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** OPINION
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** Donald Trump accuses The Washington Post of treason
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President Donald Trump, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, shown here last month. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Earlier this week, The Washington Post published a story ([link removed]) that said President Donald Trump, frustrated by the U.S.’s war with Iran, clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week at Camp David.

The Post’s Tara Copp, Natalie Allison and Noah Robertson wrote that Trump “demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on why he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages that now threaten to limit military options with Iran, two people familiar with the exchange told The Washington Post.”

The exchange apparently took place on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting held last Friday. The Post added, “The exchange underscored Trump’s increasing frustration with his defense secretary, who was one of the biggest early advocates for taking military action against Iran, convincing Trump it would be a quick and relatively easy win, according to multiple officials.”

Not surprisingly, the White House is pushing back, and lobbing serious against the press... again.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post, “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.”

And in a post on X, Leavitt wrote ([link removed]) , “I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly. This B.S. story was shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason. Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!

Trump was even more upset than that.

In a lengthy Truth Social post ([link removed]) , Trump wrote “The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing.”

He later wrote, “This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE. In actuality, I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!”

And there it is: Trump accusing a media outlet of a serious crime of treason — and not for the first time.

Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said in a statement ([link removed]) , “The Washington Post stands firmly behind our journalists and the accuracy of our reporting. Our newsroom operates under the highest standards. Efforts to discredit our work will not alter our commitment to delivering fair, independent, and accurate journalism.”

While Trump and the White House accused the Post of “fake news,” it should be noted that earlier in the day, in an apparent response to the Post story, Trump took to Truth Social ([link removed]) to complain about “leakers.”

After writing that the U.S. has “massive amounts of ‘munitions,’” Trump went on to write, “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!”

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** FCC rules on local TV
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The Federal Communications Commission voted Wednesday to repeal the rule that bars a single local broadcast station owner from reaching more than 39% of the total number of U.S. TV households.

The move now can lead to more corporate consolidation in the media and television industry.

The FCC voted 2-1 to eliminate the 39% rule and will now make determinations on a case-by-case basis. The FCC’s lone Democrat, Anna Gomez, voted against the change. She said only Congress can lift the cap.

But FCC chair Brendan Carr said the move will help local broadcasters survive.

He said, “I don’t want local broadcast TV to go the way of local newspapers. And yet the risk is real. We should learn from our mistakes with the local newspaper industry, and we should not let the same thing happen to the local broadcast TV industry. Trusted sources of local reporting, broadcast over the public airwaves, are worth protecting and worth fighting for.”

In a statement, Gomez said, “Eliminating the cap does not free local broadcasters from economic pressure, it just changes who is doing the squeezing. The large station groups positioned to grow even larger under this decision are not local broadcasters, they are national companies that own local stations and increasingly dictate what airs on them.

Reuters David Shepardson wrote ([link removed]) , “In March, the FCC approved the $3.54 billion sale of ‌local television station owner Tegna to Nexstar despite objections from Democratic-led states. The acquisition, if not reversed by courts, will expand Nexstar’s presence to cover 80% of U.S. ​TV households. The FCC said it was waiving the 39% rule in approving the deal.”

But as CNN’s Brian Stelter and Liam Reilly noted ([link removed]) , “While the legal battle plays out, the rule change will likely mean that big station group owners like Sinclair will buy up more TV stations, furthering a shift from local to national ownership.”

When asked about handling future potential transactions on a case-by-case basis, Carr said in a press conference, “The future of local broadcast TV has to be localism. If they are just, a pass-through, a mouthpiece for the national feed, people can get that through YouTube TV or other channels. So I think if they’re going to continue to exist, they have every market incentive to continue to focus on localism. We have the right to preempt where you’re supposed to. If you think there’s a better fit, preempt national programming. We’d like to see that trend continue. So we will be focused to make sure that broadcasters continue to focus on localism and not just being dumb pipes for the national feed.”

However, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement following Thursday's vote, “Trump’s FCC Chair is trying to illegally rewrite the rules to make it easier for billionaires to line their own pockets while jacking up costs and controlling what Americans watch. This looks like the Trump administration’s latest attempt to roll out the red carpet for more antitrust disasters.”


** Lee Enterprises shows signs of improvement as it records best quarter in four years
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For this item, I turn it over to my Poynter colleague Angela Fu.

