Latest news with #pressfreedom
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Freedom of the Press Foundation Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Brendan Carr, Alleges Ethics Violations
The letter was sent to the District of Columbia Bar and seeks sanctions – including possible disbarment The Freedom of the Press Foundation has filed a disciplinary complaint letter against Brendan Carr, accusing the Federal Communications Commission chair of violating legal ethics rules in what the nonprofit watchdog describes as a politically motivated campaign to pressure news organizations and benefit President Trump. In a letter submitted Monday night to the District of Columbia Bar's disciplinary council and obtained by Oliver Darcy's newsletter Status, the nonpartisan group alleges Carr abused his authority as a licensed attorney and federal official to intimidate media outlets, misrepresent the law, and enable what it called a 'shakedown' of Paramount Global. More from TheWrap Freedom of the Press Foundation Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Brendan Carr, Alleges Ethics Violations 'A Responsé From Beyoncé': Stephen Colbert, 'Late Show' Imagine Clap-Back Track to Trump Prosecution Threat | Video Greg Gutfeld Says Network Late Night Is 'Safe' and 'Suffocating': 'Beholden to Publicists and Celebrities' | Video Washington Post Fact Checker Exits, Says He's 'Not Sure' if Paper Will Replace Role The complaint centers on Carr's role in the FCC's approval of the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which followed a controversial $16 million settlement paid by Paramount to Trump over the '60 Minutes' lawsuit. Carr had revived an FCC inquiry into that interview months earlier. 'Carr used the FCC as a tool to pressure Paramount into settling a meritless lawsuit with Trump, paving the way for the merger's approval,' the complaint reads. 'This conduct violates core ethical rules governing honesty, misuse of office, and interference with justice.' The filing accuses Carr of violating several professional conduct rules, including those prohibiting dishonesty, prejudicial conduct, and abuse of public office for political gain. It cites Carr's public threats toward MSNBC, revived investigations into ABC and NBC News, and probes into public broadcasting and immigration-related reporting. Carr has previously vowed to push the president's agenda as FCC chair. The foundation argues that Carr's actions have 'turned the FCC into a censoring machine' in service of that agenda. The D.C. bar has not commented on the complaint, and Carr has not publicly responded. If the bar agrees to pursue the matter, it could result in sanctions up to disbarment. The Freedom of the Press Foundation promotes public-interest journalism with a focus on government transparency and press freedom, works to protect journalists and whistleblowers, provides security training for newsrooms and advocates for legal reforms. Its board has included prominent members such as Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras. The post Freedom of the Press Foundation Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Brendan Carr, Alleges Ethics Violations appeared first on TheWrap.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Europe accused of going soft on Azerbaijan to avoid buying Russian gas
When a young peace activist was jailed for 15 years for high treason in Azerbaijan last month, his friends' anger was directed primarily at the European Union, ahead of the government that put him behind Samadov, a 30-year-old PhD student, is facing one of the harshest sentences ever given to a critic of President Ilham Aliyev's 21-year rule. He rejects the charge as EU "may keep flirting with Baku, but silence has its cost", one critic after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared Azerbaijan a "key partner" in EU efforts to move away from Russian natural that time, Aliyev has re-established control of the breakaway Karabakh region, causing an exodus of its entire Armenian population; he has also secured a fifth consecutive term in an election widely criticised by monitors, and cracked down on opposition and press European Parliament called on the EU last year to impose sanctions on Baku and end reliance on Azerbaijan's gas exports. However, top foreign policy officials avoid publicly criticising Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, visited Baku in April, she was heavily criticised by Aliyev's opponents for emphasising "great potential" for EU-Azerbaijan ties while at least 21 leading journalists were detained in Baku. Aliyev has justified arresting journalists by the need to "protect the media landscape from external negative influences", accusing reporters of "illegally receiving funding from abroad".He has also long accused international organisations of bias and meddling in domestic politics, and the Baku offices of the UN, the International Red Cross Committee and the BBC have all been ordered to shut policy has in effect given Aliyev "a free hand", says Eldar Mamedov, a former Latvian diplomat who served as foreign policy adviser to the European Parliament's Social Democrat group."The repression, arrests of dissidents, bloggers, and opposition voices have long strained Baku-Brussels relations," he told the BBC. "Since Russia's aggression in Ukraine, this issue virtually disappeared from the agenda."The European Union rejects the allegation."