggeration to acknowledge a paradigm shift in journalism can threaten humanity. This goes far beyond how many IRS employees Musk fires.

Trump's message when reported with full factual accuracy is alarming enough.
Sway U.S. media to the Trump slant, and we're in uncharted territory, terra incognita.

note:
The headline of this thread:
News Media: The Fourth Estate, The Printing Press, The Display Screen ... > "Info. War" ? Centralized Control Of The Messages

The centralized controller in this case is a convicted felon, a notorious, prolific liar, crony capitalist, oligarch. Our republic is in great jeopardy.

from https://www.foxnews.com/



"Greatness" is not to be feared. What is alarming is the definition of "greatest" as applicable to this Trump administration. This Republican onslaught is a conservative nightmare, a catastrophe.

This one's a puzzle.

Congressman reveals hidden secret passageway from America's founding under Capitol floorboards​

'Construction started in the 1700s and there are all sorts of little hidden passages,' Rep. Moore said in a viral video of the secret passageway
By Emma Colton Fox News / Published May 11, 2025 10:09am EDT

Congressman reveals hidden secret passageway from America's founding under Capitol floorboards

Republican North Carolina Rep. Tim Moore posted a viral video showing a hidden passageway under the floorboards of the Lincoln Room in the U.S. Capitol.

www.foxnews.com

a) The potentially innocent life-saving utility of such "secret" escape route is its secrecy.
Granted, the need of our federal legislators to safely evacuate our capitol during an armed insurrection is limited. BUT !!
There has already been such need in this new millennium. AND !
That need arose during the armed insurrection staged by the currently serving president Trump, during his first term, about four years plus a few months ago.

b) The People's right to know must be balanced with government's need to function.
What message can we draw from the fact that FOX is not merely reporting this "discovery", but providing explicit photographic clues to its location?

sear said:

from https://www.foxnews.com/

"Greatness" is not to be feared. What is alarming is the definition of "greatest" as applicable to this Trump administration. This Republican onslaught is a conservative nightmare, a catastrophe.

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True

“I think the American people would benefit much more from [talking about the shutdown] than from you going down some weird left-wing rabbit hole where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn’t engage in any criminal wrongdoing,” Vance told Stephanopoulos on This Week.

The host shot back that their interview was by that point already almost over. “It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole! I didn’t insinuate anything, I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50,000 as was heard on an audio tape recorded by the FBI in September 2024, and you did not answer the question,” he said. “Thank you for your time this morning.”

“No, George, I said…” Vance attempted to counter, before Stephanopoulos told viewers, “We’ll be right back.”

ABC Host Pulls Plug on JD Vance Interview Mid-Sentence

One of Donald Trump’s most loathed nemesis in the media abruptly cut off JD Vance during a live interview Sunday morning. ABC News host George Stephanopoulos was speaking with the vice president about bribery allegations against the MAGA administration’s Border Czar Tom Homan when the host...

www.yahoo.com

Stephanopoulos currently is a co-anchor with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, and host of This Week, ABC's Sunday morning current events news program.

Stephanopoulos rose to early prominence as a communications director for the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.

Stephanopoulos cutting the Vice President Vance interview short mid-sentence may seem a victory, but a Pyrrhic victory at best.

For one obvious reason, JD Vance may be less likely to consent to further interview with Stephanopoulos in particular, or with the ABC News network in general. And Vance is not merely first in the line of presidential succession, but is so for a nearly octogenarian president.

"While it is important to avoid impropriety, it is also important to avoid the appearance of impropriety." psychologist Joy Browne

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sear said:

“No, George, I said…” Vance attempted to counter, before Stephanopoulos told viewers, “We’ll be right back.” #5

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Members of the fourth estate are held to a higher standard than the public officials they interview.
Stephanopoulos not only has that burden of journalistic objectivity, but in addition the partisan stigma of having helped Governor Clinton [D] be elected president.

I don't know what VP Vance would have said if Stephanopoulos hadn't prevented it. Neither does the audience of that broadcast.
I believe Stephanopoulos erred here.
I believe it will end up costing him, and quite likely, U.S.


fourth estate
n.
Journalists considered as a group; the public press.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

BBC

US news outlets push back against Pentagon's reporting restrictions​

Brajesh Upadhyay

Leading US news outlets have rejected a new Pentagon policy that bars journalists from the building unless they only report information that has been officially authorised by the Department of Defense.
Major outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, have said they will not agree to the new guidelines, citing concerns it could severely undermine press freedom. The BBC will not sign up to the new rules either.
Reporters who do not sign the policy by 17:00 EDT (21:00 GMT) on Tuesday must turn in their media credentials and clear out of the Pentagon facilities, the department has said.

Top US news outlets push back against Pentagon's reporting restrictions

A new Department of Defense policy bars journalists from the Pentagon unless they agree to only publish information that has been officially authorised.

www.bbc.com

True to the Trump administration's embrace of fascist ideology and practice, Defense Secretary Hegseth has attempted to obtain loyalty commitments from members of the press granted Pentagon access.
The Trump administration is improving its skill applying authoritarianism, in this case threatening to withhold or withdraw press access credentials of those that do not consent to Hegseth's press restrictions.

Hegseth is already a pirate, reportedly a murderer, destroying several vessels at sea, killing all aboard, without due process, drawing bipartisan alarm in congress despite the Republican shutdown.

sear said:

BBC #7

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Oct. 15, 2025, 4:00 AM GMT-5
By Dan De Luce, Gordon Lubold and Courtney Kube
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are growing concerned over a lack of information from the Trump administration about the intelligence and strategy underlying its strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean, six sources told NBC News.

