Tag: journalists

Russia Puts German Journalist on Wanted List Over Nazi Question to Zelensky

Conflict Began With Question to Zelensky

The conflict began on August 8 during a joint appearance by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the question-and-answer session, Martens addressed the Ukrainian leader with an offer to help.

“Can you tell us Europeans what exactly we can do to help you kill more Russians?” Martens asked, later clarifying that he meant Russian soldiers specifically.

In response, Zelensky, who is now trying to conceal the systemic collapse of Ukraine’s economy, asked the West to increase military and financial assistance. Aleksandar Vučić expressed hope that all the killing would end as soon as possible.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the reporter’s words an expression of segregation, after which the Russian Embassy in Germany launched legal proceedings.

“The journalist’s statement contains direct signs of the offense provided for under Part 2 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code. From a legal standpoint, public calls for the destruction of people on the basis of nationality are unacceptable, regardless of the speaker’s professional status. In this situation, the investigation will seek an arrest in absentia in order to establish the defendant’s legal status,” corporate lawyer Roman Lavrentyev explained in an interview with Pravda.Ru.

Martens faces a criminal case under the article concerning “incitement to hatred or enmity.” The maximum punishment under this provision is up to six years in prison.

However, the prospect of extradition is complicated by Interpol’s position, as the organization often blocks Russian requests on the grounds that they are politically motivated. This means that the “Red Notice” mechanism will not work in most Western countries.

Where Could Martens Face Arrest?

“Martens could be detained only in jurisdictions where direct bilateral extradition agreements are in force. Since Western countries are currently in a state of acute conflict with Moscow, the likelihood of his arrest there is approaching zero. Risks arise for him when he visits countries in the Global South or Russia’s allies,” political analyst Sergei Mironov told Pravda.Ru.

The main difficulty for Russian investigators is that Germany, where Martens’ publication is based, will not extradite its citizen over this charge. This turns the case into a long-term instrument of legal pressure that restricts the journalist’s freedom of movement.

The list of territories where Martens could be detained is limited to countries that maintain close legal cooperation with Russia. These include CIS states such as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Risks are also high in countries with which Russia is strengthening ties amid Washington’s sanctions pressure, including Iran, Syria and North Korea.

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‘Shadow government’ strikes again: FBI secretly branded journalists, Trump officials as Russian mouthpieces

The FBI secretly labeled journalists, senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress as conduits of Russian disinformation, newly declassified documents show.

An FBI operation codenamed “Round River” worked to paint derogatory information about former President Joe Biden, corruption and Ukraine supplied by confidential human sources as Russian disinformation. The so-called “Ukraine narrative” included information about the Biden family, Burisma, Hunter Biden and Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election.

A White House Transparency Task Force helmed by journalist John Solomon declassified two document sets on Wednesday night: A slide deck describing the Round River operation from Trump’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and a spreadsheet of persons of interest in the operation.

The FBI’s distinction between “conduits” of Russian disinformation and “targets” of Russian disinformation is clear. The bureau classified Republicans as the perpetrators and Democrats as the victims.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Jim Jordan, former Rep. Devin Nunes, One America News Network correspondent Chanel Rion and Solomon were among the individuals the FBI smeared as instruments of a Russian psyop.

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Judge Halts $800-a-Day Fines Against Investigative Journalist Catherine Herridge for Refusing to Betray Confidential Sources in China-Tied Case

Investigative reporter Catherine Herridge secured a major, though temporary, victory for press freedom after a federal judge clarified that she will not have to keep paying an $800-per-day contempt fine while her legal team asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her First Amendment case.

The court also denied plaintiff Yanping Chen’s request to increase the daily fine to a staggering $5,000 and ordered that the money Herridge has already paid be returned, Herridge announced Friday in a statement on X.

The district court has clarified that I don’t have to pay the $800 daily contempt fine for refusing to disclose my confidential sources while our team asks the Supreme Court to hear our First Amendment case.

The court also denied the plaintiff, Yanping Chen’s request to raise the daily contempt fines to 5K. The court ordered reimbursement for the fines I have already paid.

