Craig Aaron
@notaaroncraig.bsky.social
Co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action and guy with two first names
freepress.net
(No, not *The* Bari Weiss one. We love journalism, democracy and public media!)
Subscribe to my Pressing Issues newsletter: https://pressingissues.org/
freepress.net
(No, not *The* Bari Weiss one. We love journalism, democracy and public media!)
Subscribe to my Pressing Issues newsletter: https://pressingissues.org/
Pinned
Stop the Merger Madness
Rule No. 1 when big deals get announced: Don’t believe the hype
pressingissues.org
The history of media mega-mergers is all lies, broken promises and strategic blunders. Merger madness only leads to disaster.
Netflix may have won the bidding war. But the losers in these deals are always creators, writers, workers and the rest of us sitting in the audience.
New Pressing Issues!
Netflix may have won the bidding war. But the losers in these deals are always creators, writers, workers and the rest of us sitting in the audience.
New Pressing Issues!
Lots of discussion of FCC policy and censorship on late-night TV! Plus Kimmel calls FCC'S Carr a "little ferret" and Colbert describes him as looking like a "disappointed testicle."
Try to unsee it.
I say whatever it takes to make the public aware of media policy.
latenighter.com/news/stephen...
Try to unsee it.
I say whatever it takes to make the public aware of media policy.
latenighter.com/news/stephen...
Stephen Colbert: The FCC Is Trying to ‘Silence Me, Jimmy, and Seth’ - LateNighter
“Let’s talk about these new crackdown rules that my lawyer warned me not to talk about,” Colbert joked, before accusing the FCC of trying to silence him and his fellow late-night hosts.
latenighter.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Lots of discussion of FCC policy and censorship on late-night TV! Plus Kimmel calls FCC'S Carr a "little ferret" and Colbert describes him as looking like a "disappointed testicle."
Try to unsee it.
I say whatever it takes to make the public aware of media policy.
latenighter.com/news/stephen...
Try to unsee it.
I say whatever it takes to make the public aware of media policy.
latenighter.com/news/stephen...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
They know their audience has an insatiable appetite for seeing black women humiliated for exceeding their station, so when it didn’t happen they used AI to complete the fantasy bsky.app/profile/nyti...
The White House posted a digitally altered image showing a demonstrator involved in interrupting a church service in Minnesota last weekend crying as she was arrested on Thursday.
A previous version of the image, also posted by an official government account, showed her looking forward calmly.
A previous version of the image, also posted by an official government account, showed her looking forward calmly.
White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying
The New York Times ran the image posted by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, as well as the one posted by the White House through an A.I. detection system. It concluded that the White House’s version showed signs of manipulation.
nyti.ms
January 23, 2026 at 1:33 PM
They know their audience has an insatiable appetite for seeing black women humiliated for exceeding their station, so when it didn’t happen they used AI to complete the fantasy bsky.app/profile/nyti...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Newly unsealed evidence makes it even clearer that Rubio and Noem knew they were targeting students based solely on their political speech and that they knew this policy was unconstitutional. They just didn’t care. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...
January 23, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Newly unsealed evidence makes it even clearer that Rubio and Noem knew they were targeting students based solely on their political speech and that they knew this policy was unconstitutional. They just didn’t care. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Image-forensic expert Hany Farid confirmed it's a fake.
@donmoyn.bsky.social told me this moves us "closer to the Stalinesque manipulation of images that we think about with authoritarian propaganda, where you really cannot trust materials the state is putting out"
Gift link: wapo.st/4sUEnmr
@donmoyn.bsky.social told me this moves us "closer to the Stalinesque manipulation of images that we think about with authoritarian propaganda, where you really cannot trust materials the state is putting out"
Gift link: wapo.st/4sUEnmr
White House shares doctored image portraying arrested church protester in tears
The photo of an attorney arrested after a Minnesota church protest was edited to make it look like she was crying. The White House’s X post had been seen roughly 2.5 million times by Thursday afternoo...
wapo.st
January 22, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Image-forensic expert Hany Farid confirmed it's a fake.
@donmoyn.bsky.social told me this moves us "closer to the Stalinesque manipulation of images that we think about with authoritarian propaganda, where you really cannot trust materials the state is putting out"
Gift link: wapo.st/4sUEnmr
@donmoyn.bsky.social told me this moves us "closer to the Stalinesque manipulation of images that we think about with authoritarian propaganda, where you really cannot trust materials the state is putting out"
Gift link: wapo.st/4sUEnmr
Reposted by Craig Aaron
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
COMPLICIT: Corporate Media's Capitulation to Trump's Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This comprehensive report sheds new light on the ongoing capitulation of major media, tech and telecom companies to the dictates of a bigoted and corrupt administration.
www.freepress.net
January 22, 2026 at 8:36 PM
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Full disclosure: That great analogy comes from @joanwestenberg.com, whose work I cite at length in this post
"It's like watching someone who used to compose symphonies decide to only produce ringtones."
