White House bars AP, Reuters and other media from covering Trump cabinet meeting

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

The pentagon has now banned photographers from briefings due to "unflattering" photographs of the secretary:

Pentagon bans press photographers over ‘unflattering’ photos of Hegseth: report

Pentagon implemented a new rule last year that led to mainstream media outlets losing press credentials

www.independent.co.uk

Once again, the government wants to control the news.

Woah I was thinking Pete Hegseth decided to mix up the press with Saturday Night Live for some reason at first. But this is a continuation of stuff we seen when the press refused to sign the Pentagon Press Restrictions Policy that Pete Hegseth issued.

Only Difference here is the fallout in Iran that's changed all that.

 

[ted chittenden]

The pentagon has now banned photographers from briefings due to "unflattering" photographs of the secretary:

Pentagon bans press photographers over ‘unflattering’ photos of Hegseth: report

Pentagon implemented a new rule last year that led to mainstream media outlets losing press credentials

www.independent.co.uk

Once again, the government wants to control the news.

All right! During future television news stories on the actions of the Department of Defense and its secretary, past unflattering pictures of the Secretary of Defense taken before the ban was imposed should be used.

That son-of-a-... Never mind!

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

All right! During future television news stories on the actions of the Department of Defense and its secretary, past unflattering pictures of the Secretary of Defense taken before the ban was imposed should be used.

That son-of-a-... Never mind!

Well there are unflattering clips of Pete Hegseth when Saturday Night Live had a parody on him. That will be available until Chairman Carr announces that he is going after Saturday Night Live because Hegseth demanded an FCC investigation.

 

[K.M. Richards]

That will be available until Chairman Carr announces that he is going after Saturday Night Live because Hegseth demanded an FCC investigation.

Or claim that SNL didn't give the Iranian government equal time.

 

[TheBigA]

Fox News pentagon reporter thanks her bosses for supporting her walkout:

Jennifer Griffin: I'm Grateful My Fox News Bosses Supported Protest Against Pentagon Press Guidelines

"They did not hesitate to stand united with the rest of the news organizations and fight for press access. They continue to do so every day."

barrettmedia.com

Meanwhile the defense secretary taunted CNN who was not in the room

Hegseth scolds CNN's 'unserious' report on Iran conflict, suggests Paramount owner should overhaul network

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth singled out CNN for its "unserious" report on the Iran conflict, suggesting its perspective new owner David Ellison will save the network.

www.foxnews.com

 

[ted chittenden]

Another day, another brazen attack on the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of a free press.

A new low: Trump team says First Amendment doesn't apply to journalism

The Trump administration argued in court that one of the most basic acts of journalism—soliciting news tips and information from the public—is an act of “solicitation” and therefore is not ...

www.dailykos.com

The current Administration argued in court yesterday that The Washington Post's solicitation from members of the public for news about the Pentagon wasn't covered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. At the same time, it's allowing its conservative supporters, including Laura Loomer (who is in no way a journalist) to do the same thing.

 

[K.M. Richards]

The current Administration argued in court yesterday that The Washington Post's solicitation from members of the public for news about the Pentagon wasn't covered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The idiot-in-chief only wants "free speech" that praises him and his misdeeds. Just like any dictator worth his iron glove. So this doesn't surprise me in the least.

 

[TheBigA]

Another day, another brazen attack on the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of a free press.

There are no exceptions to the first amendment. Only this president would take a word like "solicit" and say it's about prostitution. When it actually has many applications, including door to door salesmen. In fact, solicitation is covered by the first amendment. But it can also be a crime.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Another Female Reporter Attacked — FTVLive

Just another day of attacking female Journalists…

www.ftvlive.com

Here is more on the Trump Administration directing his rants at one member of the press. We know where this is going.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2026/03/14/fcc-chief-threatens-broadcasters-as-trump-criticizes-coverage-of-iran-war/89159437007/

Here is more this time from Chairman Carr over the Iran news coverage. Everytime Chairman Carr talks about going after TV networks we end up having to say yes the New York and Los Angeles TV affiliates of the networks would have their license challenged or in PBS case their Washington DC, Boston or San Francisco affiliates (Note PBS Newshour is owned by WETA-TV Washington, PBS Frontline is owned by WGBH-TV Boston and KQED-TV San Francisco may sometimes be included for West Coast segments to PBS Newshour and Frontline) having their licensed questioned by the FCC.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I'm just waiting for Carr to try to lift licenses using this bullsh¡t excuse.

