Media

After the viral optics of a demolished East Wing at the White House led the Trump administration to warn staff at the Treasury Department not to post any more pictures of it, CNN's Jim Sciutto reported on X that the Secret Service closed access to the park where journalists had been snapping photos.

"Look away! New: US Secret Service has closed access to the Ellipse park where journalists had been capturing live images of the East Wing demolition. CNN had a photojournalist capturing live images of the demolition at the time. Reuters was also ushered out of the park," Scuitto posted along with a video showing the demo.

General consensus to the park closure was, in the words of one snarky commenter, "'The most transparent administration in U.S. history' sure does love to hide what they’re doing from the public."

Another agreed, adding, "Most transparent administration in history! [S]ome exclusions apply."

Kansas media professional Glenn Craven wrote, "Nothing says 'most transparent administration' like closing a public park so nobody can watch the demolition of the East Wing of 'The People’s House.'"

Author Greg Cantwell said, "I think they're beginning to realize this video is a startling accurate representation of what Trump is doing to our country: he's tearing it down."

President Donald Trump wants a federal judge to allow his defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal to go forward because he says the newspaper's 2003 letter linking him to the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was “deliberate and malicious," Newsweek reports.

Trump also says he should be allowed to continue the case because the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper said his denial of the letter's legitimacy was 'false."

Newsweek reports that in a filing submitted October 20 in the Southern District of Florida, Trump’s lawyers said the Journal and its parent company, News Corp., along with Murdoch and senior editors, “prioritize gossip, clicks and profit over truth.”

Donald Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch in July over a story regarding a birthday letter Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. That article was titled “Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump.”

In September, The Wall Street Journal filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that its reporting was accurate.

The October filing responds to Trump's motion to dismiss the suit, and asserts the newspaper’s reporting was substantially true and protected by the First Amendment.

The president accuses the Journal of framing its coverage to make his denial appear untrue, Newsweek explains.

“Although defendants included plaintiff’s denial, they did so in a way that made it seem as if plaintiff’s denial was false,” the filing states. “This kind of reckless disregard for the truth by defendants provides a sufficient basis for an inference of actual malice.”

Trump’s legal team also argues "the article was defamatory both per se — because it allegedly subjected him to 'hatred, disgust, ridicule, contempt or disgrace' — and per quod, requiring additional context to show harm to his reputation," Newsweek says.

The filing says the piece “wrongly and inextricably link[ed] President Trump to the disgraced Epstein,” and that the Journal’s use of phrases such as “one of them was Donald Trump” left readers with the impression that he was a willing participant in the birthday project.

Trump's attorneys also accuse the Journal of not being nice to the president.

"They claim the story’s 'mean-spirited tone' and the Journal’s alleged hostility toward Trump support an inference of malice," Newsweek says.

The Journal's lawyers have laughed off Trump's requests, saying, “This meritless lawsuit threatens to chill the speech of those who dare to publish content that the president does not like.”

Legal experts agree that the Journal has the upper hand here.

“In the case of The Wall Street Journal, it would literally have to be the case that they knew the letter was false or knew it didn’t exist or they had a really good reason to suspect it was forged but ignored it," Shawn Trier, a constitutional-law expert told ABC News

Now 84, conservative Washington Post columnist George Will has vivid memories of U.S. conservatism's pre-Donald Trump era as well as the media's pre-internet era. Will, an ex-Republican turned independent and very much a Never Trumper, believes that President Trump has been terrible for the conservative movement — although he is also a frequent critic of the left. And in his October 17 column, Will argues that technology plays a major role in accelerating "the velocity of stupidity" and driving America's bitter "polarization."

"A sound of morning silence is coming to Atlanta," Will explains. "The sound of newspapers landing on sidewalks in residential neighborhoods will vanish when, at year's end, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining a national trend, stops publishing print editions. Turning trees into paper, marking it with ink, trucking it to people who deliver it to readers — soon, this laboriousness might be as forgotten as men with tongs lugging large slabs of ice for home iceboxes. The waning of the 400-year era of newspapers is, however, about cultural changes more momentous than the efficiency and convenience of written words presented digitally."

Will emphasizes that while the digital presentation of news is quite efficient, that efficiency is coming at a major price.

"The sentences that are being read are shorter and simpler," Will observes. "The Economist says an analysis of hundreds of New York Times bestsellers 'found that sentences in popular books have contracted by almost a third since the 1930s'…. But sophistication is not in the repertoire of journalism devoted to what Andrey Mir, a Canadian, calls the retribalizing of society. In his epigrammatic 2020 book 'Postjournalism and the death of newspapers,' Mir, a self-described 'media ecologist,' says the media lost agenda-setting power when the internet enabled crowdsourced agenda-setting."

