In Fox interview Trump prides himself on having convinced segments of the public to distrust the media as “fake news.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears before Senate panel investigating the president’s threat to target NBC’s broadcast license in retaliation for unfavorable coverage and invokes spat between JFK and the news media to suggest such tension is not new. FCC moves to lift TV-newspaper cross-ownership ban. Reddit updates policy on violent content and shuts down forums on Nazism. -Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

Trump Brags He’s ‘Proud’ of Undermining Faith in Free Press During Fox Business Interview
Mr. Trump boasted in his latest Fox interview, “Now they’re calling stories put out by Facebook fake, they’re fake. What could be more fake than CBS and NBC and ABC and CNN? I’m so proud I have been able to convince people how fake it is.”
ALTERNET

Ajit Pai, Defending Response to Trump Tweets, Points to JFK’s Anger Over NBC
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, appearing before a congressional oversight hearing, defended his response to Trump’s suggestion that the agency should look into revoking NBC’s license. He draws an analogy between his response and the response of the then-FCC chairman, New Minow, to the tension between JFK and news media.
VARIETY

The FCC Plans to Roll Back Some of Its Biggest Rules Against Media Consolidation
FCC will vote to lift a decades-old TV-newspaper cross-ownership ban. The move is aimed at supporting economically struggling media outlets. But critics say it will lead to greater media consolidation and the loss of independent voices.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Nazi Forums Closed as Reddit Purges ‘Violent Content’
Reddit has closed down several extremist forums after updating its policy regarding violent content. The newly banned and removed pages include r/NationalSocialism, r/Nazi, r/whitesarecriminals, and r/far_right.
BBC NEWS

 
Global

What Do Ordinary People Think Fake News Is? Poor Journalism and Political Propaganda.
Here’s a research study on how members of the public think about fake news. The most striking result is that people see the difference between “fake news” and real journalism as one of degree, rather than drawing a clear distinction.
COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW

UN Urges Iran to Stop Harassing BBC Persian Staff
A UN expert urges Iran’s government to stop harassing BBC Persian staff and their families. It came after Iran initiated a criminal investigation into 150 BBC staff, former staff, and contributors for “conspiracy against national security.”
BBC NEWS

NY Times, Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, and BBC barred from Xi Jinping Speech
President Xi Jinping encouraged members of the press “to visit and see more of China” when he unveiled his new leadership—but five Western media outlets were excluded from the event.
HONG KONG FREE PRESS

EU Awards Human Rights Prize to Venezuelan Opposition
President Nicolas Maduro’s government has clamped down on the opposition, jailing, or otherwise barring from office many dissenting leaders and activists. EU calls for a peaceful transition to democracy in this troubled country and awards human rights prize to Venezuela’s democratic opposition.
REUTERS

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