MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump again raised a threat to the broadcast licenses of TV stations that air news programming he dislikes. ‘NBC FAKE NEWS, which is under intense scrutiny over their killing the Harvey Weinstein story, is now fumbling around making excuses for their probably highly unethical conduct,’ Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday [9-4-18]. ‘I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?’ Trump was referring to recent conflicting accounts between NBC and journalist Ronan Farrow over Farrow’s investigation into sexual harassment and assault allegedly committed by disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Farrow has suggested NBC sought to block his investigation of the well-connected Weinstein. Trump himself has been accused of having media allies like the National Enquirer kill unflattering stories. The FCC, as an independent agency, is ostensibly beyond White House control. Trump does have the power to name the agency chief, and tapped the current chairman, Ajit Pai, for the role at the start of his administration.”
–John Hendel, “Trump reignites threat to news broadcasters,” Politico, September 4, 2018 12:41 pm