Lee Enterprises recorded its first quarterly profit in more than two years, the company announced ([link removed]) Thursday.

The newspaper chain — which includes titles like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Buffalo News — ended its most recent quarter with a $5 million profit, up from a $7 million loss during the same period last year. The last time Lee Enterprises had posted a profit was during the first quarter of 2024, after which it suffered nine consecutive quarterly losses. The $5 million profit represents the company’s best quarter since 2022.

Company executives attributed the results to growth in adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and lower interest expenses. In February, billionaire David Hoffmann acquired a majority stake of the company when he and other investors contributed $50 million. As a result of the deal, Hoffmann became the company’s chairman, and Lee’s lender agreed to reduce the interest rate of Lee’s debt for the next five years.

“Interest expense decreased $4.6 million year-over-year, nearly cut in half as a direct result of the interest rate reduction tied to February's strategic investment,” said president and chief executive officer Nathan Bekke. He noted that even without those savings, Lee would still have ended the quarter in the black.

Lee also saw its expenses decline 14% to $118 million, a result primarily driven by reductions in corporate overhead and print, as well as "ongoing operations efficiencies," according to vice president and chief financial officer Josh Rinehults. Revenue also declined to $126 million, down 11% from the same period last year.

Lee executives stressed that the company is focusing on growing digital revenue, which now makes 57% of its total revenue. The company expects its digital revenue and digital gross margin to fully support its business within the next three years, Rinehults said.

“Digital is no longer an emerging growth initiative. It is the foundation of our business and the primary driver of our long-term growth and profitability,” Bekke said.

Lee stock was trading at $8.12 a share Thursday afternoon, up 1.9% from the previous day's close.


** Media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review
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* Big breaking news Thursday night. The New York Times’ Eli Tan writes ([link removed]) , “A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to the way young people can use its platforms, the largest financial penalty yet against the tech giant in its ongoing legal battles over social media harm and addiction. The ruling, issued late Thursday, was in addition to $375 million that Meta was ordered to pay in the same case in March, when a jury found that the company misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young people.” Check out Tan’s story for more details.
* The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint and Connor Hart with “Warner Bros. CEO Confident Paramount Deal Will Close.” ([link removed])
* And here’s The Wall Journal’s Ben Dummett and Kim Mackrael with “U.K. Waves Through $81 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal.” ([link removed])
* My Poynter colleague Angela Fu with “USA Today Co. announces partnership with data analytics giant Palantir.” ([link removed])
* In case you missed this news in Thursday’s newsletter, former “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley will be honored with the 2026 Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism. Pelley will receive the award at Poynter’s annual Bowtie Ball in November in Tampa. Poynter’s Adele Streissguth has the details here ([link removed]) .
* Grace Abels of Poynter’s PolitiFact with “RFK Jr. doubled down on a false COVID claim during a combative CNN interview.” ([link removed])
* Media Matters’ Evlondo Cooper with “ABC, CBS, and NBC aired nearly 200 segments about three U.S. heat events without mentioning climate change.” ([link removed])
* For NBC News and the “Today” show, Kimmy Yam with “Perez Hilton’s Family Confirms He ‘Is Able To Communicate’ After Reports He Livestreamed Self-Harm.” ([link removed])
* NPR’s Claudia Grisales with “Celebrity culture is one thing. For TMZ, Congress is the new 'reality show.’” ([link removed])
* Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder with “7 burning media questions for the 2026 NFL season.” ([link removed])
* The trailer for the movie “Primetime” ([link removed]) — a fictionalized account of the making of the old NBC show “To Catch A Predator — came out Thursday. The movie will come out in the U.S. in late September. Robert Pattinson will play Chris Hansen. Also appearing in the movie are Merritt Weaver, Skyler Gisondo, Anna Faris, Jonathan Lipnicki, former NBC executive Jeff Zucker as himself and singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers in her official feature film debut.


** More resources for journalists
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* Learn how to write a memoir with expert guidance in a five-week virtual workshop. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Join our first Leading AI in the Newsroom course, beginning with an in-person workshop in Los Angeles. Learn to build trust, drive adoption and lead AI initiatives while upholding journalistic values. The application deadline is Aug. 14. Apply now. ([link removed])
* Find your voice in our free, four-day writing workshop for journalists of color. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Power of Diverse Voices with expert coaching, immersive learning and a supportive community. Apply ([link removed]) by Sept. 18.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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