Trump’s Quest for Total Media Control Trump’s Quest for Total Media Control
Look beyond the petty celebrity feuds, and you'll see a plan to transform American media companies into outlets for MAGA agitprop.
Nov 21, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
The Pending Disaster of a Skydance-Warners Merger The Pending Disaster of a Skydance-Warners Merger
The Ellison family’s aggressive pursuit of the WBD empire would shred news values and further pillage movie and TV production.
Nov 3, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
History’s Lessons for the Second Committee for the First Amendment History’s Lessons for the Second Committee for the First Amendment
Jane Fonda is reviving the Hollywood advocacy group to meet the high-stakes challenges to free expression in the Trump era.
Oct 20, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
The Sad Spectacle of American Comedians Selling Out in Saudi Arabia The Sad Spectacle of American Comedians Selling Out in Saudi Arabia
It turns out that edgy free-speech warriors will scuttle their principles for a check from a brutal autocratic regime.
Oct 2, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
How the Kimmel Controversy Echoes Disney’s Dirty China Deal How the Kimmel Controversy Echoes Disney’s Dirty China Deal
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner berated the company’s capitulation before authoritarian MAGA threats, but in many ways, he set the example.
Sep 24, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
Billy Wilder’s Battle With the Past Billy Wilder’s Battle With the Past
How the fabled Hollywood director confronted survivor’s guilt, the legacies of the Holocaust, and the paradoxes of Zionism.
Aug 18, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
Can Rupert Murdoch Conquer LA? Can Rupert Murdoch Conquer LA?
The tabloid baron will launch a West Coast version of the New York Post next year.
Aug 7, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
Jay Leno’s Phony Case for Balanced Comedy Jay Leno’s Phony Case for Balanced Comedy
The former Tonight Show host thinks a dose of bothsidesism will punch up the late-night scene.
Jul 30, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
How CBS Decided It Couldn’t Afford to Let Stephen Colbert Speak His Mind How CBS Decided It Couldn’t Afford to Let Stephen Colbert Speak His Mind
The network claims it’s canceling The Late Show for financial reasons, but the real bottom line here is Trump appeasement.
Jul 21, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
How the MAGA Movement Is Erasing the Legacy of #MeToo How the MAGA Movement Is Erasing the Legacy of #MeToo
Sexual predators are getting free passes from Donald Trump and the right-wing mediasphere.
Jun 4, 2025 / Ben Schwartz