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Oliver Buchannon
Jon Passantino

Jon Passantino is the executive editor of Status.

Legacy Media’s Risky Bet

Legacy Media’s Risky Bet

In search of new revenue streams, newsrooms are embracing prediction market companies as partners—an ethically dubious move that launders speculation as serious data journalism.

Jan 24, 2026

Ellison and the Lie

Ellison and the Lie

As Larry Ellison’s media empire expands, unanswered questions about his views on the 2020 election now carry real stakes as Jan. 6 is reframed and the next presidential race approaches.

Jan 10, 2026

The Dokoupil Doctrine

The Dokoupil Doctrine

The incoming “CBS Evening News” anchor’s public mission statement decrying “academics and elites” offers the clearest sign yet of where the network is headed under its new leadership.

Jan 3, 2026

The War Over the Future of MAGA

The War Over the Future of MAGA

At Turning Point’s annual gathering, MAGA Media’s top stars tore into each other, revealing a high-stakes battle over power, influence, and the future of Trump’s followers.

Dec 20, 2025

The Blaze’s Burn Notice

The Blaze’s Burn Notice

A sensational claim by Glenn Beck’s outlet suggesting a conspiracy among law enforcement to frame Trump supporters over Jan. 6 has gone up in flames. Now the outlet is facing the fallout.

Dec 6, 2025

Quiet as a Mouse

Quiet as a Mouse

As Trump wages an assault on ABC, Disney brass have decided to ignore the attacks in hopes of avoiding a tit-for-tat war with the administration, Status has learned, a strategy that comes with its own risks.

Nov 22, 2025

Breaking the BBC

Breaking the BBC

Donald Trump’s legal war on the press has crossed the Atlantic—putting the BBC at the center of his most audacious threat yet.

Nov 15, 2025

The MAGA Hall Monitors

The MAGA Hall Monitors

After years of mocking “free speech” police, Ben Shapiro and some on the right are suddenly patrolling the halls themselves.

Nov 8, 2025

The Right's Race Reckoning

The Right's Race Reckoning

Tucker Carlson’s friendly sit-down with racist Nick Fuentes has touched off a reckoning inside the conservative movement, forcing its leaders to confront the ugly monster they helped create.

Nov 1, 2025

Comcast’s Ballroom Dance

Comcast’s Ballroom Dance

Donald Trump has spent years mocking Comcast chief Brian Roberts as a “lowlife”—now Roberts is helping fund Trump’s new White House ballroom, a move that’s left some of his own journalists mortified.

Oct 25, 2025

The Malone Delusion

The Malone Delusion

From an imagined conversation with Jeff Zucker to more Fox News worship, John Malone’s latest media appearance reveals a billionaire who has a warped view of journalism and reality.

Oct 18, 2025

'We Just Got Elon Musk-ed'

'We Just Got Elon Musk-ed'

Bari Weiss’s first major move as CBS News chief has staffers on edge—ordering every journalist to submit a written memo justifying their work, in an apparent Elon Musk-style loyalty test.

Oct 11, 2025

Iger’s Integrity

Iger’s Integrity

Once praised for his moral clarity, Bob Iger now faces questions of integrity after bowing to political pressure and suspending Jimmy Kimmel.

Sep 20, 2025

Murder, Memes, and Messaging

Murder, Memes, and Messaging

In the chaotic aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, MAGA Media rushed to blame “the left,” spinning a narrative that deepened America’s divides even as the shooter’s true beliefs remain unclear.

Sep 13, 2025

From the Fringe to Fox

From the Fringe to Fox

MAGA Media took anti-vax conspiracy theories from the fringe to prime time—and now the consequences are reshaping public health.

Sep 6, 2025

Burying the Bruises

Burying the Bruises

The White House insists Donald Trump’s visible bruises are nothing, but medical experts say the explanation doesn’t hold up. Why are the country’s biggest newsrooms silent?

Aug 30, 2025

Pardon Me?

Pardon Me?

MAGA Media cheered Ghislaine Maxwell’s praise of Donald Trump—but the hollow transcript only deepened questions about the missing Epstein Files.

Aug 23, 2025

Plucking MSNBC’s Feathers

Plucking MSNBC’s Feathers

After nearly 30 years, MSNBC is dropping its name to become MS NOW—a rebrand that sparked tension with NBCU and weeks of behind-the-scenes debate.

Aug 18, 2025

The Russia Ruse

The Russia Ruse

MAGA Media’s praise for Trump’s disastrous meeting with Putin shows it’s about propping up Trump and spinning his failures—no matter what.

Aug 16, 2025

Cooking for Trump

Cooking for Trump

Apple chief Tim Cook served up a gold-plated tribute to Donald Trump—a craven act of theater that traded the company’s vaunted principles for political favor.

Aug 9, 2025

The Sweeney Spectacle

The Sweeney Spectacle

Sydney Sweeney’s cheeky American Eagle ad became the week’s biggest culture-war flashpoint—distracting from far weightier stories.

Aug 2, 2025

The Price of Paramount

The Price of Paramount

Paramount’s decision to concede to political demands to secure its merger with Skydance may have sealed the deal, but it also set a precedent that will be felt for years to come.

Jul 26, 2025

Colbert and Capitulation

Colbert and Capitulation

The end of "The Late Show" isn’t ultimately about budgets, it’s a sign of the ideological shift at CBS that will take place under David Ellison's Skydance Media.

Jul 19, 2025

Bongino’s Epstein Ultimatum

Bongino’s Epstein Ultimatum

Dan Bongino is threatening to resign if Trump doesn’t fire Pam Bondi over the “Epstein files” debacle—a crisis entirely of the administration’s own making.

Jul 12, 2025

Gavin Takes Off the Gloves

Gavin Takes Off the Gloves

Gavin Newsom spent months cozying up to MAGA Media—now he’s suing Fox News for $787 million, signaling a sharp break from his flirtation with the far right.

Jun 28, 2025

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