US Media Torn Between Billionaire Owners and Trump Administration, Guardian Reports
Major US media are described as being torn between billionaire owners and the Trump administration, shaping coverage and editorial decisions. Billionaire owners cited include the Murdochs (Fox), Jeff Bezos (Washington Post), Patrick Soon-Shiong (LA Times), and the Ellison family (Paramount and CBS) with bids or influence over CNN's owner Warner Bros.
The Trump administration is portrayed as using defamation lawsuits and regulatory threats to pressure outlets, including a CBS settlement over a Kamala Harris interview, a lawsuit against the New York Times, and an FCC threat to revoke ABC's license.
The Guardian claims it has never asked the author to pull punches or flatter power, attributing this to its lack of a billionaire owner and to reader funding. The article emphasizes Guardian independence is supported by readers, who bankroll investigations and the newsroom rather than a billionaire owner.
The author argues that ownership and political pressure have led other outlets to hedge coverage and scale back truth-telling, resulting in a decline in journalistic quality. The piece expresses personal gratitude for working at the Guardian and urges reader support for its year-end fundraising appeal.