It's a First Amendment case waiting to happen, and I have a feeling SCOTUS will draw a line there.

 

[cc333]

What I find rather irksome about all this is that the news is simply reporting on what is happening.

The plain, undeniable truth of the matter is, the "war" isn't going entirely according to plan, and for some unfathomable reason, the clowns and idiots running this administration failed to consider that Iran would effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz and hold the global oil supply hostage. AND, they also grossly underestimated the impact that would have. Most of the mainstream media has, in my opinion, done a fairly decent job of reporting this so far, and I hope they keep it up despite the pressure.

And Trump has the nerve to criticize that plain truth?

It's virtually impossible to spin "the world's oil supply is in chaos and gas prices are skyrocketing without bound, fueling inflation which will crush people who are already struggling with historically high living costs" as a positive thing without seeming deranged and detached from reality.

And yet, here we are. Once again....

I'm just waiting for Carr to try to lift licenses using this bullsh¡t excuse.

It's a First Amendment case waiting to happen, and I have a feeling SCOTUS will draw a line there.

I agree.

I wonder what license he'll try pulling first? Is radio included here too, or is he just going after TV stations mostly?

c

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Says TV Broadcasters Must ‘Correct Course’ or ‘They Will Lose Their Licenses,’ Citing Trump’s Outrage Over Iran War Coverage

Brendan Carr said broadcasters need to 'correct course' on their coverage of the Iran war or risk losing their broadcasting licenses.

variety.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032855414233047172

Yes it’s about Chairman Carr trying to control the Press Corp of both the Pentagon and White House. But when Variety has to remind Chairman Carr that he has no jurisdiction on places like Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and in other articles from the past year AP, Washington Post and Reuters then we have a clue that it’s about finding out that the dog whistle is crazier than we even considered all tied to the first amendment.

Carr linked to a Truth Social post from Trump, in which the president condemned “intentionally misleading headlines” about U.S. tanker planes that were targeted in Saudi Arabia. Trump claimed the planes were not “’struck’ or ‘destroyed’” and that four of the five planes involved in the attack were “already back in service.” Trump went on to call out “lowlife ‘papers’” like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, who “want us to lose the War.” Important to note that the FCC chairman has no authority over papers like the WSJ or NYT. However, Carr, who has been outspoken about quieting unfavorable TV coverage of the Trump administration, seems to be sending out the warning flare to broadcasters in a preemptive attempt to wrangle their reporting.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Yes it’s about Chairman Carr trying to control the Press Corp of both the Pentagon and White House. But when Variety has to remind Chairman Carr that he has no jurisdiction on places like Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and in other articles from the past year AP, Washington Post and Reuters then we have a clue that it’s about finding out that the dog whistle is crazier than we even considered all tied to the first amendment.

And there is the argument for the legal action against Carr, the FCC, and anyone else even tangentially involved in the decision.

"Your honor, we reported the same facts as the Associated Press, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Mr. Carr appears to believe that broadcasters should air alternate, demonstrably false information simply because we hold government-issued licenses. The First Amendment applies to us as much as it does the aforementioned news organizations."

 

[TheBigA]

Carr said this on X:

The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.

This is factually incorrect. The law is NOT clear. First of all, the public interest isn't for Carr to decide. He is not the arbiter of what is in the public interest. That's a very nebulous thing. Then it's a long way to go from Carr's opinion to revoking a license. It can take years of legal wrangling for the FCC to take a license away. He really can't give examples of where a station lost its license because it broadcast the news. It's just more of his saber-rattling.

The Chevron decision clearly applies here. Agencies like the FCC don't have unlimited authority to interpret laws:

In a major ruling, the Supreme Court on Friday cut back sharply on the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws.

Supreme Court strikes down Chevron, curtailing power of federal agencies

This article was updated on June 28 at 3:46 p.m. In a major ruling, the Supreme Court on Friday cut back sharply on the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that…

www.scotusblog.com

 

[ted chittenden]

What I find rather irksome about all this is that the news is simply reporting on what is happening.

