Tim Karr
@timkarr.bsky.social
A crash-scene investigation at the crossroads of new media & public policy. Against media concentration; for robust local journalism & digital democracy. Still attempting to master the cold take.
www.freepress.net - This Free Press is not for sale.
www.freepress.net - This Free Press is not for sale.
Pinned
Tim Karr
@timkarr.bsky.social
· Aug 4
Learn more about our plans to continually update the Media Capitulation Index and 'award' more chickens to the cowering conglomerates and stars to those with more courage.
www.freepress.net/who-owns-media
www.freepress.net/who-owns-media
Dust off those old VHS players. "Rush Hour" is back after an 18-year hiatus, courtesy of Donald Trump and a capitulating Paramount.
variety.com/2025/film/bo...
variety.com/2025/film/bo...
‘Rush Hour 4’ in the Works at Paramount at Trump’s Request
"Rush Hour 4" in the works at Paramount after prodding from president Trump.
variety.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Dust off those old VHS players. "Rush Hour" is back after an 18-year hiatus, courtesy of Donald Trump and a capitulating Paramount.
variety.com/2025/film/bo...
variety.com/2025/film/bo...
Some recent writing on this:
The Trump administration inquiry "is a fishing expedition in a desert. There’s nothing to catch.”
pressingissues.org/trumps-censo...
The Trump administration inquiry "is a fishing expedition in a desert. There’s nothing to catch.”
pressingissues.org/trumps-censo...
Trump’s Censorship Czar Goes Further Adrift
FCC Chairman Carr’s attempt to bully the BBC is a ‘fishing expedition in the desert’
pressingissues.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Some recent writing on this:
The Trump administration inquiry "is a fishing expedition in a desert. There’s nothing to catch.”
pressingissues.org/trumps-censo...
The Trump administration inquiry "is a fishing expedition in a desert. There’s nothing to catch.”
pressingissues.org/trumps-censo...
The capitulation effect. Just the threat of a (spurious) lawsuit is enough to get the BBC to cave.
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The capitulation effect. Just the threat of a (spurious) lawsuit is enough to get the BBC to cave.
Ginia Bellafante spares one actor in her NYT story on the "scandal-drenched" behavior of journalists involved in the Nuzzi-Lizza-Olbermann-Kennedy fiasco:
The Times' own lip-gloss smeared feature on the melodrama's central player:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/s...
The Times' own lip-gloss smeared feature on the melodrama's central player:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/s...
In This Scandal, the Journalists Are the Story
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Ginia Bellafante spares one actor in her NYT story on the "scandal-drenched" behavior of journalists involved in the Nuzzi-Lizza-Olbermann-Kennedy fiasco:
The Times' own lip-gloss smeared feature on the melodrama's central player:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/s...
The Times' own lip-gloss smeared feature on the melodrama's central player:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/s...
All the feels: www.instagram.com/p/DQmSWEpkUOb/
Ron Barba on Instagram: "Get Your Shirts and Hats Today!!! MAGA for MAMDANI #magaformamdani M4M"
Get inspired by Mamdani's journey and join the movement with our vibrant MAGA shirts and hats. Perfect for expressing your support and spreading the word about Mamdani's mission. Check out our collect...
www.instagram.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:21 PM
All the feels: www.instagram.com/p/DQmSWEpkUOb/
While the government shutdown may have ended, Congress' collective brain still isn't in working order:
www.newsweek.com/full-list-of...
www.newsweek.com/full-list-of...
Full list of Democrats voting to condemn socialism as Zohran Mamdani comes to town
The House of Representatives voted on a resolution condemning socialism ahead of President Trump's meeting with Zohran Mamdani.
www.newsweek.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:42 PM
While the government shutdown may have ended, Congress' collective brain still isn't in working order:
www.newsweek.com/full-list-of...
www.newsweek.com/full-list-of...
Reposted by Tim Karr
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
If you scroll on X, you are only being shown what Elon wants you to see. If you create content on X, no one will see it unless Elon wants them to.
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
Reposted by Tim Karr
Brendan Carr specializes in baseless investigations, which is why Trump likes him so much.
Apparently he’s now pretending to be OfCom’s censorship czar, too.
