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Politician Physically Attacking the Press Is Met With Press Silence — It Is (D)ifferent, You See

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jun 24, 2026
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First Amendment Strike Force – REP. SETH MOULTON

  • Taking the header of this category SERIOUSLY!

Think of all of the times just since he was reelected that President Trump has been accused of “attacking” the press. If he insults a reporter in the Oval Office or makes disparaging comments on Air Force One, we will hear claims that he is attacking free expression and, by extension, attacking our very democracy.

Well then, what about when a standing politician LITERALLY attacks a reporter? Would that seem a greater offense than saying mean things?
Apparently not, so long as it involves a Democrat. 

U.S. Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-6) was walking into a building, and a reporter nearby asked him about his support for Graham Platner. Rather than give a practiced and political answer, Moulton is caught on camera swatting away the phone as he angrily brushes by the reporter.


Gloss Over Things – WASHINGTON POST

  • Seems a bit loose using that definition.

The news out of Texas has been encouraging, considering the ramifications of addressing activist violence. Recently, a group of Antifa thugs was tried and found guilty of domestic terrorism, involving their planned assault on an ICE facility during which one agent was shot. The sentencing came in, and the lengthy terms handed out will total around 450 years.

In covering this development, the Washington Post saw a need to soft-pedal this as a “protest turned violent”, as if they were harshly charged. These members plotted this attack, they vandalized the building, stripped the security cameras, and when police arrived, they were ambushed with weapons, with one officer shot.

But this is described as an initially peaceful protest.


Anti-Social Media – BLUESKY

  • Odd that Tucker is following this guy’s path…

Some time ago, the social media account Popehat had been a demonstrably conservative one. Then he became polluted with Trump derangement in the early days, gradually distancing himself from the Right, blocking former followers, and becoming an easily ignored, unhinged activist.

He unsurprisingly migrated over to that hyper-leftist hive, Bluesky, and now we see he has been tossed over the transom at that platform. Apparently, he made a post outwardly promoting for the killing of Elon Musk…just in case anyone wondered if he had found his sanity.


Reporting On The Mirror – CBS NEWS

  • Few in the industry will pay much attention to his claims.

On the subject of differing approaches to journalists being attacked, Tony Dokoupil has spent the past half a year on the receiving end of no shortage of insults and accusations since rising to be the new anchor at the desk of “CBS Evening News”. Apparently, because he was hired by Bari Weiss for the role, that means the journalists who oppose Weiss taking over the network’s news division can insult and demean Dokoupil in the same fashion they complain about President Trump using toward their brethren.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dokoupil was asked about the recent spate of melodrama in the news division, and he seems to be insulated from much of that. He stated he has yet to be instructed in any fashion on what he must or must not report on.

  • “When they make comments like that, I pay attention. But I can only speak for what’s happening on this side of the street, and it’s not the experience that I’ve had. When it comes to Bari Weiss, she’s the editor in chief, she runs a 9 a.m. meeting, and has lots of ideas. When we like the idea, we use it. If we don’t, and if it doesn’t work for our show, we don’t.” 


Demo-lition Project – NETWORKS’ EVENING NEWS

  • The changes have not led to much change.

With the recent turnovers at the nightly news desks, we look in on the results, ratings-wise. 

Dokoupil is still lagging behind the competition, but the highly touted demise of the CBS broadcast is not as bad as many have made it out to be. Yes, he trails behind the others significantly, but in truth, his ratings are only off by six percentage points from a year ago, and are actually up by three percent in the advertiser’s demo.

Tom Llamas has just had his first anniversary after taking over for Lester Holt at “NBC Nightly News”. His numbers are up six percent in total, and he has a strong 18 percent jump in the demo. That is enough to pass David Muir at “ABC World News Tonight”, but Muir maintained nearly a one-million viewer edge in the total audience.


Reporting On The Mirror – SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

  • It is like they proved the experiment of getting woke and going broke.

Scientific American has drifted far away from its scientific roots over the past generation. The outlet that had been rather rigorous in following the…well, the science, had become instead more of a left-leaning activist portal. Unsurprisingly, this has led to diminishing fortunes.

So much so that now it has been announced that the magazine has been sold to the entity LabX, and it is assured that layoffs will be taking place.