Why blogging is better than social media
Social media removed the friction of publishing, and in doing so it made it even more difficult to separate the signal from the noise
Social media removed the friction of publishing, and in doing so it made it even more difficult to separate the signal from the noise
January 22, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Full disclosure: That great analogy comes from @joanwestenberg.com, whose work I cite at length in this post
"It's like watching someone who used to compose symphonies decide to only produce ringtones."
Why blogging is better than social media
Social media removed the friction of publishing, and in doing so it made it even more difficult to separate the signal from the noise
Social media removed the friction of publishing, and in doing so it made it even more difficult to separate the signal from the noise
Why blogging is better than social media
Social media removed the friction of publishing, and in doing so it made it even more difficult to separate the signal from the noise
mathewingram.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:20 PM
"It's like watching someone who used to compose symphonies decide to only produce ringtones."
Crucial new report from my colleague @rlivier.bsky.social @freepress.bsky.social detailing the cowardice and capitulation of our biggest media companies that have abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion to appease the Trump administration.
Today @rlivier.bsky.social @freepress.bsky.social releases new research showing that every major U.S. media and tech company (except one) has eliminated or backpedaled on commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion in the face of Trump administration threats. www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
COMPLICIT: Corporate Media's Capitulation to Trump's Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This comprehensive report sheds new light on the ongoing capitulation of major media, tech and telecom companies to the dictates of a bigoted and corrupt administration.
www.freepress.net
January 21, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Crucial new report from my colleague @rlivier.bsky.social @freepress.bsky.social detailing the cowardice and capitulation of our biggest media companies that have abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion to appease the Trump administration.
Broadcast giants claim that allowing them to monopolize the public airwaves would be a blow to Big Tech. But broadcasters profit-maximizing strategy rests on eliminating their actual in-market competitors.
By the way, Nexstar’s stock price has increased by more than 28,000 percent since 2009.
By the way, Nexstar’s stock price has increased by more than 28,000 percent since 2009.
Nexstar’s Big Payback
The nation’s biggest local-TV broadcaster has passed Trump’s loyalty test and is ready to cash in
pressingissues.org
January 21, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Broadcast giants claim that allowing them to monopolize the public airwaves would be a blow to Big Tech. But broadcasters profit-maximizing strategy rests on eliminating their actual in-market competitors.
By the way, Nexstar’s stock price has increased by more than 28,000 percent since 2009.
By the way, Nexstar’s stock price has increased by more than 28,000 percent since 2009.
“The administration’s actions in Ms. Good’s case are a declaration that there will be no accountability and that it would prefer to instill fear rather than trust.”
Opinion | I’ve Covered Police Abuse for 20 Years. What ICE Is Doing Is Different.
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:49 AM
“The administration’s actions in Ms. Good’s case are a declaration that there will be no accountability and that it would prefer to instill fear rather than trust.”
Nexstar has collaborated with the Trump regime in hopes of securing unprecedented dominance over local-TV news.
We know this deal is bad for local communities. We know it will destroy jobs. We know it’s illegal.
Does any of that still matter in 2026?
New Pressing Issues! Read, share, subscribe!
We know this deal is bad for local communities. We know it will destroy jobs. We know it’s illegal.
Does any of that still matter in 2026?
New Pressing Issues! Read, share, subscribe!
Nexstar’s Big Payback
The nation’s biggest local-TV broadcaster has passed Trump’s loyalty test and is ready to cash in
pressingissues.org
January 20, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Nexstar has collaborated with the Trump regime in hopes of securing unprecedented dominance over local-TV news.
We know this deal is bad for local communities. We know it will destroy jobs. We know it’s illegal.
Does any of that still matter in 2026?
New Pressing Issues! Read, share, subscribe!
We know this deal is bad for local communities. We know it will destroy jobs. We know it’s illegal.
Does any of that still matter in 2026?
New Pressing Issues! Read, share, subscribe!
Feed us before we deport you. This is America in 2026.
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
How We Got to Minneapolis
Andrea Flores on the roots of government violence and what it will take to stop it
pressingissues.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Feed us before we deport you. This is America in 2026.