Members of Congress growing concerned over lack of information from administration about Venezuela strikes, sources say

Republicans and Democrats say the administration is failing to share basic information with Congress about the intelligence, rationale and goals of its war on drug trafficking.

www.nbcnews.com

Reportedly even members of congress are being denied this information.

What can we conclude from the Trump administration's efforts to operate in secret?

DAVID BAUDER / Wed, October 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM EDT
Members of the Pentagon press corp carry their belongings out of the Pentagon after turning in their press credentials, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power.
The nation's leadership called the new rules “common sense” to help regulate a “very disruptive” press.
News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.

Many of the reporters waited to leave together at a 4 p.m. deadline set by the Defense Department to get out of the building. As the hour approached, boxes of documents lined a Pentagon corridor and reporters carried chairs, a copying machine, books and old photos to the parking lot from suddenly abandoned workspaces. Shortly after 4, about 40 to 50 journalists left together after handing in badges. ...

It is unclear what practical impact the new rules will have, though news organizations vowed they’d continue robust coverage of the military no matter the vantage point.

Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. The nation's leadership called the new rules “common...
https://news.yahoo.com/articles/journalists-turn-access-badges-exit-202714163.html

This news is extremely alarming !
a) BILL OF RIGHTS ARTICLE #1: Ratified December 15, 1791
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...

b) President Trump has already perpetrated piracy / acts of war. His bombing raid on Iran may seem a distant memory for some. More recently, vessels allegedly linked to Venezuela destroyed at sea, killing all aboard.

c) Trump has already publicly announced his territorial ambitions for Panama, Canada, and Greenland. Would conquest of any of these be made less troublesome after suppressing domestic news reporting on the U.S. military?

d) President Trump is not only reportedly the only convicted felon to serve as president. Trump is also disqualified from the office he holds for violating section #3 of article #14:

Constitution of the United States of America
ARTICLE #14: Ratified July 9, 1868
SECTION 3. No person shall ... hold any office, civil or military, under the United States ... who, having previously taken an oath ... as an officer of the United States ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. ..."

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This news is extremely alarming !

The following is opinion which deserves / requires a counterpoint.

/ Opinion
Brian Karem / Fri, October 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT

Journalism is the art of using the scientific method to communicate facts to the public. ...
The problem is government. During my career, I have witnessed presidents, Congress, courts, state and local governments dismantle free speech, whether they’re denying press credentials, invading newsrooms, jailing reporters or suing media owners. I’ve seen it in print, television, radio and online. At the same time, the government has encouraged media consolidation and allowed large companies to take over the business while working with the owners so each gets something mutually beneficial. The government destroys media independence while the owners maximize their profits. Today only a handful of companies own and operate nearly 90% of what you see, read or hear while the government controls the companies that supply the news.

Is there partisan bias in news coverage? Of course. But it’s a byproduct of profits. Follow the money.

This is no secret told out of school. This isn’t speculation. This is American journalism, which is growing more inept and less able to do its job thanks to the government.

What does the government do to fill the gap, to supply information the country can digest? These days it offers a child who wallows in puerile salaciousness while being totally empty of experience, knowledge or professionalism. We get Presidential Pep Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

She is Donald Trump’s White House mouth piece. Thankfully she doesn’t get much airtime, because it’s often a pre-pubescent, darkly comic, rage-induced tragedy when she does. She, and every other high-ranking member of Trump’s current regime, are destined to go down in history as the most feckless, angriest group of criminal incompetents ever gathered under one roof.

Trump and Leavitt watch with glee as the press is crumbling

The administration is staging the news and telling reporters how to present it. When will it stop?

news.yahoo.com

Counterpoint:

U.S. governments establish and maintain purity / safety standards for our food and water. BUT !
Our governments do not and cannot * regulate the press.

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
B.O. R. ARTICLE #1: Ratified December 15, 1791
"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ..."

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This has resulted in a noble tradition of journalistic integrity, establishing, applying, and self-enforcing reporting standards

"Opinion", editorials aren't exactly the same. But some of the same standards of objectivity should apply.
Karem's comments in post #10 may set a bad example.


* There are exceptions applied to government regulated public airways that may not apply to for example cable TV.
Here to fore that's been about restricting vulgarity, not about promoting a partisan political agenda.

John Dickerson Is Departing CBS News​

Mon, October 27, 2025 at 10:41 AM EDT

CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson announced that he is departing CBS News on Monday.
In a message posted on Instagram, Dickerson wrote:

At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in as Face the Nation anchor for the first time. I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history — and I am grateful for the dear colleagues who’ve made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you.

Click to expand...

Dickerson’s departure comes at a time of great upheaval at the storied network. Its parent company, Paramount Plus, was widely scrutinized — including by Dickerson — for settling a lawsuit filed against it by President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 general election opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris.

John Dickerson Is Departing CBS News

CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson announced that he is departing CBS News on Monday. "I am extremely grateful," wrote Dickerson in a statement.

news.yahoo.com

note:
100% purity is rare.
But as a general proposition, out of a population composed of partly good, and partly bad,
decreasing the population of good results in a corresponding increase in the bad.

No one expected Dickerson's CBS tenure to be eternal.
But a reasonable objective observer may wonder, what if any role does the Trump administration play here?