US media

A wake for The Washington Post’s books section

Literary and cultural denizens of the US capital gather to eulogise the newspaper’s scuppered supplement

The DOJ is asking questions about Netflix’s ability to leverage its market power in negotiations with independent content creators.

US Justice Department probes Netflix’s power over film-makers in Warner Deal review

The broad scope is a strong sign that it will take months before the United States decides whether to challenge the deal in court

The Post's death spiral began not with market forces but with moral failure.
THINKING ALOUD

Requiem for The Washington Post

The newspaper that brought down a president is dying in darkness – and its billionaire owner lit the match

The Washington Post had offered voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions in 2023 amid losses of US$100 million.

Washington Post begins widespread layoffs, sharply shrinking storied newspaper’s reach

The cuts come days after the newspaper scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics

California Governor Gavin Newsom says he will drop his lawsuit against Fox News if the network issues a retraction and its network host Jesse Watters apologises for its report on the recent Los Angeles riots.

Expect more US politicians to sue the news media

This is a troubling era in which politicians of both parties use lawsuits as weapons against media outlets in the war to control the narrative

The new proposal will separate Warner Bros Discovery's offerings into two companies: one for its streaming assets and film studios, and another for its legacy cable TV channels.

Warner Bros discovers it can’t be everything

Large media conglomerates attempt to be every kind of entertainment company at once, but then struggle to do much of it particularly well

The VOA headquarters, formally known at the Wilbur Cohen Federal Building, sits just south of the National Mall and is two blocks from the US Capitol.

Voice of America building latest federal property up for sale

The sale of the VOA building could leave employees and contractors of the government-run international news networks without a home

Even the big news organisations, such as the Washington Post, face economic problems and end up being financially dependent on the support of billionaires.
THINKING ALOUD

Gloomy days ahead for American journalism

I RECENTLY returned from the reunion celebrations of my (1980) class at Columbia University’s School of Journalism in New York City with a sense that American journalism is facing a major crisis.

AP journalists and photographers have been barred from the Oval Office and from travelling on Air Force One since Feb 11 because of the wire service’s decision to continue referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” - and not the “Gulf of America” as decreed by Donald Trump.

Judge orders White House to lift restrictions on AP access

[WASHINGTON] A US federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore the Associated Press’s access to President Donald Trump’s official events, saying it had no right to bar media for their “...