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
Again, just to be clear my Free Press @freepress.bsky.social is the one that doesn’t kiss up to — or literally kiss — Trump.
Meanwhile at ParamountSkydanceCBSTheFP …
Meanwhile at ParamountSkydanceCBSTheFP …
Bari Weiss and Trump exchanged kisses on the cheek following ‘60 Minutes’ interview
EXCLUSIVE: In a moment that sources said led to stunned reactions and dropped jaws, Bari Weiss excitedly introduced herself to the president and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek following his ‘60 Min...
www.independent.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Again, just to be clear my Free Press @freepress.bsky.social is the one that doesn’t kiss up to — or literally kiss — Trump.
Meanwhile at ParamountSkydanceCBSTheFP …
Meanwhile at ParamountSkydanceCBSTheFP …
Reposted by Craig Aaron
On Friday, January 9, ICE arrested a member of our union, the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, as part of Operation Metro Surge.
He has been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where he is awaiting action on his petition for habeas corpus.
newsguild.org/guild-member...
He has been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where he is awaiting action on his petition for habeas corpus.
newsguild.org/guild-member...
Guild member detained by ICE in Minnesota | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA
On Friday, January 9, ICE arrested a member of our union, the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, as part of Operation Metro Surge.
newsguild.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:44 PM
On Friday, January 9, ICE arrested a member of our union, the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, as part of Operation Metro Surge.
He has been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where he is awaiting action on his petition for habeas corpus.
newsguild.org/guild-member...
He has been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where he is awaiting action on his petition for habeas corpus.
newsguild.org/guild-member...
"A story with on-camera sources, legal clearance, and five rounds of vetting gets killed for not being ready. A story with anonymous sources and internal objections gets published because the editor-in-chief wanted it. The difference ... is not journalistic rigor. The difference is who they help."
What the Trump Administration Is Buying With CBS's Reputation
The administration's story about the Renee Good shooting was falling apart. CBS gave them the credibility to put it back together.
www.readtpa.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:08 PM
"A story with on-camera sources, legal clearance, and five rounds of vetting gets killed for not being ready. A story with anonymous sources and internal objections gets published because the editor-in-chief wanted it. The difference ... is not journalistic rigor. The difference is who they help."
"The people who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Slavin wrote. “We will not compromise on serving them with accurate and balanced coverage, holding military officials to account when called for.”
ICYMI: In a social media post Thursday, the Defense Department's top spokesman said the Pentagon wants to "refocus" Stars and Stripes' content, a move met with pushback from several Democratic senators who accused the DOD of tampering with the outlet's reporting.
Pentagon says it will ‘refocus’ Stars and Stripes content
The Pentagon suggested it would take over editorial decision making for Stars and Stripes, which has long retained independence under a congressional mandate.
www.stripes.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:29 PM
"The people who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Slavin wrote. “We will not compromise on serving them with accurate and balanced coverage, holding military officials to account when called for.”
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Presidents have thus used the law sparingly, only 30 times in US history. In virtually every case, either the governor requested assistance because local law enforcement was overwhelmed or the state was actively obstructing federal civil rights laws. 5/13 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Guide to Invocations of the Insurrection Act
In 230 years, the Act has been invoked in response to 30 crises.
www.brennancenter.org
January 16, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Presidents have thus used the law sparingly, only 30 times in US history. In virtually every case, either the governor requested assistance because local law enforcement was overwhelmed or the state was actively obstructing federal civil rights laws. 5/13 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
This was an intense hearing. Judge Young, an 85-year-old Reagan appointee who has served on the federal bench for 47 years, didn't mince words. He closed the hearing by reading from Lincoln's address at Gettysburg. Some of the people in the courtroom were in tears. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
January 16, 2026 at 12:37 PM
This was an intense hearing. Judge Young, an 85-year-old Reagan appointee who has served on the federal bench for 47 years, didn't mince words. He closed the hearing by reading from Lincoln's address at Gettysburg. Some of the people in the courtroom were in tears. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
Reposted by Craig Aaron
In other horror news: an appellate court is seeking to limit the ability for Mahmoud Khalil to seek redress for the government's relentless targeting of him for his political speech. Immigration courts only have authority they've self-deputized w agencies. Constitutional due process is foundational.
January 16, 2026 at 12:00 AM
In other horror news: an appellate court is seeking to limit the ability for Mahmoud Khalil to seek redress for the government's relentless targeting of him for his political speech. Immigration courts only have authority they've self-deputized w agencies. Constitutional due process is foundational.
