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** OPINION
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** The media’s latest Trump dilemma: How to cover a president who accuses his predecessor of treason?
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President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

What should the media do when the sitting U.S. president accuses a former U.S. president of treason?

That’s what happened this week when President Donald Trump alleged, with zero proof, that former President Barack Obama tried to rig the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

The outrageous claim seemed obvious in its intent: to distract Americans from the Jeffrey Epstein story. And yet, Trump’s claims were enough to draw a response from Obama’s office, which said, “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”

Trump made his claims about Obama to reporters after being asked a question about Epstein. So, yes, it does appear to have been Trump’s desperate attempt to change the narrative, to get people talking about something other than Epstein. Then again, Trump is the president, meaning he is capable of acting on threats to go after Obama, or whoever else might be on his radar.

As The New York Times’ Michael S. Schmidt wrote ([link removed]) , “The difference now is that Mr. Trump, much more so than during his first term, is surrounded by aides and cabinet members who often appear willing to follow through on his angriest and most authoritarian impulses. The Justice Department, whose top ranks are populated by loyalists, including two of his own lawyers, has shown a willingness to carry out Mr. Trump’s personal agenda.”

Schmidt added that “the efforts to target top officials from previous administrations appears to be gaining momentum.”

And that’s why Trump’s wild rants cannot be dismissed or ignored as merely someone trying to alter the news cycle.

That brings us back to this original question: What should the media do when the sitting U.S. president accuses a former U.S. president of treason? Actually, the question should be edited to: What should the media do when Trump accuses a former U.S. president of treason? Because we’ve never seen a president like Trump.

Covering Trump has been a media conundrum since he was president the first time. Since 2016, he has either been the president or the former president or a presidential candidate. In other words, prominent, important and newsworthy.

There were times when the argument was to show everything Trump said at rallies and press conferences and town halls and interviews because Americans needed to see what he was saying and thinking.

The counter to that was to not hand Trump a megaphone to amplify all his unsubstantiated ramblings and lies. This was especially true when he was running for president. But then the argument against that was to say that not showing his screwball rhetoric, it was somehow protecting him. By editing his speeches, by taking out the wild stuff, the media was somehow making him look more competent and qualified.

The other issue is that there is a conservative media ecosystem out there that not only shows everything Trump says and does, but also legitimizes it. (For example, Media Matters wrote Wednesday: “Fox News has mentioned Obama over 3 times more than Epstein since Tulsi Gabbard released her report.” ([link removed]) )

And so that brings us back to now. While Trump rages on about Obama and whoever else, the media has a choice: ignore it, cover it fully or — what it should do — put it into context.

That context, for now, appears to prominently mention that Trump seems determined to throw everyone off the Epstein story and to point out that Trump’s comments are not based in fact.

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
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** And another thing
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Politico’s Dasha Burns smartly reported Another thing to remember about this all in her piece “‘POTUS is clearly furious’: White House is frustrated by all-consuming Epstein coverage.” ([link removed])

Burns writes that Trump and those in his administration want to take a victory lap this summer for things they see as accomplishments, such as Trump’s mega bill and new trade agreements. Instead, all anyone wants to talk about is Epstein.

One senior White House official told Burns, “POTUS is clearly furious. It’s the first time I’ve seen them sort of paralyzed.” The official added, “He feels there are way bigger stories that deserve attention.”

The official continued by saying, “When you’re working 12 to 15 hours a day to solve real problems and you turn on the TV and see people talking about Jeffrey Epstein, that’s frustrating. That’s where the president’s mindset is.”

Another person close to the White House told Burns, “They would like to move on and talk about the things they think are Ws. They are really annoyed that it’s an overshadowing news cycle.”


** Speaking of which …
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The Wall Street Journal dropped another explosive story on Wednesday. Reporters Sadie Gurman, Annie Linskey, Josh Dawsey and Alex Leary wrote, “Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files.” ([link removed])

The Journal reports that Department of Justice officials discovered that Trump’s name appears multiple times in the so-called Epstein files. They go on to write that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appears many times. That said, the context is unknown, and Trump’s name being in the files doesn’t necessarily denote any wrongdoing.

