Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Caitlin Scialla
“When Ben Bagdikian, an esteemed journalist and early FAIR contributor, published his groundbreaking book The Media Monopoly in 1983, he painted a troubling picture of US media consolidation, reporting that 50 corporations controlled the media business. With each reprint, that number dwindled (FAIR.org, 6/1/87). When FAIR replicated his analysis in 2011 (Extra!, 10/11), it stood at 20. Now, over 40 years after the initial release of The Monopoly Media, the media landscape has transformed drastically. Even Bagdikian’s later editions, written at the dawn of the internet, could not fully anticipate how profoundly digital technology would reconfigure the media oligarchy. ‘News’ is increasingly synonymous with online news. Over half the US public (56%) say that they ‘often’ get news through their digital devices — compared to less than 1 in 3 (32%) who often get news from TV, 1 in 9 from radio, and only 1 in 14 from print publications like newspapers or magazines (Pew, 9/25/25).” (02/04/25)
https://fair.org/home/the-digital-media-oligarchy-who-owns-online-news/
Source: Devdiscourse [India]
“Tunisian lawmaker Ahmed Saidani has been arrested by police, a move seen as part of a larger crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. Saidani had recently criticized Saied on social media, mocking him for the lack of significant achievements, leading to his arrest. … The arrest highlights the growing tension in Tunisia, as the government appears to tighten control over political expression and opposition voices.” (02/04/26)
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3794042-tunisian-police-arrest-critical-lawmaker-ahmed-saidani
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Fired From The Nashville Symphony — James Zimmermann.” (02/04/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tlpp-fired-from-the-nashville-symphony-james-zimmermann
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Given current realities, it’s hard to turn away from the immediate economic and political situation, but sometimes an overflow of ignorance demands it. The claim that a country is facing a crisis due to a falling birthrate should be an immediate signal that you are not hearing from a serious person.” (02/04/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/04/china-is-running-out-of-people-again/
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“By any reasonable standard, most of Trump’s tariffs are plainly illegal. Two lower courts have ruled against them. The Trump administration appealed those decisions, and in early November the Supreme Court heard arguments on the case. Many businesses that have found it impossible to make long-term plans with the fate of the Trump tariffs in limbo eagerly awaited the Court’s ruling. They’re still waiting. And I can’t see any plausible explanation for the delay other than Supreme cowardice.” (02/04/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/profiles-in-cowardice-tariff-edition
Source: The Hill
“The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed for a trade system involving price floors for minerals during a summit it held with representatives from multiple nations. Vice President J.D. Vance announced the price floor initiative at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department. ‘This morning, the Trump administration is proposing a concrete mechanism to return the global critical minerals market to a healthier, more competitive state: a preferential trade zone for critical minerals protected from external disruptions through enforceable price floors,’ Vance said.” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5722520-vance-rare-minerals-state/
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar on the recent raid of offices of the social media platform X in France, and the concerns about X’s AI chatbot Grok” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5718815-rising-february-4-2026/