"Government invasion into a reporter’s home and the seizure of journalistic materials is exactly the kind of scenario our First Amendment was conceived to protect against."
We @freepress.bsky.social condemn the invasion of reporter Hannah Natanson's home by FBI agents. We joined together with 30 other press freedom & civil liberties groups with this statement, calling for congressional oversight & reintroduction of the PRESS Act: www.freepress.net/news/31-pres...
31 Press-Freedom and Civil-Liberties Groups Condemn Government Invasion of Washington Post Reporter’s Home
31 press-freedom and civil-liberties groups published a join statement condemning the government invasion of the home of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson.
www.freepress.net
January 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM
"Government invasion into a reporter’s home and the seizure of journalistic materials is exactly the kind of scenario our First Amendment was conceived to protect against."
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Corporate America, including major investors in & distributors of Musk's xAI, go silent when pressed by @theatlantic.com about whether they will continue to do business with a company that enables the sexual harassment & exploitation of women & children.
Corporate social responsibility is a myth.
Corporate social responsibility is a myth.
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Corporate America, including major investors in & distributors of Musk's xAI, go silent when pressed by @theatlantic.com about whether they will continue to do business with a company that enables the sexual harassment & exploitation of women & children.
Corporate social responsibility is a myth.
Corporate social responsibility is a myth.
“Carr has twisted the notion of the ‘public interest’ beyond recognition. He’s sacrificing his agency’s independence to serve the ideological and self-interested aims of the Trump regime, shaking down media companies for favorable coverage, launching spurious investigations ...”
Chairman Carr's Corruption of the FCC Requires Greater Congressional Action and Oversight
During the hearing, Carr tried to justify his efforts to eliminate consumer safeguards, censor content and hand over more media power to President Trump’s cronies.
www.freepress.net
January 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM
“Carr has twisted the notion of the ‘public interest’ beyond recognition. He’s sacrificing his agency’s independence to serve the ideological and self-interested aims of the Trump regime, shaking down media companies for favorable coverage, launching spurious investigations ...”
Reposted by Craig Aaron
Here's a nice look from @freepress.bsky.social back at last week when I got a chance to talk about the harms of media mega mergers with @democrats-judiciary.house.gov, like antitrust Ranking Member @nadler.house.gov, Congresswoman @balint.house.gov, full Committee ranker @raskin.house.gov and more.
These mergers aren't just business deals — they're power grabs.
Free Press' @mattfieldwood.bsky.social testified before Congress on media mergers that undermine our ability to access news that isn't filtered through a Trump disinformation machine.
Our statement: www.freepress.net/news/media-m...
Free Press' @mattfieldwood.bsky.social testified before Congress on media mergers that undermine our ability to access news that isn't filtered through a Trump disinformation machine.
Our statement: www.freepress.net/news/media-m...
January 14, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Here's a nice look from @freepress.bsky.social back at last week when I got a chance to talk about the harms of media mega mergers with @democrats-judiciary.house.gov, like antitrust Ranking Member @nadler.house.gov, Congresswoman @balint.house.gov, full Committee ranker @raskin.house.gov and more.
Reposted by Craig Aaron
"The only people who stand to benefit from a mega-merger like this are the bankers, lawyers and money-swimming McDucks — plus Donald Trump, who gets to put the squeeze on these media executives, demand bribes and further warp coverage to cover up his lies and crimes." - @notaaroncraig.bsky.social
Merger Madness and How to Stop It
The only people who stand to benefit from the Warner Bros. Discovery merger are the bankers, lawyers and money-swimming Scrooge McDucks — plus Donald Trump.
www.freepress.net
January 14, 2026 at 7:26 PM
"The only people who stand to benefit from a mega-merger like this are the bankers, lawyers and money-swimming McDucks — plus Donald Trump, who gets to put the squeeze on these media executives, demand bribes and further warp coverage to cover up his lies and crimes." - @notaaroncraig.bsky.social
Good read on public media in Utah after the demise of CPB.
The cuts sparked an uptick in public support - but that won't solve the systems long-term problems without a new vision of how we support public media and how it can serve local communities.
The cuts sparked an uptick in public support - but that won't solve the systems long-term problems without a new vision of how we support public media and how it can serve local communities.
January 14, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Good read on public media in Utah after the demise of CPB.
The cuts sparked an uptick in public support - but that won't solve the systems long-term problems without a new vision of how we support public media and how it can serve local communities.
The cuts sparked an uptick in public support - but that won't solve the systems long-term problems without a new vision of how we support public media and how it can serve local communities.