The Journal wrote that the officials “told the president at the meeting that the files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past, some of the officials said. One of the officials familiar with the documents said they contain hundreds of other names.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung told the Journal, “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal.”

The previous story that Cheung was referring to was the one that claimed Trump had sent a sexually suggestive letter ([link removed]) to be part of a 50th birthday present for Epstein. Trump denied writing such a letter, which the Journal claims included a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman. In addition to denying he sent such a note, Trump is also suing the Journal.

Meanwhile, Mediaite’s Isaac Schorr has “Trump Denied on Camera That Pam Bondi Told Him He Was in Epstein Files.” ([link removed])

If Wednesday’s latest Journal shows anything, it’s that Trump’s lawsuit is doing nothing to deter the newspaper from reporting on Trump and his ties to Epstein.

The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush also reported ([link removed]) that Bondi had alerted Trump that his name was in the Epstein files.


** Trump’s media attacks
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And while on the topic of Trump’s lawsuit against the Journal, I wanted to point out veteran media writer Paul Farhi and his latest piece in The Atlantic: “Trump’s Campaign to Crush the Media.” ([link removed])

Farhi writes, “Although Trump faces considerable legal obstacles to win in court, betting against him would be unwise. In his first six months in office, he has been on a winning streak in his campaign to punish and diminish the press.”

That’s true. He has gotten ABC News and Paramount, which owns CBS, to settle lawsuits. In the Paramount case, in particular, Trump had little chance of winning, most law experts believed. In addition, Trump has managed to slash federal funding for public broadcasting, banned the Journal and The Associated Press from press pools because he doesn’t like their coverage, and worked to dismantle Voice of America.

Marty Baron, the legendary former editor of The Washington Post, told Farhi, “The independent press in the United States is facing what media outlets in too many other countries with aspiring autocrats have confronted.”

Farhi wrote that Baron compared Trump's “repressive measures” to those of Hungarian President Viktor Orbán: “The playbook is to demean, demonize, marginalize, and economically debilitate” independent reporting.

Meanwhile, in a guest essay for The New York Times, David Pressman, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 2022 to 2025, writes, “I Watched It Happen in Hungary. Now It’s Happening Here.” ([link removed])

It’s an important piece. Check it out.


** Seeking approval
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Skydance Media CEO David Ellison, shown here in May. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Skydance hasn’t even taken ownership of Paramount (and CBS … and CBS News) just yet and it already appears to be genuflecting to the Trump administration.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin reports ([link removed]) that Skydance has told the Federal Communications Commission that once it takes ownership of Paramount that it will take a “comprehensive review” of CBS. That will include hiring an ombudsman who will report directly to the president of CBS News and “who will receive and evaluate any complaints of bias or other concerns.”

Skydance also promised to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the company, writing, “The company is committed to ensuring that its storytelling reflects the many audiences and communities it serves in a manner that complies with non-discrimination requirements and other applicable laws.”

Skydance told the FCC in a pair of letters (here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) ) about its plans. The first one focused on “addressing concerns about media bias,” and the other “to confirm the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that were in place at Paramount and to confirm our commitments moving forward.”

Skydance wrote, “Skydance, for its part, does not have DEI programs in place today and will not establish such initiatives.”

Weprin wrote, “The DEI changes will impact the company’s hiring practices, promotion and development, compensation, and public messaging, among other areas. It will also eliminate the office of global inclusion.”

None of this is surprising. The deal is about to go through just as Paramount recently agreed to pay Trump $16 million (Trump says it’s more) to settle a lawsuit. That was over Trump’s claim that CBS News edited a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in such a way as to help her win the 2024 election.

