August 6, 2026

☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here!

In today’s email:

• Featured story: Local TV broadcaster Scripps announces digital restructure and layoffs
• In other news: Pakistan imposes new restrictions on journalists working for foreign outlets 
• Looking ahead: Paramount CEO defends proposed Warner Bros. merger in New York Times essay 
• Chart of the week: Younger adults more likely to say it’s acceptable for journalists to express personal views on social media

E.W. Scripps, the broadcasting company with dozens of local affiliates, is laying off 268 employees as it restructures its local TV business around digital-first news production and streaming. The company plans to centralize some newsroom functions, launch 24/7 local news streams and use more automation as audiences continue shifting away from traditional TV. 

Among U.S. adults who say they get news from local TV, 43% primarily access that content online through station websites, apps, email newsletters or social media, up from 22% in 2018, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative. While 56% still get that news mainly from the station on TV, this is down from 76% in 2018. 

Overall, 34% of U.S. adults say they prefer TV over any other platform for getting local news and information, down from 41% in 2018.  

• Pakistan imposes new restrictions on journalists working for foreign outlets 
• FCC votes to remove cap on local TV station ownership
• Washington Post opinion editor Adam O’Neal resigns after one year in role 
• Former 60 Minutes executive producer considers launching rival show 
• Trump seeks to avoid financial disclosures as part of BBC lawsuit 
• How online rumors caused a wave of migration into Spanish enclave from Morocco 
• Right-wing influencers see a decrease in viewership ahead of midterms  
• Nominee to lead Voice of America parent agency says she would bring back some journalists placed on leave 
• How eight Pulitzer winners and finalists in 2026 used AI in their work
• A look at El Grito Media, a new initiative from the League of Latin American Citizens 

Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is on hold until next year amid an antitrust trial scheduled for March 2027. But Paramount CEO David Ellison wrote a guest essay for The New York Times this week arguing in defense of the merger. 

While the lawsuit is challenging whether the company will have too much control over movie releases and cable channels, Ellison said he believes the pushback is really about control of CNN, which is currently owned by Warner Bros. He vowed to maintain CNN’s editorial independence and said news should be based on facts and truth. Critics have questioned his leadership of CBS News and relationship with President Donald Trump. 

In general, Americans are highly skeptical about corporate and political influence on news organizations. The vast majority of U.S. adults say news organizations are at least somewhat influenced by financial or political interests, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey – including over half who say there is a great deal of corporate (55%) or political (57%) influence. 

This week’s chart comes from our 2025 Pew-Knight Initiative study on how young adults are getting news. Younger adults tend to be more likely than older ones to say it is acceptable for journalists to advocate for the communities they cover and to express their political views and religious beliefs on social media. 

👋 That’s all for this week.

The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Mia Hennen.

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