Will continues, "As advertising dollars migrated to the internet, newspapers, which hitherto were funded from above by selling readers to advertisers, became funded from below by selling themselves to readers. Newspapers encouraged readers to think of subscriptions as donations to political causes. Subscribers enjoy their 'slactivism,' outsourcing their activism through 'donscriptions' — subscriptions thought of as donations."

Media's "new business model," Will laments, "depends on polarization, amplifying readers' irritations and frustrations."

"What Mir calls the 'commodification of the Trump scare' has completed journalism's transition from 'making happy customers' for department stores and other advertisers, to 'making angry citizens,'" the conservative columnist warns. "For what Mir calls post-journalism, the next challenge is to find a successor scare…. Time flies. Until the 1840s, information could move at about 35 miles per hour…. Today, information matters less relative to opinions, and opinions are distilled to attitudes."

Will adds, "These are performative, and they compete for attention with upwardly spiraling shrillness. Hence this distinctively 21st-Century achievement: the velocity of stupidity."

George Will's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).

In the past, Dr. Phil McGraw — whose alliance with Oprah Winfrey made him a daytime media star — embraced a traditional style of Reagan/Goldwater conservatism. McGraw was a strong supporter of former President George W. Bush during the 2000s, but he was happy to have a polite conversation with liberals and progressives who disagreed with him.

More recently, however, McGraw has allied himself with pro-Donald Trump MAGA media. And journalist Nitish Pahwa, in an article published by Slate on October 14, argues his recent "culture war" moves are not serving him well.

"Since the start of President Donald Trump's second term," Pahwa explains, "the ex-psychologist has stationed himself within the White House's content-creation apparatus, as both a firsthand witness to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and as a sneering critic of the Americans protesting Israel's mass bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Unlike fellow Oprah-endorsed TV personality Mehmet Oz, McGraw doesn't have a Cabinet position, but he's been an active, ever-present volunteer for the chief executive: attending (Health and Human Services Secretary) RFK Jr.'s swearing-in, brokering the partnership between ICE and New York City's mayor, leading the White House's new Religious Liberty Commission, appearing with the president after the devastating Texas flooding."

Pahwa adds, "It feels less like public service than a promotional gambit for McGraw, who's been spotlighting such events and government friends on Dr. Phil Primetime, which is broadcast on his self-helmed right-wing network, Merit TV."

But according to Pahwa, the "little-viewed Merit Street Media" now finds itself "locked in bankruptcy proceedings" and an "expensive legal battle with its distributor, Trinity Broadcasting Network, as McGraw attempts to launch yet another media startup, Envoy."

"Not even six months into its life span," Pahwa observes, "Merit Street was already looking chaotic behind the scenes and earning a less-than-stellar reputation: The notoriously conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group soon axed the Tennis Channel’s longtime chairman and CEO, Ken Solomon, explicitly because of his simultaneous involvement with Merit Street as board member and adviser. McGraw pressed on over the fracas, even shouting out Merit Street during his fawning address at Trump’s infamous Madison Square Garden rally."

Pahwa notes that the British media outlet UnHerd as saying that "Dr. Phil’s reinvention as a culture warrior isn't working." And his media empire, the Slate journalist says, is suffering a "collapse."

"McGraw decries politics in one breath, then repeatedly pops up at the White House and films videos about 'cowardly democrats' who 'spit in the face of all Texans,'" Pahwa observes. "How's that workin' out for ya?"

Read Nitish Pahwa's full article for Slate at this link.

As the Republican Party tries to blame Democrats for as the U.S. enters its eighth day of a government shutdown, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough excoriated the party, saying they "made a terrible mistake."

"We showed polls earlier, a growing number of Americans — Washington Post — 47 percent say this is the Republicans' fault. I think 30, 31 percent say it's Democrats'," Scarborough said.

Scarborough referenced Tuesday’s flight delays at Hollywood Burbank (BUR) and Nashville International (BNA) airports due to air traffic control staffing shortages, and a leaked memo that suggested the government is going to deny furloughed federal workers back pay.

"If we’re talking about the government shutdown and s—— falling apart out there, and the FAA not working and people not getting paid, and the president saying, 'Oh, we're not going to even pay federal workers back pay.'"

"I don't know if he has an image of pot smoking hippies [who] stumble out of their communes and go work, you know," Scarborough continued. "But those would be the work of the VA, right? Those are the people that help our vets. Those are the people that help."

"This is bad news," Scarborough said.

