{"id":361416,"date":"2026-08-20T15:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=prc_email_campaign&#038;p=361416"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:41:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:41:43","slug":"the-briefing-8-20-26","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-8-20-26\/","title":{"rendered":"The Briefing: 8.20.26"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-20T15:33:39-04:00\">August 20, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-briefing\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:clamp(17.905px, 1.119rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.147), 28px);font-weight:700\">The Briefing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background\" style=\"background-color:#2a2a2a;color:#2a2a2a\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong> <em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<strong>\u2019<\/strong>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> ABC sues FCC, citing First Amendment concerns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Stars and Stripes publisher to retire, but may be fired first<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> MS NOW to launch digital membership program<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Trust in news from podcasts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"featured-story\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);\">\ud83d\udd25 <strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ABC<\/strong> and its parent company, <strong>Disney,<\/strong> are suing the <strong>Federal Communications Commission<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> alleging that an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/08\/18\/abc-sues-fcc-claiming-first-amendment-violations-escalating-months-long-feud\/\">early review of the network&#8217;s broadcast licenses<\/a> is retaliation for its programming and that it violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit is the latest move in a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fcc-brendan-carr-abc-licenses-59a1af6fd76ed310a89b9764ae1fad8b\">lengthy dispute between the broadcaster and federal regulators<\/a>.<br><br>ABC News is one of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/\">widely used news sources<\/a> among Americans: <strong>36% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news there<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/abc_news\">2025 Pew Research Center study<\/a>. While Democrats are far more likely to trust (61%) than distrust (7%) ABC News as a news source, a larger share of Republicans distrust it (43%) than trust it (26%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"in-other-news\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);\">\ud83d\udccc <strong>In other news<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Stars and Stripes<\/strong> publisher to retire, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/pentagon-considers-firing-stars-stripes-publisher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">may be fired first<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Australia<\/strong> passes law to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/litigation\/australia-passes-law-levy-tech-giants-that-fail-pay-local-news-2026-08-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tax tech companies<\/a> if they don&#8217;t strike deals with local news organizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CNN<\/strong> leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/08\/16\/2026\/cnn-president-pitches-giving-network-an-editorial-board-to-shield-it-from-paramount\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">floats idea of editorial board<\/a> amid possible merger<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Azerbaijan<\/strong> sues <strong>CNN,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/litigation\/cnn-sued-for-defamation-by-azerbaijan-over-iran-war-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claiming false reporting<\/a> on the country&#8217;s role in the Iran war<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An <strong>Iranian YouTube show<\/strong> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/15\/world\/middleeast\/iran-youtube-show.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stayed on the air<\/a> despite asking hard questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Network of more than 200 <strong>AI-generated local news<\/strong> sites <a href=\"https:\/\/www.interlochenpublicradio.org\/ipr-news\/2026-08-17\/prism-news-shuts-down-network-of-more-than-200-ai-generated-local-news-sites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shut down<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How <strong>Axios<\/strong> plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/axios-wants-to-save-local-news-with-ai-jim-vandehei-tech-newsletters.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">use AI to save local news<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Journalist <strong>Ross Barkan<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/19\/business\/media\/ross-barkan-plagiarism-apology.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">apologizes<\/a> amid <strong>allegations of plagiarism<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Athletic<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2026\/08\/the-athletic-teams-up-with-sports-creators-to-reach-new-and-younger-audiences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">joins forces with sports creators<\/a> to grow audience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reporters invited to California <strong>Space Force base<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/vandenberg-space-force-base-california-journalists-detained-4815c999cbcb9ea60c918429c0e0ade4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">held at gunpoint<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"looking-ahead\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);\">\ud83d\udcc5 <strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>MS NOW<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/msnbc\">formerly MSNBC<\/a>) is reportedly planning to launch a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/08\/19\/2026\/ms-now-to-launch-membership-program-for-super-fans\">digital membership program<\/a> that will offer a variety of benefits for subscribers, including members-only content, a 24\/7 network feed and direct interactions with the network&#8217;s journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The vast majority of Americans (83%) say they haven&#8217;t paid for news<\/strong> by subscribing, donating or becoming a member in the last year, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2026\/02\/11\/few-say-americans-have-a-responsibility-to-pay-for-news\/\">2025 Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. Among those who don&#8217;t pay, the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/06\/24\/few-americans-pay-for-news-when-they-encounter-paywalls\/\">top reason<\/a> is that there&#8217;s plenty of news available for free. Americans are much more likely to say that news organizations should mainly make money by selling ads or sponsorships (45%) than through subscriptions or memberships (11%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"chart-of-the-week\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);\">\ud83d\udcca <strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share of U.S. adults who say they <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/podcasts-and-news-fact-sheet\/\">get news from podcasts<\/a> at least sometimes has been growing, but do people trust what they hear on this platform?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Americans who get news from podcasts, about half (53%) say they trust the news they get there about as much as the news they get from other sources. Roughly three-in-ten Republicans (31%) say they trust news from podcasts <em>more<\/em> than news from other sources<em>,<\/em> double the share of Democrats who say this (15%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f7f7f5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f7f7f5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?resize=480,395 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?resize=782,643 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?resize=960,789 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?resize=1200,986 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?resize=1280,1052 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"526\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/08\/PJ_26.08.20_briefing-podyear.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-362252 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Kirsten Eddy, Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at <a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Briefing \u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25 Featured story ABC and its parent company, Disney, are suing the Federal Communications Commission, alleging that an early review of the network&#8217;s broadcast licenses is retaliation for its programming and that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[705,359,658],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"ABC sues FCC, citing First Amendment concerns","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, MS NOW to launch digital membership program","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"44bb474b50","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"https:\/\/us1.admin.mailchimp.com\/campaigns\/edit?id=10343957","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"sent","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[2378],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-361416","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index","formats-newsletter"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":551,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-8-20-26\/","charts":[],"art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[{"id":705,"name":"sreed","email":"sreed@pewresearch.org","slack_user_id":"","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3017d80a8f89587b58295bda809b5ad732f901d69b79e4edda282ca4651c97cc?s=48&d=mm&r=g"},{"id":359,"name":"Seth Rubenstein","email":"srubenstein@pewresearch.org","slack_user_id":"U09H7DZ16","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1dbea249f39ebe090ce44bf103c993dd29d56dda5b94f70525222d7a728cc7bb?s=48&d=mm&r=g"},{"id":658,"name":"Beshay Sakla","email":"bsakla@pewresearch.org","slack_user_id":"U04TGAD30KY","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2110c6901517811953a161fc71d116ed9c2bd1b60d045f480fdd9ec2631766a9?s=48&d=mm&r=g"}],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"The Briefing: 8.20.26","description":"The Briefing \u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday! 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