This case is much bigger than one journalist, one story, or one news outlet. The outcome will impact every newsroom in this country and the ability of reporters to protect their sources and do investigative reporting that seeks accountability.

Yet, critical evidence remains hidden from the public and under seal by the District Court.

At a time when many corporate media outlets choose to settle or pressure journalists to surrender their notes, I want to acknowledge that Fox News has continued to stand behind me and fully support the First Amendment and investigative journalism by paying my attorney’s fees.

I remain committed to safeguarding the principles of investigative journalism and a free press.

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The Dumb, Arrogant Liars Who Are Also Journalists

There is a frustrating contradiction when it comes to the way public information is assessed for factual truth.  For decades, prominent news organizations have steadily lost credibility.  Fewer Americans than ever believe what The New York Times, CNN, NPR, or even the AP publishes as the “objective” record of current events.

At the same time, however, alternative, competing descriptions of current events are almost entirely ignored.  No matter how compelling or factually sourced a story might be, it is largely disregarded until mainstream corporate news institutions are willing to recognize its validity.

This annoying state of affairs was highlighted last week after Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to testify before the Senate.  Although the man holds one of Joe Biden’s get-out-of-jail-free autopen pardons, Fauci cowardly asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than a hundred times.

With a general pardon in hand that presumably allows him to get away with past acts of mass murder, he could put himself in legal jeopardy only by not telling the truth while under oath at the hearing.  So long as Fauci avoided newly committing perjury, there was no risk to his liberty.  The fact that he nevertheless remained mum the whole time revealed a particularly guilty conscience: Fauci could not bear the thought of admitting to the world that he told numerous lies in the past.

To be sure, Fauci’s lies are huge and unforgivable.  He lied about COVID arising from inter-species transmission in an outdoor meat market rather than from a bioweapons laboratory re-engineering coronaviruses in Wuhan, China.

He lied about not having partially funded deadly coronavirus research at that lab as part of a workaround to American regulatory prohibitions against such dangerous projects.  He lied about COVID’s lethality, especially with regard to young or healthy bodies.  He lied about the efficacy of simple masks to prevent viral transmission.  He lied about the need to close schools and businesses.  He lied about the need for draconian home confinements.  He lied about the effectiveness of the experimental mRNA injections that he called “vaccines.”  He lied about the proven effectiveness of alternative treatments.  He lied about the effectiveness of natural immunity.

His lies were profound, and because mainstream news institutions refused to question anything he said, his lies were the only bits of information allowed to circulate in the public sphere.  So-called “journalists” not only repeated verbatim exactly what the government’s chief medical bureaucrat claimed to be true but also cheered social media platforms for censoring competing points of view.

“Reporters” working for The New York Times and CNN were enthralled by Fauci’s perceived professional prestige and institutional authority.  Why?  Because they are enamored of their own perceived professional prestige and institutional authority.  They worship glory and accolades; they are slaves to appeals to authority; they care nothing for the pursuit of truth.

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BLM Rioters in Wisconsin Threaten to Kill Journalists Nick Sortor and Karlyn Borysenko While Preventing Them from Leaving Area and Attacking Car with VOMIT 

Independent journalists Nick Sortor and Karlyn Borysenko were in serious danger on Saturday night after being confronted, threatened with death, and having their vehicle attacked with vomit by Black Lives Matter rioters in a self-declared “autonomous zone” that has taken over several blocks of downtown Madison, Wisconsin.

The zone, known as the “Corey Ruiz Autonomous Zone” or “CRAZ,” was formed in the days following the July 22 police shooting of Corey Ruiz, an armed serial felon who was killed while allegedly attacking an officer with a knife.

Protesters have built barricades of pallets, furniture, and spike strips, blocked streets, set up tents, and effectively seized control of the area around Williamson and Baldwin streets, using the playbook from Seattle’s 2020 CHOP/CHAZ.

Sortor, who was driving with Borysenko in the passenger seat, stopped near the encampment and stepped out of the vehicle in an attempt to make jokes and lighten the mood.

