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MEDIA BITS AND BYTES — DECEMBER 9, 2025
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December 9, 2025
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_ Information from a monolith _
, Patrick Chappatte, The Boston Globe
* New Report: Political Economy of the US Media System
* AI for Radicals
* The Pentagon Press Corps
* Netflix-Warner Merger
* YouTube’s Top 10 Podcasts Of 2025
* Tallying Up Tech Threats
* Dailies: Bad News from London
* NYT Gushes Nostalgia for Epstein’s Scene
* Media Machers Off the Hook
* A Youth Movement for Digital Justice
NEW REPORT: POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE US MEDIA SYSTEM
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By Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams and Victor PickardRoosevelt Institute
This new Roosevelt Institute report reveals how decades of
market-first policymaking has systematically eroded the media’s
democratic function. The authors trace a troubling trajectory:
consolidation that concentrated power in fewer hands, the abandonment
of meaningful public-interest standards, and the rise of platform
monopolies with virtually no accountability.
AI FOR RADICALS
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transform! europe
This comprehensive guide discusses the use of AI tools for radical
activism, emphasising their potential benefits and limitations while
advocating for collective proficiency in AI among the radical left.
Activists reject the propaganda of AI proponents and draw attention to
the suffering of workers caused by innovation. However, the radical
left should collectively educate itself about AI in order to be more
credible and competitive.
THE PENTAGON PRESS CORPS
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By Adam GabbattThe Guardian
Almost all credentialed reporters from traditional media companies
surrendered their Pentagon press passes in October, rather than sign a
21-page Pentagon document that set restrictions on journalistic
activities. Following that walkout, the Pentagon issued passes and
access to dozens of rightwing media figures and organizations who
agreed to the strict rules.
NETFLIX-WARNER MERGER
• DEATH KNELL FOR MOVIE THEATERS?
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By Matt Stoller, BIG by Matt Stoller
• PARAMOUNT: NOT A DONE DEAL
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By Michelle Chapman and Bernard Condon, Associated Press
YOUTUBE’S TOP 10 PODCASTS OF 2025
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By Tom TappDeadline
YouTube released a number of year-end lists tracking the trends
“that defined 2025.” Among them was the site’s Top 10 podcasts.
Podcasts, of course, have become important crucibles for viral clips
— especially video podcasts. That’s why companies like Netflix,
Fox and ESPN are stocking up on podcasts and the talent pool therein
for new programming.
TALLYING UP TECH THREATS
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By Marie NewmanMarie Newman Studio Substack
It is crucial to recognize that social media, cryptocurrency, and
artificial intelligence are here to stay and must be addressed moving
forward. To date, Congress has largely ignored these technologies,
citing disinterest, lack of perceived need, or misunderstanding of the
implications related to deregulation. Ignoring problems only allows
them to grow.
DAILIES: BAD NEWS FROM LONDON
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By Josh WhiteThe Battleground
If the _Daily Mail_ acquires _The Telegraph_, the Daily Mail General
Trust will dominate the British newspaper market. The decline of the
newspaper market since the 1990s has opened space for the
last-standing media dynasty to claim this prize. Jonathan Harmsworth,
a.k.a. Lord Rothermere, will be the most powerful press baron in the
United Kingdom.
NYT GUSHES NOSTALGIA FOR EPSTEIN’S SCENE
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By Raina LipsitzFAIR
In the _New York Times_’ telling, it’s not the girls on
Epstein’s island but rather President Donald Trump—an Epstein
associate many suspect of having participated in the alleged
abuse—who is being “held captive” by a “news cycle he can’t
avoid or defeat.” _The Times_ has frequently focused on the men and
the supposedly bygone era in which they committed their crimes with
impunity.
MEDIA MACHERS OFF THE HOOK
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By Tim WuThe Anti-Monopolist
A federal district court dismissed the U.S. government’s main
anti-monopoly case against Facebook. The court did so despite strong
and direct evidence of monopoly power and wrongful conduct that no one
could deny — yet Facebook still managed to get off the hook. The
result is that no public authority in this country has been able to
meaningfully hold Facebook accountable for anything.
A YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR DIGITAL JUSTICE
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By Steve RoseThe Guardian
Ctrl+Alt+Reclaim, for people aged 15 to 29, is Europe’s first
digital justice movement by and for young people. They demand
inclusion of young people in decision-making; a safer, healthier, more
equitable social media environment; control and transparency over
personal data and how it is used; and an end to the stranglehold a
handful of US-based corporations have over social media and online
spaces.
* Roosevelt Institute
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* media
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* democracy
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* political economy
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* artificial intelligence
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* radicals
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* Pentagon
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* press coverage
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* Netflix-Warner merger
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* NETFLIX
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* Warner Brothers Discovery
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* YouTube
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* podcasts
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* Technology
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* social media
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* cryptocurrency
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* Daily Mail
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* London
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* The Telegraph
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* Jonathan Harmsworth
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* new york times
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* Jeffrey Epstein
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* Facebook
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* Google
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* digital justice
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* Ctrl+Alt+Reclaim
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* youth
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INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT
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