Apparently he’s now pretending to be OfCom’s censorship czar, too.
I wrote about Brendan Carr's latest phony "investigation" of the media over at Techdirt
Brendan Carr Launches Baseless ‘Investigation’ Into PBS, NPR, And BBC To Try And Silence Criticism Of His Weird, Unpopular Boss
Donald Trump’s FCC boss Brendan Carr is opening a fake new “investigation” into PBS, NPR, and BBC in the hopes of suppressing journalistic criticism of the country’s increas…
www.techdirt.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Brendan Carr specializes in baseless investigations, which is why Trump likes him so much.
Apparently he’s now pretending to be OfCom’s censorship czar, too.
Apparently he’s now pretending to be OfCom’s censorship czar, too.
Right - this is more of a Carr attempt at a bankshot — to get to the actual targets of this investigation: PBS and NPR, whom he alleges may have aired the BBC documentary in question.
November 20, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Right - this is more of a Carr attempt at a bankshot — to get to the actual targets of this investigation: PBS and NPR, whom he alleges may have aired the BBC documentary in question.
They see it as a necessary bribe in order to get the Trump administration's (and FCC and FTC) blessing of proposed mergers and acquisitions.
In the eyes of media owners, the financial windfall from any such deals far outweigh their obligation to stand in defense of their First Amendment rights.
In the eyes of media owners, the financial windfall from any such deals far outweigh their obligation to stand in defense of their First Amendment rights.
November 20, 2025 at 1:22 PM
They see it as a necessary bribe in order to get the Trump administration's (and FCC and FTC) blessing of proposed mergers and acquisitions.
In the eyes of media owners, the financial windfall from any such deals far outweigh their obligation to stand in defense of their First Amendment rights.
In the eyes of media owners, the financial windfall from any such deals far outweigh their obligation to stand in defense of their First Amendment rights.
Reposted by Tim Karr
The Nuzzi/RFK story is “the logical endpoint of a system that spent years rewarding access over adversarial reporting, personality over institutional credibility, and personal narrative over professional distance.”
👏👏
Via @colbyhall.bsky.social
www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
👏👏
Via @colbyhall.bsky.social
www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The Olivia Nuzzi Comeback Is Everything Wrong With Modern Media
Olivia Nuzzi’s comeback isn’t a personal scandal story—it’s proof that today’s media rewards access, personality, and controversy more than ethics.
www.mediaite.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The Nuzzi/RFK story is “the logical endpoint of a system that spent years rewarding access over adversarial reporting, personality over institutional credibility, and personal narrative over professional distance.”
👏👏
Via @colbyhall.bsky.social
www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
👏👏
Via @colbyhall.bsky.social
www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
We checked - it wasn't. Easily verifiable, but Carr doesn't seem to care. Of course, he has no authority over the BBC (they aren't licensed broadcasters in the U.S.), but the facts never stopped him from trying to manipulate the media's message.
November 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
We checked - it wasn't. Easily verifiable, but Carr doesn't seem to care. Of course, he has no authority over the BBC (they aren't licensed broadcasters in the U.S.), but the facts never stopped him from trying to manipulate the media's message.
This letter isn't on the FCC website at the moment but appears to have been leaked (by Carr himself no doubt) to the far-right website Breitbart.
November 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
This letter isn't on the FCC website at the moment but appears to have been leaked (by Carr himself no doubt) to the far-right website Breitbart.
Trump's censor in chief at the FCC, Brendan Carr, just sent a letter to the heads of BBC, NPR and PBS informing them he's launching a "news distortion" probe into the BBC's editing of a documentary on Trump's Jan. 6 activities.
Here it is:
Here it is:
November 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Trump's censor in chief at the FCC, Brendan Carr, just sent a letter to the heads of BBC, NPR and PBS informing them he's launching a "news distortion" probe into the BBC's editing of a documentary on Trump's Jan. 6 activities.
Here it is:
Here it is:
"Paying the blackmailer makes you look like a cowardly mark—both to your audience & to the guy grabbing you by the wallet," writes @lizdye.bsky.social.
"With courts announcing they won’t be part of the president's extortion racket, media outlets need to toughen up and quit paying the vig."