[The EU] is concerned by the shrinking civic space in [Azerbaijan]," a spokesman told the BBC, and has called on Baku "to release all those arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental rights"."The EU has consistently raised its concerns at all levels, both in public and in private," including during Kaja Kallas's visit to Baku, he added. The EU wants to diversify where it gets its gas, to avoid being dependent on a single supplier such as is far from being the biggest player, as its overall share in EU natural gas imports remains a modest 4.3%, despite an uptick in the share is much higher in some member states connected to the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline from Azerbaijan. Up to 40% of Bulgarian natural gas imports come from Azerbaijan, and for Italy and Greece it is 15%.This makes it difficult for the EU to present a united front, according to a senior European diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity."Europe in this situation does not have a huge amount of credible leverage over Azerbaijan," he power will not go out in Europe without Azerbaijani gas, but that is not the point, says Benjamin Godwin, a risk analyst specialising in the Caucasus and Central Asia."The EU's strategy is to have as much gas from as many different locations as possible," he says. "And while it is not reliant on Azeri gas, it would like to have more gas from Azerbaijan to ultimately reduce its dependence on Russia."That energy partnership "does not change our stance on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan", the EU spokesman told the BBC. President Aliyev has other benefits to Europe besides has consistently supported Ukraine's territorial integrity in the face of Russia's invasion - a rare stance among ex-Soviet states seen by the Kremlin as Azerbaijan has not imposed sanctions on Russia, it has supplied Ukraine with humanitarian relations with Moscow have taken a dive in recent Azerbaijani Airlines plane crashed with the loss of 38 lives last December - apparently shot down by mistake by a Russian anti-aircraft crisis then deepened following the deaths of two Azerbaijani men in Russian police openly challenging Russia, Aliyev has sought to take on a larger role in a region traditionally dominated by Moscow, experts say. But he also presents himself to the West as an opponent of Vladimir Putin."Azerbaijan has pocketed the attention and they played it pretty well. They are seeing that all sides want to be friends with them and they are making use of that in all directions," the senior EU diplomat told the well-placed European diplomat said: "We are absolutely not happy with [Azerbaijan's human rights record], but there is not much we can do."When seven Azerbaijani investigative journalists were given long jail terms last month, the EU's diplomatic service (EEAS) said it was a "worrying development" and called for "immediate steps to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all journalists".So far the EU has stayed silent over Bahruz Samadov's jail term for treason. But his friends say he recently tried to take his life and fear for his safety.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: ‘Shakedown Money'
"[Brendan] Carr can't justify his actions ... because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too," the foundation's director of advocacy says The Freedom of the Press Foundation expressed discontent following the approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger, calling out Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr for 'meddling in broadcasters' content.' The FPF has been vocal about the risk that Paramount's $16 million settlement over the '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris poses to press freedom, criticizing the media titan for cowering to President Donald Trump. In a statement to TheWrap Friday, a spokesperson for the foundation stated that they could hardly fathom that anyone could believe Paramount's seemingly selfless claims over its reasons for the settlement. More from TheWrap Astronomer Enlists Gwyneth Paltrow to Explain What the Company Does After Ex-Husband Chris Martin Sparked CEO Scandal | Video 'Tron: Ares' Brings New Nine Inch Nails Video and Light Cycle Chases to Comic Con Larry Ellison to Hold 35.5% of Family's Voting Rights in New Paramount, National Amusements After Skydance Merger Closes David Letterman Roasts CBS, David Ellison Over Colbert Cancellation: 'Go Buy Dairy Queen or Something' | Video 'I'm not aware of a single person who believed Paramount's claim that this settlement was about lawyer fees and liability risk,' Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement. 'And if such people exist, Donald Trump has a real estate degree to sell them.' The foundation previously called Paramount's settlement a 'spineless decision.' After 251 days, the FCC approved Paramount and Skydance Media's $8 billion merger by a vote of 2-1 along party lines Thursday. The approval came after Skydance agreed to bring on an ombudsman at CBS to review complaints of bias and to eliminate all DEI initiatives for Paramount at large. 'If there was ever any doubt, Brendan Carr just extinguished it by approving the merger just days after Trump announce he'd received Paramount's shakedown money,' the statement continued. 'What's worse, Carr can't justify his actions by pointing to Skydance's promise to appoint a bias ombudsman, because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too.' The FCC does not have permission to censor or bar broadcasters from platforming content from any point of view. Engaging in censorship would infringe the media' First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The press freedom advocacy group filed a shareholder information demand back in May and said in early July that it intended to explore further legal action to hold Paramount's board accountable for what it sees as a 'capitulation' to Trump that violates shareholders' interests and the First Amendment. 