- President Donald Trump approved the proposed media merger between Nexstar and Tegna on Saturday, citing the need for more competition against "Fake News National TV Networks" and claiming it will "knock out the Fake News" with higher-level competition.
- Critics, including Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), warn the merger would violate federal law by giving the merged company a reach of around 80% of US households, exceeding the FCC's 39% cap, and having "devastating consequences" for the media landscape.
- Nexstar executives appealed directly to Trump, using language similar to his, stating "we are the anti-fake news" and claiming regulatory constraints prevent them from broadcasting trusted local news to hundreds of communities, as reported by Raw Story.
JUSTICE MATTERS
Raw Story and PBS NewsHour frame the story differently, with Raw Story focusing on Trump's approval of the Nexstar and Tegna media merger, quoting his statement that the deal will "help knock out the Fake News," while PBS NewsHour omits this story altogether, instead covering other news topics. This omission obscures the potential "devastating consequences" of the merger, as warned by critics, and the controversy surrounding the deal's potential violation of federal law. By not reporting on the merger, PBS NewsHour removes the systemic context of the media landscape and the impact of consolidation on local news and programming.
Cross-referenced with: PBS NewsHour
EPSTEIN FILES NOTE
Donald Trump appeared in flight logs, black book, emails, and photos released by the DOJ.