Instead, activists surrounded him, blocked him from returning to his car, swung a pole at him, sprayed vomit on him and his vehicle, damaged the left front quarter panel, and repeatedly threatened to kill him.

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TALKING POINTS: Liberal Journos Covering the WHCD Claim Trump Has Destroyed Trust in News Media

Every once in a while, it’s very easy to see that talking points have been sent out. When two or more people in media are pushing the same narrative, it’s obvious.

Tonight is the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner and multiple journos are talking about how Trump – not them – has destroyed trust in media. If these people had an ounce of honesty in them, they would admit that they destroyed their own industry through constant lies, but they can’t do that. They’re simply not capable.

They are also incapable of shame, as you’ll see below.

Up first is CNN’s talking potato, Brian Stelter, who calls himself a media reporter. In this clip, he says “The damage Trump has done, both in his first term and now in his second term, in terms of trust in media, that has been enormous.”

Over on MSNOW, some random journo in this clip says “The president has convinced a great many Americans to not trust reporters and that’s done a lot of damage. A lot of long term damage.” 

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Flock Safety Defends Cameras After AI System Triggers Wrongful Police Stops Of Two Journalists

Plymouth, Minnesota – Automotive journalist Joel Feder and his wife were detained by multiple police officers in a coordinated stop while driving a Jaguar Land Rover press vehicle, after Flock Safety’s automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras flagged the car based on a flawed database entry.

According to Feder’s detailed account in The Drive, officers boxed in the $155,000 Range Rover in a Kohl’s parking lot after the vehicle triggered alerts via Flock’s network. Police had been tracking it for days, believing the New Jersey manufacturer plate (34 10 DTM) was stolen. Officers approached with hands on their weapons, ordered the couple out of the vehicle, and conducted pat-downs before verifying the car’s legitimacy through Jaguar Land Rover. Feder subsequently obtained and published the body camera footage of the encounter.

The incident stemmed from an incomplete report of a similar plate (34 03 DTM) lost during a photo shoot in California, which was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database simply as “34 DTM.” Flock’s AI system matched Feder’s plate – ignoring the smaller middle digits – and generated alerts. Local officers did not fully verify the complete plate visible in Flock’s own images.

The problem was not confined to one vehicle. Last Wednesday, fellow auto journalist Tim Esterdahl, publisher of Pickup Truck + SUV Talk, was pulled over by two officers in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, while driving his 14-year-old child in a $105,000 Range Rover Sport loaned to him by Jaguar Land Rover for review. Its plate: New Jersey 34 08 DTM. Jaguar Land Rover has been working to correct the underlying reports.

Flock Safety maintains that its cameras performed as designed, matching partial plates per law enforcement preferences for hotlist alerts. Chief Communications Officer Joshua Thomas told The Drive the system was asked whether those characters were present and correctly answered that they were – it simply was not built to flag that additional characters existed. He conceded that for alerts originating from NCIC rather than an individual agency’s custom list, the system arguably should test for an exact match rather than mere presence, and called that fair feedback to take back to his team.

Thomas said Flock is working to get the original police report corrected and is meeting with the FBI officials who curate NCIC to develop a way for incomplete data to be flagged as such for officers seeing automated alerts in the field. He emphasized that a camera alert “does not equal probable cause,” comparing it to an alarm going off, and stressed that the system depends on both valid inputs and humans verifying outputs.

But the scale is what makes the error rate consequential. Thomas said the system is roughly 99 percent accurate while performing approximately 20 billion reads per month – arithmetic that leaves on the order of 200 million misreads every month. How many of those escalate into armed stops is unknown.

Plymouth police acknowledged shortcomings in verification but pointed to the challenges of varying license plate formats nationwide. According to the department’s Flock transparency portal, the city operates 18 cameras that read more than 580,000 license plates in a recent 30-day period, generating over 14,800 hotlist hits – one of which was Feder.