'Each time a company cowers and surrenders to Trump's demands it only emboldens him to do it again. It will be remembered as one of the most shameful capitulations by the press to a president in history,' Stern said in a statement to TheWrap July 2. The Paramount-Skydance merger approval comes just one week after CBS canceled 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' after he called his network's $16 million settlement a 'big fat bribe.' Under the new merger, Skydance is set to acquire controlling shareholder Shari Redstone's holding company National Amusements, which controls 77.4% of the Paramount Class A common stock outstanding and approximately 9.5% of the overall equity of the company, before merging with the Hollywood studio. The Redstone family will finally relinquish control of the media giant that they have owned since 1994 to the Ellison family and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners. The post Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: 'Shakedown Money' appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: ‘Shakedown Money'
"[Brendan] Carr can't justify his actions ... because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too," the foundation's director of advocacy says The Freedom of the Press Foundation expressed discontent following the approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger, calling out Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr for 'meddling in broadcasters' content.' The FPF has been vocal about the risk that Paramount's $16 million settlement over the '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris poses to press freedom, criticizing the media titan for cowering to President Donald Trump. In a statement to TheWrap Friday, a spokesperson for the foundation stated that they could hardly fathom that anyone could believe Paramount's seemingly selfless claims over its reasons for the settlement. More from TheWrap David Letterman Roasts CBS, David Ellison Over Colbert Cancellation: 'Go Buy Dairy Queen or Something' | Video 'Predator: Badlands' Previews First 15 Minutes at San Diego Comic-Con 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 12 Teaser Pokes Fun at Cast Shake-Up: 'Help Wanted' Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: 'Shakedown Money' 'I'm not aware of a single person who believed Paramount's claim that this settlement was about lawyer fees and liability risk,' Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement. 'And if such people exist, Donald Trump has a real estate degree to sell them.' The foundation previously called Paramount's settlement a 'spineless decision.' After 251 days, the FCC approved Paramount and Skydance Media's $8 billion merger by a vote of 2-1 along party lines Thursday. The approval came after Skydance agreed to bring on an ombudsman at CBS to review complaints of bias and to eliminate all DEI initiatives for Paramount at large. 'If there was ever any doubt, Brendan Carr just extinguished it by approving the merger just days after Trump announce he'd received Paramount's shakedown money,' the statement continued. 'What's worse, Carr can't justify his actions by pointing to Skydance's promise to appoint a bias ombudsman, because the FCC meddling in broadcasters' content is illegal too.' The FCC does not have permission to censor or bar broadcasters from platforming content from any point of view. Engaging in censorship would infringe the media' First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The press freedom advocacy group filed a shareholder information demand back in May and said in early July that it intended to explore further legal action to hold Paramount's board accountable for what it sees as a 'capitulation' to Trump that violates shareholders' interests and the First Amendment. 'Each time a company cowers and surrenders to Trump's demands it only emboldens him to do it again. It will be remembered as one of the most shameful capitulations by the press to a president in history,' Stern said in a statement to TheWrap July 2. The Paramount-Skydance merger approval comes just one week after CBS canceled 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' after he called his network's $16 million settlement a 'big fat bribe.' Under the new merger, Skydance is set to acquire controlling shareholder Shari Redstone's holding company National Amusements, which controls 77.4% of the Paramount Class A common stock outstanding and approximately 9.5% of the overall equity of the company, before merging with the Hollywood studio. The Redstone family will finally relinquish control of the media giant that they have owned since 1994 to the Ellison family and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners. The post Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls BS on Paramount-Trump Settlement After Merger Approval: 'Shakedown Money' appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Terry Moran predicts 'authoritarian' Trump is going to strip the news away from media outlets
Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran warned press freedom is at risk under President Donald Trump, comparing his tactics to those used by Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban.
