Jon Passantino is the executive editor of Status.
Jul 18, 2026
A federal judge granted The NYT a temporary reprieve from Trump administration subpoenas targeting three of its reporters, Status has learned, setting up a high-stakes hearing next week over confidential sources.
Jul 9, 2026
David Ellison thought he had won the hardest battle for Warner Bros. Discovery. Now, a state-led legal offensive and scrutiny in the U.K. could put the blockbuster deal in jeopardy, experts tell Status.
Jul 6, 2026
Donald Trump has targeted American media companies and corporations with pressure campaigns behind closed doors. At the World Cup, the entire world is now getting a front-row seat.
Jun 27, 2026
Mark Zuckerberg has proclaimed himself a staunch defender of free expression, invoking the principle as he dismantled Meta’s guardrails against misinformation. That is, unless the speech is about Meta.
Jun 20, 2026
Jeff Bezos privately belittled The Washington Post to Donald Trump during a Mar-a-Lago dinner, according to a forthcoming book, offering a remarkable glimpse into how he views the newspaper he owns.
Jun 13, 2026
Paramount is hosting a D.C. brunch on Sunday ahead of the White House UFC fight, Status has learned, just days after securing DOJ approval for its Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Jun 6, 2026
The road is littered with the bodies of news chiefs who had the backing of their bosses—until they didn’t.
May 30, 2026
Just days before gutting television’s most successful news program, CBS News was celebrating record digital growth. So if expanding the brand’s online footprint is the goal, why fire the team successfully doing just that?
May 23, 2026
This week, Status was honored to receive the inaugural Mirror Award for Best Media Newsletter—a recognition of the work we are able to do because of readers like you.
May 16, 2026
Billionaire media owners are pouring money into little-watched MAGA-friendly podcasts and video ventures in hopes of currying favor with the administration.
May 9, 2026
Disney is mounting its most aggressive pushback yet against Donald Trump’s attempts to censor his critics, signaling that the company has concluded its wiser to fight rather than fold.
May 2, 2026
Jennings’ profanity-laced blowup raises new questions about how much belligerent behavior CNN management is willing to tolerate from its most prominent pro-Trump commentator.
Apr 11, 2026
The right-wing media machine that helped power Donald Trump’s return to the White House has turned on him, with some of MAGA’s biggest stars now calling for his removal.
Mar 28, 2026
The FCC chairman’s comments at CPAC laid bare that the administration views controlling the media and sidelining critics as a political victory.
Mar 21, 2026
A federal judge struck down the Pentagon’s attempt to gatekeep press access, delivering a major legal blow to Pete Hegseth’s efforts to create a safe space.
Mar 14, 2026
Pete Hegseth is waging war on the press—banning photographers, silencing reporters, and crying conspiracy over casualty counts—revealing him to be the thin-skinned snowflake he once decried as a Fox News host.
Mar 7, 2026
CNN staffers dismissed NewsNation’s latest promo attacking Kaitlan Collins as “pathetic”—but the episode showcased how Nexstar’s network is cozying up to MAGA as it seeks approval for a massive merger.
Feb 28, 2026
After years of branding Donald Trump as the anti-war “peace president,” much of MAGA Media erupted in cheers as he launched an unauthorized war on Iran—though not everyone is happy.
Feb 21, 2026
A high-stakes trial is putting Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures on the stand, opening the door to the prospect that the courts, not lawmakers, will finally rein in Big Tech.
Feb 14, 2026
MAGA Media and Republican lawmakers whipped themselves into a frenzy over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show—only for the FCC to quietly determine the outrage was built on lyrics that were never performed.
Feb 7, 2026
Jeff Bezos was once hailed as the ideal billionaire steward of a newspaper—but his recent actions have made clear that it’s time for him to sell The Washington Post.
Jan 31, 2026
As federal agents begin arresting journalists, experts tell Status that Donald Trump's attacks on the press have crossed into openly authoritarian behavior.
Jan 24, 2026
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 10, 2026
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 3, 2026
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.
