Ellison’s Media Titanic
Jon

Ellison’s Media Titanic

David Ellison has acquired another media conglomerate to add to his new burgeoning media empire. Now comes the hard part: brutal cost cuts to make the economics work.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Oct 3, 2026
Ellison's Settlement Squeeze
Jon

Ellison's Settlement Squeeze

Paramount may be closing in on a settlement with California AG Rob Bonta, but at least two states are pushing back, Status has learned, raising new questions about how far regulators are willing to bend in David Ellison’s pursuit of Warner Bros.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Sep 19, 2026
Inside the Status Summit
Jon

Inside the Status Summit

A look inside the inaugural gathering, where some of the media’s biggest names descended for a day of candid conversations, lively exchanges, and plenty of behind-the-scenes chatter.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Sep 12, 2026
Milo Gets His Wish
Jon

Milo Gets His Wish

After years spent cheering on Donald Trump’s hardline immigration approach and demanding mass deportations, far-right personality Milo Yiannopoulos found himself on the receiving end of the very ICE crackdown he advocated for.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Aug 29, 2026
The Pentagon’s Truth Purge
Jon

The Pentagon’s Truth Purge

Pete Hegseth’s purge of Stars and Stripes leadership shows that the anti-press defense secretary is trying to turn the independent newspaper into another propaganda organ for the Trump administration.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Aug 22, 2026
Carr's Consolidation Overdrive
Jon

Carr's Consolidation Overdrive

Brendan Carr’s FCC just removed one of the last barriers standing between Trump’s media allies and even greater control of local television.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Aug 8, 2026
The White House Correspondents’ Disgrace
Jon

The White House Correspondents’ Disgrace

The WHCA sought to reconvene its annual dinner in celebration of press freedom. Instead, it handed Donald Trump a platform to attack the very journalists the organization exists to represent.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jul 25, 2026
Ellison’s Merger Danger Zone
Jon

Ellison’s Merger Danger Zone

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jul 9, 2026
Trump’s World Cup Foul
Jon

Trump’s World Cup Foul

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jul 6, 2026
Meta’s Speech Muzzle
Jon

Meta’s Speech Muzzle

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jun 27, 2026
Bezos’ Trump Backfire
Jon

Bezos’ Trump Backfire

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jun 20, 2026
Ellison’s Champagne Celebration
Jon

Ellison’s Champagne Celebration

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jun 13, 2026
Bari On The Bubble
Jon

Bari On The Bubble

The road is littered with the bodies of news chiefs who had the backing of their bosses—until they didn’t.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Jun 6, 2026
Bari’s False Case Against ‘60 Minutes’
Jon

Bari’s False Case Against ‘60 Minutes’

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?

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
May 30, 2026
Holding a Mirror to Media
Jon

Holding a Mirror to Media

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
May 23, 2026
Subsidizing MAGA Mouthpieces
Jon

Subsidizing MAGA Mouthpieces

Billionaire media owners are pouring money into little-watched MAGA-friendly podcasts and video ventures in hopes of currying favor with the administration.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
May 16, 2026
The Mouse Bites Back
Jon

The Mouse Bites Back

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
May 9, 2026
CNN’s Scott Jennings Silence
Jon

CNN’s Scott Jennings Silence

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
May 2, 2026
MAGA Joins the #Resistance
Jon

MAGA Joins the #Resistance

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Apr 11, 2026
Carr Blares the Horn
Jon

Carr Blares the Horn

The FCC chairman’s comments at CPAC laid bare that the administration views controlling the media and sidelining critics as a political victory.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Mar 28, 2026
Hegseth’s Press Defeat
Jon

Hegseth’s Press Defeat

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Mar 21, 2026
The Snowflake Secretary
Jon

The Snowflake Secretary

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Mar 14, 2026
Nexstarving for Trump’s Approval
Jon

Nexstarving for Trump’s Approval

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Mar 7, 2026
MAGA’s Midnight War
Jon

MAGA’s Midnight War

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Feb 28, 2026
Left to Their Own Devices
Jon

Left to Their Own Devices

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.

Jon Passantino
Jon Passantino
Feb 21, 2026
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