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Who Can Block Media Merger?
Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Amos Barshad, 7/13/26
Headline: “If They Can’t Block This Merger, Can Anyone?”
Subhead: “State attorneys general are trying to stop Paramount Skydance from merging with Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s the best shot left at preventing—or at least stalling—what seems inevitable.”
Last month, the Department of Justice officially blessed Paramount Skydance’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), praising the proposed deal for its potential to boost competition “across the media and entertainment ecosystem.” On July 13, a coalition of twelve state attorneys general, including Rob Bonta of California and Letitia James of New York, filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California arguing more or less the opposite. . .”
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Dig Into Reporter Families Now?
Article in Freedom of the Press Foundation by Staff, 7/20/26
Headline: “Trump admin escalates attacks on journalists, probing family communications”
“The New York Times reported today that the Trump administration issued third-party subpoenas seeking communications not only of journalists’ phone and text records but those of their relatives, including spouses and parents.
“The subpoenas were part of the government’s investigation into the source of reporting that President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One replacement was deemed unsafe to fly him back from the NATO summit. . .”
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Don’t Like Writing? – Call it Treason
Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 7/20/26
Headline: “The Uses of ‘Treason”
Subhead: “By repeatedly blasting the press as traitors, Trump is trying to solidify his splintering MAGA base.”
“. . .David E. Sanger—the New York Times’ White House and national security correspondent . . .asked about the war with Iran. ‘What would the use be of repeating the bombing? You did it for thirty-eight days, and you did not get the political changes in Iran—’ Trump jumped in: ‘No, I got, I had a total military victory,’ he said, . . . . Then he leaped into a tirade against the press. ‘I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write,’ Trump concluded. . .”
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Media Merger on Hold
Article in UPI by Joe Fisher, 7/20/26
Headline: “Judge temporarily halts Paramount, Warner Bros. merger”
Twelve state attorneys general won a court order on Monday to halt Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. for at least 14 days.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order to a coalition of 12 states, including New York and California, in their lawsuit to block Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 3. . .”
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Journalists Face Danger
Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, July, 2026
Headline: “New RSF Report: National Security as a Weapon Against Journalism”
“In the name of national security, journalists are being prosecuted, imprisoned, surveilled, forced into exile and even killed. In its new report, ‘National Security as a Weapon Against Journalism,’ Reporters Without Borders (RSF) illustrates how the concept of national security has strayed far beyond its original purpose and become a tool of repression against journalism around the world. . . .”
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https://rsf.org/en/new-rsf-report-national-security-weapon-against-journalism
TRO For Paramount Merger?
Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 7/17/26
Headline: “Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger: Judge Will Rule on Temporary Restraining Order by Wednesday”
Subhead: “State AGs argued the $110 billion deal would give the combined company more leverage over movie theaters and cable distributors, increase consumer prices and reduce content output”
_”Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín will decide on whether to issue a temporary restraining order against the pending $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger by July 22.
The update comes after lawyers for a group of 12 state attorneys general, Paramount and WBD made their arguments during a Friday court hearing.
The state AGs sued to blocked the merger on Monday, arguing it would create an entertainment giant. . .”
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To Cover Crazy or Not?
Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 7/17/26
Headline: “Carville criticizes CNN, ABC, NBC for not airing Trump speech”
“Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville on Friday criticized major television networks for not airing President Trump’s speech on election security the previous night, saying that it was a mistake for CNN, NBC and ABC not to provide ‘blanket coverage’ of what he sees as the president’s deteriorating mental state.
“ ‘I think the president of the United States acting loonier than a tune is newsworthy,’ Carville told CNN host Wolf Blitzer during an appearance on the network. ‘I don’t think we should have hidden that from the American people.”. . .”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5975040-carville-trump-speech-network-coverage/
Local News is Important
Article in Poynter by Phoenix Chapital, 7/16/25
Headline: “When the World Cup came to Kansas City, local journalists stayed local”
Subhead: “As global media descended on the city, Kansas City reporters found stories only local journalists could tell”
“As international media outlets flocked to Kansas City to cover the World Cup, local journalists responded to the global event by leaning even harder into what they do best: covering their own communities.
“Rather than trying to match the international press corps, Kansas City’s newsrooms found their advantage in telling stories only local journalists could tell. . .”
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https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2026/local-news-coverage-world-cup-kansas-city/
Paramount Prevalent Peril
Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/17/26
Headline: ” ‘Laws were broken’: multistate effort to stop Paramount’s $111bn merger heads to court”
Subhead: “Attorneys general from 12 states are suing to block the Paramount-Warner Bros deal they say violates antitrust law”
“A last-ditch effort to block the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is heading to court as 12 Democratic state attorneys general attempt to stop the $111bn deal they say violates antitrust law and reduces competition in both the film and cable television industries.
“The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, faces a crucial hearing on Friday to determine if a judge will temporarily pause the deal or allow it to continue toward approval. . .”
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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/17/paramount-warner-bros-merger