Mediagazer: News Literacy Project survey: 84% of US teens describe news media negatively, and 94% think news or media literacy should be part of their education (Diane Sylvester/Editor and Publisher)

4:10 AM ET, February 18, 2026

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Stephen Colbert says CBS lawyers blocked an interview with Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico, citing the FCC's equal time guidance for TV talk shows — Colbert and ‘The Late Show’ posted the interview with James Talarico on the show's YouTube page to bypass the FCC's oversight.

Discussion: YouTube, YouTube, New York Times, Deadline, LateNighter, The Wrap, The Verge, The Wrap, Reuters, @jamestalarico, Raw Story, Steady, The Hollywood Reporter, ZeroHedge News, @sgmandanas.bsky.social, @adamscochran, @charles.littlegreenfootballs …, @yakhappy.bsky.social, UPI, Talking Points Memo, @reckless.bsky.social, Deadline, @adamscochran, @kurtbardella, @repdarrensoto, @davidsirota, @kylegriffin1, @schmittnyc, @mollyjongfast, Business Insider, @chrismurphyct, @adamwren, @mikenellis, CBS News, @timodc, @chriso_wiki, Washington Post, @j_g_allen, @newnarrative.bsky.social, @jayrosen.bsky.social, Forbes, @richardhanania, @terrymoran, @therickwilson, @mdg650hawk.bsky.social, Peter S. Henne on LinkedIn, Mediaite, @nathanleamerdc, @mehdirhasan, New Republic, @ronfilipkowski, @meidastouch, @eddiesheehy.bsky.social, @sev.yote.social, New York Post, The Dean's Report, Page Six, Washington Times, RedState, NewsMax.com, New Jersey Online, Straight Arrow News, Mediaite, @johnshirley2024.bsky.social, The Hill, @hissgoescobra, @cat1957.bsky.social, The Status Kuo, @adamscochran, The Siren, @redsteeze, @redsteeze, Variety, The Wrap, New York Magazine, @wjcarter, @nick_field90, @farhip, Associated Press, NOTUS, @geneha.com, @drewharwell.com, The Nation, Lawyers, Guns & Money, OutsideTheBeltway, IJR, MS NOW, USA Today, The Independent, The A.V. Club, Mediaite, @noahshachtman.bsky.social, Axios, @texassignal.bsky.social, Plain Dealer, The Boston Globe, Us Weekly, Bloomberg Law, The Daily Beast, TV Insider, Townhall, @gabrielmalor.bsky.social, Mediaite, Raw Story, TVNewsCheck, HuffPost, Mashable and Eschaton

Todd Spangler / Variety:
CBS says The Late Show was not prohibited from broadcasting a James Talarico interview and was given “legal guidance” that a broadcast could trigger an FCC rule

Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
By not airing Colbert's interview with Talarico, CBS bowed to FCC pressure preemptively as the agency hasn't formally eliminated talk show equal time exemptions

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, The Guardian, Forbes, Axios, Status, Deadline, Australian Financial Review, @jmery1985@threads.com, @jeremymbarr, Fast Company, The Hill, HuffPost, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, @notcapnamerica@threads.com, Fox News, @notjessewalker, TV Insider, Benzinga, RADAR, Mediaweek, Tampa Free Press, Wonkette, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Associated Press, Raw Story, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TV Tech, Blaze Media, CNBC, New York Daily News, twitchy.com, NOTUS, Mediaite, Techdirt, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, @coryupdate@threads.com, Gizmodo, Polygon.com, New York Sun, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller News Foundation, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Entertainment Weekly, Baller Alert, Decider, KVIA-TV, Newsbusters, @jefftiedrich@threads.com, CinemaBlend, Daily Mail, Time, Washington Times, everyone is entitled …, Breitbart, The Texas Tribune, Scripps News, Politico, Newser, Straight Arrow News, New Republic, LateNighter and Just Jared

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Paramount says it is “prepared to engage” with WBD on takeover talks during a seven-day negotiating window, but doesn't say whether it will raise its bid — The company didn't indicate that it is willing to increase the price tag for its hostile takeover bid but said it was ready …

Financial Times:
WBD tells Paramount to make its “best and final offer” within seven days, or get out of the way of Netflix's agreed $83B deal; Netflix granted a weeklong waiver

Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
WBD says Paramount informed WBD on February 11 that it would pay $31 per share, up from $30, if the sides engaged, and that $31 was not its best and final offer

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Straight Arrow News, Cord Cutters News and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.

Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Netflix says Paramount has caused “ongoing distraction” and “mischaracterized the regulatory review process”, and its WBD bid raises national security concerns

Discussion: Deadline, OLD GOATS with Jonathan Alter, @brianstelter, Spyglass, New York Post, Proactive, Screen, Economic news and CBS News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
WBD sets March 20 as the date for a special shareholder meeting to vote on the proposed $83B Netflix deal, which its board “continues to unanimously recommend”

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

Warner Bros. joins Disney and Paramount claiming infringement on ByteDance's AI video tool, Seedance, and demands ByteDance cease training AI on WB characters — The studio's legal counsel fired off a letter on Tuesday to John Rogovin, the general counsel of ByteDance who happens …

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, PetaPixel, MediaNews4U and WinBuzzer

Krystal Hur / Wall Street Journal:

Filing: Berkshire Hathaway reports that it purchased 5.1M shares of The New York Times during the December quarter; NYT rises 3%+ pre-market — In Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO, his company further trimmed its holdings in iPhone maker — Berkshire Hathaway sold shares in Bank …

Discussion: RTÉ, Motley Fool, The Hollywood Reporter, Associated Press, Reuters, ZeroHedge News, Barron's Online, SEC.gov and Bloomberg

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:

Versant's MS Now signs a deal with Crooked Media to air highlights from Crooked podcasts such as Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, at 9pm ET on Saturdays — In a notable video podcast pact, highlights from Crooked shows such as ‘Pod Save America’ and ‘Lovett or Leave It’ will air Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Discussion: @jeremymbarr, Richard Hudock on LinkedIn, Brands, The Wrap, Mediaite, Deadline and Barrett Media

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Automattic adds an AI assistant to WordPress.com, enabling users to perform site-wide layout and style modifications via natural language commands — WordPress.com, the website hosting platform from Automattic, will now include a built-in WordPress AI assistant, the company announced on Tuesday.

Discussion: Engadget, WordPress.com News, @wordpressdotcom, @jameswlepage, TechEBlog, @rafaltomal, @georgebaily@mastodon.social, Tech in Asia, The Verge and @lauridonahue.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Diane Sylvester / Editor and Publisher:

News Literacy Project survey: 84% of US teens describe news media negatively, and 94% think news or media literacy should be part of their education — When the News Literacy Project (NLP) released its national study of teens' views of journalism in November 2025, one figure stood out …

Discussion: @dankennedy.net

Freddie Sayers / The Spectator:

The Spectator has 113K subscribers, a record, print is its fastest-growing type of subscription, and it is offering its subscription service to external clients — Something remarkable is happening at the world's oldest weekly magazine. After years of relatively flat subscriber numbers …

Discussion: Advanced Television and The Streamable

Cristina Criddle / Financial Times:

Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue ads, which it introduced in 2024, after phasing them out in late 2025 over fears they would erode user trust — Leading start-ups have recently embraced sponsors as they search for revenue — AI start-up Perplexity has abandoned advertising …

Discussion: Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:

Amnesty research: a government customer of spyware maker Intellexa hacked the iPhone of journalist Teixeira Cândido in Angola in 2024 via Predator spyware — A government customer of sanctioned spyware maker Intellexa hacked the phone of a prominent journalist in Angola …

Discussion: @lorenzofb.bsky.social, Committee to Protect …, Amnesty International …, Bloomberg and Reuters

John Stang / Columbia Journalism Review:

Three right-wing media figures, who were denied press credentials in WA because of political affiliation, sue to get permanent press passes to the statehouse — In Olympia, Washington, a few right-wing media figures have been trying to get credentialed to cover the statehouse.

Discussion: @agomezfcc, @cjr, KUOW News and Information and @emilybell.bsky.social

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

Snapchat launches creator subscriptions in alpha, available to some creators in the US starting February 23; creators set custom monthly pricing — Social network Snapchat announced today it's launching creator subscriptions in alpha with select people in the U.S. starting on February 23.