In a move that blends Soviet-style public shaming with the gamified outrage of social media, the Trump administration has unveiled a dedicated "Media Bias" section on the official White House website. Dubbed a "Hall of Shame," this interactive page serves as a running tally of journalistic sins - real or perceived - against the president and his inner circle.
Launched just days after Thanksgiving 2025, amid a national mourning period following the tragic shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., the site promises to chronicle "false and misleading stories flagged by the White House."
Visitors are invited to "Scroll for the Truth," complete with a leaderboard ranking outlets by their alleged offenses. It's less a tool for accountability and more a high-tech enemies list, where criticism of Trump is quantified like a video game score.
At the top of this digital rogues' gallery sits The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - a perennial target in Trump's lexicon of "fake news" bogeymen.
The paper, which has fact-checked over 30,000 Trump claims since 2017, leads the "Race to the Bottom" with dozens of citations for everything from immigration policy critiques to coverage of the president's recent Truth Social rants.
Trailing close behind is MSNBC (now rebranded as MS NOW under Comcast's umbrella), slammed for its relentless primetime dissections of Trump's economic agenda, including segments questioning the fiscal math behind his proposed $500 billion AI infrastructure push known as Project Stargate.
But claiming the ignominious bronze medal is CBS News, a surprising addition given its corporate overlords' cozy ties to the administration. This isn't just petty score-settling; it's a stark reminder of how Trump's media playbook - forged in his first term's press briefings and amplified by lawsuits totaling over $10 billion - has evolved into an institutional weapon.
CBS's inclusion stems from its reporting on a heated flashpoint: a viral video from Democratic Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (MI), alongside four other lawmakers, urging military personnel to "remember their oath to the Constitution" and refuse "illegal orders."
Trump fired back on Truth Social, labeling the group "traitors" engaged in "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH," and reposting calls to "HANG THEM" in the spirit of George Washington. CBS, along with *The Boston Globe* and *The Independent*, was accused of "misrepresenting" this as a direct call for execution, when the White House insists it was merely a demand for "Democrat accountability."
Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes drew particular ire; just days before the site's launch, Trump branded her a "stupid person" during a tense Thanksgiving exchange at Mar-a-Lago over vetting lapses in the D.C. shooting suspect, an Afghan refugee admitted under Biden-era policies.
The page names Cordes explicitly, alongside reporters from the other outlets, framing their work as "subversive" attempts to imply Trump issues unlawful directives - a charge the administration rebuts by noting every order from border security to USAID shuttering has been "lawful."
What makes CBS's spot on the leaderboard so baffling is the web of alliances binding its parent company, Paramount Global, to Trump's orbit. The network's rebellious streak - epitomized by *60 Minutes*' edited 2024 interview with Kamala Harris—once prompted a $10 billion defamation suit from the president himself. But that grievance was settled in July 2025 for a comparatively modest $16 million, earmarked for Trump's future presidential library.
The payout greased the wheels for Paramount's blockbuster $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, helmed by David Ellison, son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Larry, now the world's second-richest man with a net worth exceeding $180 billion, is no stranger to Trump's favor.
The duo's friendship dates back years: Ellison attended the White House launch of Project Stargate in January 2025, Trump's ambitious AI data center rollout across Texas, and Oracle has inked multimillion-dollar cloud deals with Skydance. Trump has openly touted the Ellisons as "big supporters" who "do the right thing," even floating their involvement in a TikTok acquisition consortium alongside conservative media scion Lachlan Murdoch.
The merger's approval by the FCC - chaired by Trump appointee Brendan Carr - came despite antitrust red flags and Democratic outcry from Senators like Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, who decried the settlement as "extortion" or outright bribery. Post-merger, David Ellison wasted no time reshaping Paramount: He axed DEI programs, courted Tom Cruise for blockbusters like a Top Gun sequel, and installed Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief - a podcaster known for her conservative-leaning critiques of mainstream media.
Layoffs hit hard, including climate reporter Tracy Wholf and Gaza correspondent Debora Patta, moves insiders whisper align with pro-Israel stances dear to Larry Ellison, a major donor to Friends of the IDF and confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Weiss has since pledged "fact-based journalism" with a "diversity of viewpoints," echoing FCC mandates for the deal. Yet here is CBS, under this revamped regime, pilloried for the very scrutiny of Trump that 60 Minutes once embodied. It's as if the Ellisons' loyalty bought tolerance, not immunity - perhaps a signal that even allies must toe the line, or risk the administration's wrath.
This selective shaming raises eyebrows elsewhere. Late-night firebrand Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC show has skewered Trump nightly - from Epstein jabs to mockery of his falling poll numbers - escapes the list entirely. Trump has demanded Kimmel's firing at least a dozen times on Truth Social, calling him a "talentless failure" with "poor ratings" after monologues riffing on the president's midnight posts.
Kimmel fired back with quips like "I'll go when you go," borrowing Trump's own "Quiet, piggy" slur against a Bloomberg reporter. Yet no Hall of Shame entry for ABC's parent, Disney, despite a brief Kimmel suspension over comments on conservative activist Charlie Kirk's death - allegedly prodded by FCC pressure. Genre bias? Or a nod to Hollywood's leverage?
Even more curiously, The Wall Street Journal - a Rupert Murdoch outlet generally sympathetic to Trump's business deregulation—languishes at the tail end. Its offenses? Dogged Epstein coverage, including a July 2025 exposé on a lewd 2003 birthday letter allegedly from Trump to the financier, featuring a hand-drawn nude outline signed with a "squiggly" flourish mimicking pubic hair.
Trump sued for $10 billion, decrying it as "fake," but the House Oversight Committee later released the album, fueling speculation about their hazy fallout (Trump once called Epstein a "terrific guy" who liked "beautiful women... on the younger side"). A September 2025 poll showed 78% of Americans demanding full Epstein file releases with redactions; Trump, who campaigned on transparency, now dismisses it as a "hoax." The Journal's restraint on the leaderboard might reflect Murdoch's empire hedging bets - after all, Fox News thrives on Trump loyalty, but the Journal's investigative arm has drawn AG Pam Bondi's ire by reporting Trump was briefed on his own mentions in Epstein probes.
This isn't mere pettiness; it's a calculated escalation in Trump's four-decade media feud. Data from the Media Research Center, often cited by the White House, claims Trump garnered just 8% positive coverage in his first 100 days of 2025 - 92% negative across ABC, NBC, and CBS newscasts. Critics like the ACLU warn it erodes press freedoms, echoing first-term bans on AP reporters and Pentagon office swaps favoring conservative outlets.
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Supporters, including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, hail it as "holding Fake News accountable like never before." As the leaderboard updates weekly, one thing's clear: In Trumpnomics' media wing, alliances are fluid, and forgiveness is fleeting. The Hall of Shame isn't just ranking offenders - it's redrawing the battle lines, one "truth" scroll at a time. Whether it chills journalism or catalyzes reform, the digital pillory has arrived, and no one's safe from the score.
Author: Slava Vasipenok
Founder and CEO of QUASA (quasa.io) — the world's first remote work platform with payments in cryptocurrency.
Innovative entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in IT, fintech, and blockchain. Specializes in decentralized solutions for freelancing, helping to overcome the barriers of traditional finance, especially in developing regions.