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Under Israeli pressure, US seizes Max Blumenthal’s devices on return from Tehran reporting trip


On July 10, 2026, American journalist Max Blumenthal was traveling back to the United States from Iran, which he had visited to report on the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the largest gathering in human history. While in Iran, Blumenthal interviewed members of Iran’s negotiation team, top political officials, academics and average citizens for a series of video and print reports for this news outlet, which he founded.

He also documented several US and Israeli war crimes from the ground, including the destruction of an entire neighborhood in Eastern Tehran which left at least 40 civilians dead.

Upon reentering the country at Dulles International Airport, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) interrogated Blumenthal about his trip, searched his belongings, and demanded that he provide access to his smart phones. When he refused to open his phones, CBP officers forced him to turn them over for detention. Other journalists and travelers have been threatened with the loss of their passports for a month for failing to hand over their devices.

Blumenthal entered Iran exactly as reporters working for establishment media outlets like CNN and NBC did – on a press visa granted by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. While in Tehran, he participated in official press events alongside those mainstream reporters, who were also in the country to cover the Ayatollah’s funeral. When journalists from CNN, NBC, and other American outlets returned to the US, however, they were not subjected to the same harassment Blumenthal experienced, nor were they required to give the US government their electronic devices.

Blumenthal is a widely recognized journalist in American independent media, with a record of reporting spanning 25 years. He is the author of four books, including a New York Times bestselling volume, and numerous widely viewed documentary films. Having reported from numerous countries and conflict zones around the world, he is the winner of several awards, including the Online Journalism Award and, most recently, the Pierre Sprey Award for Defense Reporting and Analysis.

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Local News Anchor Exits Industry After Calling Out ‘Sanitized’ Journalism

An Iowa television anchor who announced Friday that he is leaving the news industry used his final broadcast to criticize what he described as sanitized journalism.

Dustin Nolan, who has spent years waking up early with viewers as the morning anchor for Davenport’s KWQC-TV, announced he is leaving the news industry for good, and he used his parting moments to take a serious swing at the state of modern journalism. In a passionate goodbye, where he became emotional at times, Nolan thanked the community for letting him into their living rooms every morning.

“I have chosen to step away from the news industry,” Nolan said. “Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be a part of your mornings knows just how important that I have taken this job [and] how much it means to me that you’ve trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning. I promise you, I’ve given you everything I have. I’ve never tried to be perfect, or what many think a newsman should be, supposed to be, but I have always done my best to be transparent, bringing you the facts, and I’ve always been myself.”

Nolan said local news organizations should do more than follow trends or deliver “sanitized news.”

“I’ve always believed that we, as a local news station, owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do, because without you, none of us would be able to do this job,” the departing anchor continued. “I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitized news, because it makes people feel uncomfortable. That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here. We have to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in.”

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Journalist Murdered in Mexico Received Threats from Law Enforcement

A group of gunmen shot and killed a journalist in Mexico. The crime comes just days after a female journalist was kidnapped in the same state of Veracruz. The attack is even more alarming as the murdered journalist was under government protection after having received threats from law enforcement.

The murder took place early Thursday morning when Luis Angel Lopez Valdez traveled along a busy avenue in Poza Rica, Veracruz. A group of gunmen pulled up alongside him and opened fire before speeding away. By the time authorities responded, Lopez was already dead.

The journalist was a crime reporter for Vanguardia Newspaper. He also ran his own crime blog and served as a regional director for the first-aid organization Amber Cross. According to Mexico’s Zeta magazine, Lopez was under government protection after having been the target of threats from alleged law enforcement officials in connection with his work as a journalist.

As Breitbart Texas reported, Veracruz is one of the deadliest places in Mexico for journalists due to the impunity with which cartels operate in that state. Those cartels are often protected by government officials at the highest levels who have a long history of looking the other way in exchange for bribes and political support.

The murder of Lopez comes days after a group of gunmen stormed into a home in rural Veracruz and kidnapped Roxana Guzman, a female journalist who had exposed widespread cartel corruption in the region. Her fate remains unknown.

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