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| Ajit Pai |
The Federal Communications Commission today rejected the Free Press media advocacy group's emergency petition urging it to help prevent the spread of false COVID-19 information on broadcast outlets.
The Republican-controlled FCC blasted the petition as a "brazen attempt to pressure broadcasters to squelch their coverage of a president that Free Press dislikes and silence other commentators with whom Free Press disagrees.”
FP filed its petition on March 26, citing disinformation such as President Trump's mischaracterization of the efficacy of chloroquine as a remedy to coronavirus.
The group believes Trump' statements helped trigger a nationwide shortage of a drug integral to treating other ailments—exacerbating this health crisis
The FP also cited false statements made by syndicated talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh, and petitioned the FCC to use its full power to ensure that the public receives accurate information about this deadly pandemic.
The media group took a slap at the FCC for rejecting its plea.
“We’re still reviewing the FCC’s hastily issued denial, but the unusual speed with which it was issued is remarkable—as is this agency’s willingness to make such personal remarks about our organization," Jessica Gonzalez, FP co-CEO said in a statement. "Chairman [Ajit] Pai and Commissioner [Brendan] Carr have both refused to respond honestly in congressional oversight hearings and elsewhere when asked direct questions about president Trump's constant attacks on the press. But here they were in quite a hurry indeed."
The FP said many broadcast personalities with massive audiences are spreading harmful talking points about COVID-19. "We believe it’s right to ask that the FCC clarify its rules in the context of this national emergency, as other agencies have done for other coronavirus," said Gonzalez.
Lauren Skowronski, director of communications at Snap Inc., has been named senior VP-communications at CNBC.
Trust in the news media has continued to decline among Americans, with skepticism especially growing among younger audiences, according to a recent study.
Amazon may be coming to TikTok’s rescue in the nick of time as the app faces an April 5 deadline to cut ties with its Chinese owner or face a ban in the US, according to the New York Times... Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones is heading out the door at the Condé Nast title she has headed up since 2017... Newspapers have dodged the bullet as regards the proposed tariffs on newsprint—for now.
Financial Times group chief executive John Ridding is stepping down after close to 20 years in the position... MSNBC hires Scott Matthews as SVP of newsgathering, effective March 17, as the network prepares for life after its connection to NBC News... Gallup has released a report showing that two-thirds of Americans either do not trust the media very much (31 percent) or do not trust it all (36 percent). 
Last week, Jeff Bezos just did something rare in today’s media landscape: he embraced common sense.
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