Issue 012 · July 28th 2026
A Shirk of Duty or Editorial Discretion?
- ISSUE PRIMER -
Trump gave a primetime address on July 16 declassifying documents he said proved foreign interference and fraud in the 2020 election. ABC, NBC and CNN declined to carry it live on TV, while CBS and MS NOW cut or edited it. The White House called the networks "cowards." The networks say airing known falsehoods live and unfiltered has a cost. Underneath it is an old fight: when a President says something a newsroom believes is false, does "the public gets to hear it and decide" beat "we don't hand over the airwaves to amplify a lie"? Let's get into it.
→ People Can Handle Information, Thanks.
This is a sitting President addressing the nation, and three networks decided you weren't allowed to watch it live. "We know in advance it's false so we won't air it" puts a newsroom's judgment ahead of yours before you've heard a word. Fact-check it after, rebut it, tear it apart, but pre-deciding the President is too dangerous to broadcast is the exact gatekeeping that's cratered trust in these outlets. This is the same activist instinct that led to very limited coverage of Joe Biden’s declining health before the debate performance blew it open in front of the public.
← A Business Decision
A live, uninterrupted feed amplifies dangerous bullsh*t serves nobody except Donald Trump. There's a real cost to broadcasting, in real time, claims that are demonstrably false or lack any compelling evidence, because you can't fact-check a lie fast enough to catch the people who tune out after the first ten minutes. And they did cover it: reporting on a claim and airing it live unopposed are different acts. The bypass isn't partisan either: the same networks have skipped Biden and Obama primetime requests when they were deemed it free political coverage vs policy. The standard is consistent, and probably good business.
- NYC Event to Learn More -
The Forever War and the First Amendment
When: September 9-10 at Columbia University
What: OK, OK so we couldn’t find an exact topic on media selectivity bias in NYC, but we have something tangential! A two day conference (free) on legacy media and journalism in the 25th anniversary of the War on Terror. Touches many of the topics and pressures that journalists felt in the aftermath of 9/11, though not necessarily the journalist activism that has taken over legacy media today.
- Curated Articles -
To Air or Not To Air? (Cary O’Dell, Substack) Short, but good. O’Dell dislikes Trump and expects him to lie, but argues that journalists should show the public what the president says, then aggressively challenge it afterward.
Fox News Snubs Trumps Election Fantasy (Sofia Tesfaye, Salon) - Liberal pundit noting that even Fox News covered Trump election fraud speech with as little post-coverage as possible. Evidence that it wasn’t newsworthy.
Why the Media Blackout on Trump’s Voting Integrity Speech? (Douglas Andrews, The Patriot Post) - Far right pundit that sees even Fox News limited coverage as a failure of the media. Everything the President does is news, and should be covered live.
Room at UNMUTED - THIS Thursday, July 30
Those damn elitists! Whether you attended one or not, you have an opinion on the Ivy League. Gatekeepers? Cultural institutions? Meritocracy? Aristocracy? Good for America or bad? We’ll hash it out with two elitists, one who thinks the Ivy League is the bee’s knees, and the other who would love to see it all burn, moderated by an elitist.
Our guest host of the night is the Recount’s Grace Weinstein, who runs Who Broke It? -an excellent Substack about the social media strategies and news on both the Left and the Right. She’s also hilarious.
Don’t miss it. BUT if you can’t make it, subscribe here to stay updated on all of our upcoming events.
Worth leaving the house for NEXT week in
NYC
Wed 7/29, 7:30 PM
Climate/Environmental Justice: A Discussion of NYC's Plans/Outcomes
Peggy Shepard, (ED of WE ACT) +
Daniel A. Zarrilli (Columbia University) +
Sheila R. Foster (Columbia University) +
Michael Bobker (CUNY BPL) +
Paul Lozito (NYC Office of Climate) +
Adaeze Okoli (Rethink Food) +
Christine Osuji (ConEdison) +
Dr. Patricia Ramsey (Medgar Evers)
Speakers from NYC government and Columbia on climate change initiatives in the city. Could be REALLY boring (I’ve never seen a good 5+ person panel), but will be very informative.
Produced by Columbia Climate School
Hosted at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Harlem State Office Building
Sun 8/9, 1 PM
Staten Island’s Nuclear History
Matthew Bolton (Pace University)
Finally, we’re nuking Staten Island. JK this is about Staten Island’s role in the Manhattan Project. They housed 2/3rds of all the project’s uranium…
Produced by The Noble Maritime Collection
Hosted at The Noble Maritime Collection
Tues, 8/11, 6:30 PM
Gun Control Oxford Debate
Aaron Brown (Bloomberg) +
Robert Spitzer (SUNY Cortlandt) +
Gene Epstein (moderator)
Should guns face NO government regulation? That’s actually the resolution. Spicy! Aaron has a very 80s glam rock hairstyle going on.
Produced by SoHo Forum
Hosted at The Sheen Center
That’s all for now. See you Space Cowboy…