The plain, undeniable truth of the matter is, the "war" isn't going entirely according to plan, and for some unfathomable reason, the clowns and idiots running this administration failed to consider that Iran would effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz and hold the global oil supply hostage. AND, they also grossly underestimated the impact that would have. Most of the mainstream media has, in my opinion, done a fairly decent job of reporting this so far, and I hope they keep it up despite the pressure.

And Trump has the nerve to criticize that plain truth?

It's virtually impossible to spin "the world's oil supply is in chaos and gas prices are skyrocketing without bound, fueling inflation which will crush people who are already struggling with historically high living costs" as a positive thing without seeming deranged and detached from reality.

At the risk of getting kicked off this Board, President Trump is "deranged and detached from reality." What he wants is for the press and public to accept what he says as truth without question.

And yet, here we are. Once again....


I agree.

I wonder what license he'll try pulling first? Is radio included here too, or is he just going after TV stations mostly?

c

Chairman Carr is just trying to carry out President Trump's orders. While radio may well be in his sights, it is what Mr. Trump sees on television that irks him--I gather he doesn't listen much to radio.

 

[TheBigA]

President Trump is "deranged and detached from reality." What he wants is for the press and public to accept what he says as truth without question.

One of the big problems the press has right now is that the government is really the only source for information on this war. There aren't reporters in Iran independently confirming what the government says. His pentagon is controlling the story on their end. The video we see is coming from them. We don't know if it's been doctored or if what we're seeing is what they say it is. That's one of the things missing from this war. So in reality, we don't have a lot of choice in this story. It is what they say it is. BTST, we don't have any skin in this story.

 

[davideduardo]

The plain, undeniable truth of the matter is, the "war" isn't going entirely according to plan, and for some unfathomable reason, the clowns and idiots running this administration failed to consider that Iran would effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz and hold the global oil supply hostage.

No war goes "entirely according to plan". Just like no football, baseball or basketball game goes according to plan.

I am quite certain that the plans included possible responses to any situation. Obviously, the hopes might have been that the Iranians would come quickly to the negotiating table, but they certainly knew that combat with a theocracy is often a "death with honor" situation to the foe.

AND, they also grossly underestimated the impact that would have. Most of the mainstream media has, in my opinion, done a fairly decent job of reporting this so far, and I hope they keep it up despite the pressure.

And, continuing with a non-radio subject, today an alliance of maritime policing forces from different nations was announced. That had to have been planned long ago in all the "what if" scenarios.

It's virtually impossible to spin "the world's oil supply is in chaos and gas prices are skyrocketing without bound, fueling inflation which will crush people who are already struggling with historically high living costs" as a positive thing without seeming deranged and detached from reality.

Less than 20% of the world's supply comes through those straits, and several of the gulf states have decided to use pipelines rather than ships to supply Europe.

The administration's point is that much of the media is "awfulizing" the situation without discussing that the U.S. is a net exporter and the only area with issues is California where the reduction in production and refineries has required importing oil from elsewhere while the rest of the country exports.

Chevron just made a statement about the dangers CA policy present, but "the press" gave little or no attention to it.

https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2026/q1/californias-economy-faces-threats-with-new-energy-policy-changes

 

[TheBigA]

Chevron just made a statement about the dangers CA policy present, but "the press" gave little or no attention to it.

I was able to find a lot of press coverage of the story, including this one from the ABC station in Sacramento:

California gas prices face pressure amid refinery closures and global unrest

With the ongoing war in Iran and dwindling refinery production in-state, experts warn Californians should brace for impact

www.abc10.com

 

[K.M. Richards]

The administration's point is that much of the media is "awfulizing" the situation without discussing that the U.S. is a net exporter and the only area with issues is California where the reduction in production and refineries has required importing oil from elsewhere while the rest of the country exports.

Chevron just made a statement about the dangers CA policy present, but "the press" gave little or no attention to it.

Actually, the Los Angeles Times made this point in an article a couple of days ago. I know not whether any of the other media outlets in town picked up, other than to say that ABC7 Eyewitless Eyewitness News (which I watch regularly) did not. They did unveil a new news set the other day, though.