- New Report: Political Economy of the US Media System
- AI for Radicals
- The Pentagon Press Corps
- Netflix-Warner Merger
- YouTube’s Top 10 Podcasts Of 2025
- Tallying Up Tech Threats
- Dailies: Bad News from London
- NYT Gushes Nostalgia for Epstein’s Scene
- Media Machers Off the Hook
- A Youth Movement for Digital Justice
New Report: Political Economy of the US Media System
By Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams and Victor PickardRoosevelt Institute
This new Roosevelt Institute report reveals how decades of market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s democratic function. The authors trace a troubling trajectory: consolidation that concentrated power in fewer hands, the abandonment of meaningful public-interest standards, and the rise of platform monopolies with virtually no accountability.
AI for Radicals
transform! europe
This comprehensive guide discusses the use of AI tools for radical activism, emphasising their potential benefits and limitations while advocating for collective proficiency in AI among the radical left. Activists reject the propaganda of AI proponents and draw attention to the suffering of workers caused by innovation. However, the radical left should collectively educate itself about AI in order to be more credible and competitive.
The Pentagon Press Corps
By Adam GabbattThe Guardian
Almost all credentialed reporters from traditional media companies surrendered their Pentagon press passes in October, rather than sign a 21-page Pentagon document that set restrictions on journalistic activities. Following that walkout, the Pentagon issued passes and access to dozens of rightwing media figures and organizations who agreed to the strict rules.
Netflix-Warner Merger
• Death Knell for Movie Theaters? By Matt Stoller, BIG by Matt Stoller
• Paramount: Not a Done Deal By Michelle Chapman and Bernard Condon, Associated Press
YouTube’s Top 10 Podcasts Of 2025
By Tom TappDeadline
YouTube released a number of year-end lists tracking the trends “that defined 2025.” Among them was the site’s Top 10 podcasts. Podcasts, of course, have become important crucibles for viral clips — especially video podcasts. That’s why companies like Netflix, Fox and ESPN are stocking up on podcasts and the talent pool therein for new programming.
Tallying Up Tech Threats
By Marie NewmanMarie Newman Studio Substack
It is crucial to recognize that social media, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence are here to stay and must be addressed moving forward. To date, Congress has largely ignored these technologies, citing disinterest, lack of perceived need, or misunderstanding of the implications related to deregulation. Ignoring problems only allows them to grow.
Dailies: Bad News from London
By Josh WhiteThe Battleground
If the Daily Mail acquires The Telegraph, the Daily Mail General Trust will dominate the British newspaper market. The decline of the newspaper market since the 1990s has opened space for the last-standing media dynasty to claim this prize. Jonathan Harmsworth, a.k.a. Lord Rothermere, will be the most powerful press baron in the United Kingdom.
NYT Gushes Nostalgia for Epstein’s Scene
By Raina LipsitzFAIR
In the New York Times’ telling, it’s not the girls on Epstein’s island but rather President Donald Trump—an Epstein associate many suspect of having participated in the alleged abuse—who is being “held captive” by a “news cycle he can’t avoid or defeat.” The Times has frequently focused on the men and the supposedly bygone era in which they committed their crimes with impunity.
Media Machers Off the Hook
By Tim WuThe Anti-Monopolist
A federal district court dismissed the U.S. government’s main anti-monopoly case against Facebook. The court did so despite strong and direct evidence of monopoly power and wrongful conduct that no one could deny — yet Facebook still managed to get off the hook. The result is that no public authority in this country has been able to meaningfully hold Facebook accountable for anything.
A Youth Movement for Digital Justice
By Steve RoseThe Guardian
Ctrl+Alt+Reclaim, for people aged 15 to 29, is Europe’s first digital justice movement by and for young people. They demand inclusion of young people in decision-making; a safer, healthier, more equitable social media environment; control and transparency over personal data and how it is used; and an end to the stranglehold a handful of US-based corporations have over social media and online spaces.