"With courts announcing they won’t be part of the president's extortion racket, media outlets need to toughen up and quit paying the vig."
CNN shows that when media orgs fight Trump, they win
Take this grift and shove it.
www.publicnotice.co
November 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
"Paying the blackmailer makes you look like a cowardly mark—both to your audience & to the guy grabbing you by the wallet," writes @lizdye.bsky.social.
"With courts announcing they won’t be part of the president's extortion racket, media outlets need to toughen up and quit paying the vig."
"With courts announcing they won’t be part of the president's extortion racket, media outlets need to toughen up and quit paying the vig."
As Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said last week: "Capitulation breeds capitulation."
Disney/ABC's $16 million dollar payout to Trump in December didn't earn the company any special favors today.
Disney/ABC's $16 million dollar payout to Trump in December didn't earn the company any special favors today.
Trump in response to an Epstein question: "ABC, your company, your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong. And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should take a look at that."
November 18, 2025 at 9:24 PM
As Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said last week: "Capitulation breeds capitulation."
Disney/ABC's $16 million dollar payout to Trump in December didn't earn the company any special favors today.
Disney/ABC's $16 million dollar payout to Trump in December didn't earn the company any special favors today.
Reposted by Tim Karr
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Reposted by Tim Karr
starting to think that repeatedly sinking trillions into Silicon Valley's new favorite toy while tech companies spend millions to kill any meaningful regulation is actually not going to end well
November 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM
starting to think that repeatedly sinking trillions into Silicon Valley's new favorite toy while tech companies spend millions to kill any meaningful regulation is actually not going to end well
... Failing that, Carr must step down. "Your constitutional transgression cannot be adequately remedied simply with an apology. You should resign immediately," more than 40 pro-democracy and press freedom groups wrote in September.
It's long overdue.
//ends
www.citizen.org/article/fcc-...
It's long overdue.
//ends
www.citizen.org/article/fcc-...
November 18, 2025 at 2:31 PM
... Failing that, Carr must step down. "Your constitutional transgression cannot be adequately remedied simply with an apology. You should resign immediately," more than 40 pro-democracy and press freedom groups wrote in September.
It's long overdue.
//ends
www.citizen.org/article/fcc-...
It's long overdue.
//ends
www.citizen.org/article/fcc-...
... Carr will go before a Senate oversight hearing on Dec. 17.
Free Press's Gonzalez has urged the committee to "insist that Carr retake his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution" — including the pledge "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Free Press's Gonzalez has urged the committee to "insist that Carr retake his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution" — including the pledge "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."
November 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
... Carr will go before a Senate oversight hearing on Dec. 17.
Free Press's Gonzalez has urged the committee to "insist that Carr retake his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution" — including the pledge "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Free Press's Gonzalez has urged the committee to "insist that Carr retake his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution" — including the pledge "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."
... Public opinion is overwhelmingly opposed to Carr's manipulations of a free press.
The courts and Congress need to step up, too.
The courts and Congress need to step up, too.
November 18, 2025 at 2:20 PM
... Public opinion is overwhelmingly opposed to Carr's manipulations of a free press.
The courts and Congress need to step up, too.
The courts and Congress need to step up, too.
... But he shouldn't let Carr off so easily.
"Bullies like Carr and Trump won’t stop trying to silence dissenting voices in the media unless more people stand up to them, in both courts of law & public opinion," says @jgo4justice.bsky.social ...
"Bullies like Carr and Trump won’t stop trying to silence dissenting voices in the media unless more people stand up to them, in both courts of law & public opinion," says @jgo4justice.bsky.social ...
FCC's Carr Makes Familiar Moves to Censor NBC’s Seth Meyers
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr continues to abuse his powers to silence dissenting voices in the media.
www.freepress.net
November 18, 2025 at 2:19 PM
... But he shouldn't let Carr off so easily.
"Bullies like Carr and Trump won’t stop trying to silence dissenting voices in the media unless more people stand up to them, in both courts of law & public opinion," says @jgo4justice.bsky.social ...
"Bullies like Carr and Trump won’t stop trying to silence dissenting voices in the media unless more people stand up to them, in both courts of law & public opinion," says @jgo4justice.bsky.social ...