Media News Daily: Top Stories for 02/21/2025

Elon Musk Claims X Community Notes is Being “Gamed”

Elon Musk announced plans to “fix” X’s Community Notes feature, alleging that governments and legacy media are manipulating it. Musk’s remarks followed a CNN fact check of Donald Trump’s claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has only a 4% approval rating. Musk criticized the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, which conducted the referenced poll, suggesting its results were not credible due to U.S. funding and Ukrainian nationalism. Trump has also escalated his criticism of Zelensky, accusing him of avoiding elections. The Community Notes feature allows users to submit fact checks on misleading posts, and Meta has announced a similar system for its platforms. (Read More – The Hill Rating)

News Organizations Push Back Against White House Ban on AP

The White House has barred Associated Press (AP) reporters from events and Air Force One after the outlet refused to adopt the administration’s terminology for the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Nearly 40 news organizations, including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax, signed a White House Correspondents’ Association letter urging the administration to lift the ban. The letter argues that the First Amendment prohibits government interference in editorial decisions. (Read More – Adweek Rating)

Mississippi Judge Orders Newspaper to Remove Critical Editorial

A Mississippi judge has ordered the Clarksdale Press Register to take down an editorial criticizing city officials for a lack of transparency, raising First Amendment concerns. The editorial accused Clarksdale officials of failing to notify the press about a city council meeting. Judge Crystal Wise Martin issued a temporary restraining order at the city’s request, with a full hearing set for February 27. Press advocates, including the Mississippi Press Association, have condemned the ruling as unconstitutional censorship. (Read More – The Hill Rating)