"And I know, because those Republicans, when we shut s—— down, and I will tell you, you'll be shocked who comes out of the woodwork and say ‘Hey, Congressman, I'd like to go to the VA. My son who served, you know, he needs to go to the and he can't now because of you. Would you like to do your job?’"

Pointing to polls blaming Republicans for the shutdown, Scarborough leaned into the health care issue on which the Democrats (and some Republicans including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are standing.

"Democrats win on health care every time. So if you're losing the debate, if sh—— falling apart in Washington, D.C., if planes are getting backed up across America, if vets can't get the service, they try to change the subject," he said.

"But you don't want to talk about health care because this is all about health care, and Republicans are going to lose on that fight every time."

Cracks are appearing in the right-wing student organization Turning Point USA following the leak of texts from its founder, the late MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, in which he discussed Jewish donors pulling funding over his links to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to The Bulwark.

Screenshots of the texts were shared by far-right pundit Candace Owens, who, according to Newsweek, "has been criticized by some over what she has posted, which has been described as rumors and conspiracy theories.

In the texts, Kirk, who was a strong supporter of Israel, said that he had lost a $2 million donation from a Jewish donor over his refusal to disinvite Carlson from an upcoming event.

The authenticity of the texts, described as "unsavory" by The Bulwark's Sam Stein, was confirmed Tuesday by Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, who shared the texts to government officials immediately following Kirk's assassination, Newsweek reports.

"I did share it with some people in government because it happened really quick," Kolvet said. "It was, you know, it took 33 hours for authorities to get their suspect. And in those first moments, we wanted no stone unturned."

These texts, Stein says, show "some broader significance," saying that since Kirk's death, "there has been a big fight over his legacy."

Journalist Will Sommer explains that Kirk's friend and former Turning Point employee Owens was floating conspiracies including one in which she said "Kirk was about to turn on Israel and there's kind of this implication that Israel committed the assassination."

"People were telling her, 'Candace, you don't have the goods, it's over for you,' and then she came out with this text message on Monday," Sommer says.

In the text message, Kirk said donors were getting mad at him for hanging out with Carlson, an outspoken critic on Israel.

"Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes," Kirk wrote. "I can not and will not be bullied like this."

In a following text, Kirk said recent events were "leaving me no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause."

Stein says this text leak feeds into Owens' conspiracy theory that Israel killed Kirk, one that has been debunked by those close to him.

Sommer agrees, saying, "This gets to the larger issue. The right has realized they have a lot of political capital from this assassination. People like [President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller said they were going to use this to crush the left."

Carlson and Owens, Sommer says, "are throwing up to more rational people on the right that it's kind of a smokescreen and they're distracting from what should be the big 'crush the left moment'. I think this is becoming a real issue for Turning Point USA. They're kind of being led around by Candace Owens here."

Stein agrees and says now people will be looking at Turning Point USA to see "what do they say about Israel?"

"There's a real divide in the ranks over the U.S. Israeli alliance here," Stein said.

During an early October broadcast of her SiriusXM show, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly attacked ex-MSNBC host Joy Reid and former CNN host Don Lemon for their recent comments on Black-on-Black crime. Kelly accused both Reid and Lemon of "racializing" crime statistics.

Reid discussed Kelly's comments during an appearance on Tommy Christopher's Substack show on Thursday, October 2, and she had some scathing words for the far-right SiriusXM star.

Reid noted that Kelly "took selfies with Alex Jones," adding, "She's become a troll. Her thing is just trolling…. She's basically the blonde Laura Loomer. That lady is saying who's a real journalist?"

The former MSNBC host noted that after leaving Fox News, Kelly "failed as a dayside host because they tried to make Megyn fun and approachable and girlfriend material —and clearly, she's not that."

Reid, in the past, has described Kelly as "the ultimate mean girl" — a description she doubled down on during her conversation with Christopher.

Reid told Christopher, "She's one of the angriest, most miserable rich people I've ever seen in my life. Like, she's so angry. I mean, I guess the premise of her show is: It's your angry ex-wife. What is the purpose of that show? The premise of it is: I'm the meanest blonde you've ever seen."

When Jen Psaki, now an MSNBC host, joined the Biden Administration as White House press secretary in January 2021, she made it clear that she welcomed tough questions from conservatives. Psaki was happy to debate right-wing Fox News reporter Peter Doocy during White House press conferences, for example, but she never discouraged him from attending.

In contrast, reporters who offend the second Trump Administration risk being excluded from press conferences. And in some cases, according to The Guardian's David Smith, they are being replaced by far-right MAGA media pundits.

Smith, in an article published on October 4, notes how obsequious some of these pundits are when asking Trump questions. For example, Brian Glenn of Real America's Voice told Trump, "I’ve often said: Trump could cure cancer and people would still criticize him."

