Media News Daily: Top Stories for 06/06/2025

X Tests Highlighting Bipartisan Post Agreement to Improve Community Notes

X (formerly Twitter) is testing a new feature that showcases posts receiving “likes” from users across the political spectrum. Initially visible to Community Notes contributors, the experimental prompt appears below qualifying posts and invites feedback on user impressions. The goal is to refine an open-source algorithm to better identify cross-partisan consensus. This comes amid criticism that X’s Community Notes system often fails to display due to lack of agreement across political divides. Studies show that 73% to 85% of political Community Notes are never published. X hopes this effort will spotlight shared views and foster healthier discourse. (Read More) (Social Media Today Rating)

FTC Demands Internal Records from Media Credibility Firms (Not MBFC)

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued Civil Investigative Demand letters to several media credibility organizations, including Media Matters for America and Ad Fontes Media, requiring them to provide comprehensive data on their operations, financials, and affiliations dating back to 2019. The probe, also tied to ad industry scrutiny, includes inquiries into relationships with 13 entities like NewsGuard and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. The FTC’s mergers division issued the letters, possibly in connection with the Omnicom-IPG merger investigation. This move follows prior political controversies, including lawsuits from Elon Musk and Republican claims of ad industry bias against conservative media. Unlike other organizations named in the FTC inquiry, MBFC was not targeted because it remains fully independent, accepting no funding from corporations, political groups, or platform partnerships that influence media monetization. Please consider supporting us with a membership. (Read More) (ADWEEK Rating)

NOTUS Reporters Expose RFK Jr. Report’s Citation Errors While Trump Dismisses Them

NOTUS, a new political news site, gained national attention after its journalists Emily Kennard and Margaret Manto exposed significant citation issues in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” report. The pair found that dozens of the report’s 522 citations were misused or fabricated, with some pointing to nonexistent studies or misrepresenting findings. Despite media pickup by major outlets, Trump dismissed NOTUS when asked by a reporter from the site during a recent press conference. The report’s errors were partly corrected, but NOTUS followed up with another story highlighting fresh inaccuracies. (Read More) (Columbia Journalism Review Rating)