Many have openly questioned if the settlement was nothing more than Paramount making sure it got approval from Trump’s FCC for its imminent sale to Skydance. CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert called it a “big, fat bribe,” and days later, it was announced that his show would be canceled.

Now comes these latest announcements from Skydance that seemingly fall in line with the Trump administration.


** Alden makes an upset bid for The Dallas Morning News
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For this item, I turn it over to my colleague, Rick Edmonds, Poynter’s media business analyst.

Here and elsewhere, it was reported two weeks ago that Hearst had entered into a definitive agreement to buy The Dallas Morning News ([link removed]) . Not so fast, maybe. Alden Global Capital, a ravenous acquirer of newspapers, offered a bid of its own Tuesday.

Alden offered to pay $16.50 a share compared to Hearst’s $14. That’s a premium of 17% — substantial but not huge. (Rupert Murdoch paid a 60% premium in 2007 when his News Corp bought Dow Jones ([link removed]) , The Wall Street Journal’s parent.) The board of publicly traded DallasNews Corporation and Robert Decherd, who controls the company representing a special class of family shares, issued statements Wednesday that said they favor sticking with the Hearst deal.

Dallas Morning News managing editor Amy Hollyfield spelled out ([link removed]) in an article what to expect next and what remains to be determined.

The directors have a legal obligation to review the offer as part of their fiduciary duty to shareholders. They don’t have to accept a higher bid, however.

In a statement, Decherd said that he had confidence that Hearst could be counted on to maintain high editorial standards. Alden’s MediaNews Group, on the other hand, is notorious for making deep cuts to the newsrooms it acquires.

Alden divulged in a securities filing that it has assembled 9.9% of DallasNews common stock. Like the premium in the Tuesday offer, that’s probably not enough to exert much leverage, but it could still buy more or up its bid.


** Major move
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The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand is reporting ([link removed]) that ESPN is close to a deal to acquire NFL Media, which runs the NFL Network. The deal is not done and could still fall apart, but Marchand wrote that it’s “within the 5-yard line.”

Not only is the NFL Network a part of NFL Media, but so is the Red Zone channel. And the NFL Network carries seven regular-season games.

Marchand wrote, “The exact amount of money or equity that Disney/ESPN would pay is not yet known, but it will be enormous. There is expected to be a regulatory period that will need approval before everything goes into effect. The process may take nine months, give or take.”

Marchand adds, “NFL Network has seen years of layoffs and downsizing, and while ESPN will likely take advantage of overlapping jobs to cut costs, it will also want to make NFL Network even more of a must-watch.”

Also notable is that ESPN is on the verge of a direct-to-consumer product that would only be enhanced by adding the NFL Network.


** Media tidbits
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* Mediaite’s David Gilmour with “CBS Host Blames ‘One-Sided’ Colbert for His Firing in Tense Debate On Network’s Drama.” ([link removed])
* For Nieman Lab, Joshua Benton with “How did newspapers in places like Harrisburg, Birmingham, and Syracuse become some of America’s most-read online?” ([link removed])
* CBS News with “New podcast digs into journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria.” ([link removed])
* Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell announced on social media ([link removed]) that she is leaving the paper. She will continue to be seen on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” Her final column for the Post was about columns: “11 tips for becoming a columnist.” ([link removed])
* Isabelle Khurshudyan, most recently the Ukraine bureau chief for The Washington Post, is joining CNN ([link removed]) as a senior enterprise reporter/writer. Khurshudyan started her career as a sports reporter, including a stint covering the Washington Capitals of the NHL. I did this feature ([link removed]) on her back in 2023 on what it’s like to cover the war in Ukraine.


** Hot type
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* For The Washington Post, Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias with “Volkswagen kept a dark secret in the Amazon. Then a priest made a call.” ([link removed])
* The National Football League Players Association is in turmoil. The always-superb Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN, along with Kalyn Kahler, dig deep into the issues with “‘If he failed, their process failed’: Inside the NFLPA meltdown.” ([link removed])


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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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