Media News Daily: Top Stories for 09/11/2025

This page hosts daily news stories about the media, social media, and the journalism industry. Get the latest Hirings and Firings, Media Transactions, Controversies, and more.

MSNBC Fires Matthew Dowd Over Remarks Following Charlie Kirk Assassination

MSNBC has terminated political analyst Matthew Dowd following comments he made on-air suggesting that conservative figure Charlie Kirk bore some responsibility for the environment that led to his own assassination. Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah university; the suspect remains at large. Dowd described Kirk as a “divisive” figure whose rhetoric contributed to a culture of hate that can lead to violence. The backlash was swift, with public criticism from conservative figures and a formal statement from MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler calling the remarks “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.” Dowd, who previously worked for ABC News and ran for lieutenant governor of Texas, was dismissed the same day. (Read More) (Washington Examiner Rating)

Trump Threatens $10 Billion Lawsuit Against NYT Over Epstein Note

President Donald Trump is threatening to sue The New York Times for $10 billion over reports involving a sexually suggestive note allegedly signed by him and found among the possessions of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Times published details from the note, which has sparked renewed scrutiny of Trump’s past ties with Epstein. Trump denies the authenticity of the note and accuses the newspaper of defamation and malicious reporting. (Read More) (New York Times Rating)

Anthropic to Train Claude AI on User Chats, Faces Backlash After Search Leak

Anthropic’s Claude AI model is updating its privacy policies, allowing it to use consumer chat data for training unless users opt out. This data will be retained for up to five years. While Anthropic stated it blocks search engine crawlers, conversations from its Claude chatbot have nonetheless appeared in Google search results, raising privacy concerns. The leaks were reportedly due to users sharing links publicly, not company disclosure. These changes apply only to consumer versions (Claude Free, Pro, Max), not enterprise or API services. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)