"It was not the first time that Glenn, who works for the Real America's Voice platform and is the boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman, has played the role of Trump sidekick — a useful foil guaranteed to lighten the atmosphere," Smith explains. "It was also a small but telling example of how the White House press corps has changed between Trump's first and second terms."

Smith continues, "Seasoned reporters from mainstream media outlets are still asking tough questions. But in the Oval Office, on Air Force One or in the press briefing room, there is no way to avoid the new contingent of MAGA (Make America Great Again) reporters, influencers and podcasters lobbing toothless queries or fawning comments at their favorite president."

Tara Setmayer, a Never Trump conservative and former GOP communications director, warns that when President Donald Trump surrounds himself with obsequious MAGA media figures at White House press conferences, it is right out of the "authoritarian" playbook.

Setmayer told The Guardian, "They're hand-picked to protect him, and once again, it's another emulation of authoritarian leaders around the world who suppress the free press in order to avoid accountability. (Trump) surrounds himself with sycophants who ask softball questions that allow him to drone on about nonsense and propaganda and disinformation."

Media Matters' Matt Gertz is also sounding the alarm about the abundance of Trump sycophants who are praising him during press conferences.

Gertz told The Guardian, "I don't want to be too glowing about the performance of the White House press corps and the way that they interacted with administrations in years past. But I think there was an understanding of sorts that reporters were on one side and the government was on the other — and the purpose of the reporters was to try to get information from the government and bring it back to their audience through tough questioning. What you have now is effectively an infiltration of the press corps by people who are more interested in helping the (Trump) Administration than they are in trying to get information out of it."

Read David Smith's full article for The Guardian at this link.

After the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk, Fox News host Jesse Watters blamed the left for the killing and called for revenge.

Watters told viewers, "They are at war with us. Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. And what are we going to do about it?"

Watters' comments drew a lot of criticism. On X, formerly Twitter, Bayou Communications' Shannon Marie posted, "Dangerous f—— rhetoric."

In an article published on October 1, Salon's Sophia Tesfaye describes a pattern of violent rhetoric at Fox News.

On September 23, Watters joked about bombing the United Nations (UN).

Watters, on "The Five," told co-host Dana Perrino and others, "What we need to do is either leave the UN or we need to bomb it. Maybe gas it? We need to destroy it.”

Meanwhile, on Fox News' morning show, "Fox & Friends," host Brian Kilmeade called for homeless Americans to be given "involuntary lethal injection" — although he later apologized for his "extremely callous remark."

"When Fox News figures casually invoke mass violence, whether through forced lethal injections or bombing international institutions, it's not just reckless rhetoric — it's a flirtation with incitement," Tesfaye argues. "These aren't fringe voices. They're amplified on one of the most-watched networks in the country, shaping public sentiment and policy discourse. But don't expect Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to make much of a fuss about the network's dangerous musings. He is still denying the pressure campaign he publicly mounted against (late-night television host Jimmy) Kimmel for his comments following Kirk's killing."

Tesfaye adds, "'There was no threat made or suggested that if Jimmy Kimmel didn't get fired, that someone was going to lose their license,' Carr said on Tuesday. In a media landscape dotted with double standards, where the head enforcer is a partisan operative and fierce MAGA supporter, a 'kind of, sort of' apology is perhaps the best we can hope for from Fox News."

In a column in the conservative National Review, Fox News contributor and legal analyst Andy McCarthy says that President Donald Trump's Department of Justice indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is so devoid of facts that it should be tossed.

Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his handling of the FBI's investigation into Russian election interference and Hillary Clinton's emails.

Comey has said he is innocent and ready to go on trial, one which many legal experts predict will be found in his favor.

McCarthy's column, titled “With More Scrutiny, the Trump DOJ Indictment of Comey Gets Worse,” says that the case against Comey “is so ill-conceived that the longer one analyzes it, the worse it gets."

”It is incoherently drafted, such that it fails to fulfill an indictment’s constitutional purpose,"McCarthy adds.

McCarthy, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who led the 1995 terrorism prosecution for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, analyzed the Comey case and came to the same conclusion as his colleagues on all sides of the aisle.

“There is no way the government could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Senator [Ted] Cruz was asking Comey about someone other than [former FBI deputy director Andrew] McCabe, much less that Comey understood that Cruz was doing so and willfully lied about it," he explains.

"To summarize, there is no provable false-statements case against Comey," McCarthy writes.

After telling Fox News correspondent Molly Line last week that the case should never have been brought in the first place, McCarthy doubled down, saying, “The indictment is inadequately plead and factually without foundation. It should be dismissed."