For today, links to an article of commentary from MintPress News, and to three reports: from National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-7-26 and up or down for IRAN, WEST BANK, GAZA, VENEZUELA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 9  Kidnapping, or ‘capture’? by Alan MacLeod | MintPress News  U.S. President Trump said “kidnapping” was an appropriate term for the Jan. 3 abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, but corporate media around the world refrain from using the word. And managers at BBC instructed its staff to “avoid using ‘kidnapped’” in their reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 10  How does NPR report on Venezuela? Reported by Sarah McCammon and Eyder Peralta | NPR  Eyder Peralta, NPR international correspondent, on racing to the Venezuela border after the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro, and the obstacles keeping journalists from getting into the country. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Israeli social media erupts with calls for overthrowing Iran’s government, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — Israeli social media has filled with open calls for the overthrow of the Iranian government, as protests spread across the Islamic Republic and authorities imposed a near-total internet blackout. READ MORE . . .

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Retouched images of Netanyahu’s wife, distributed by the state, ignite a fiery ethics debate, by Julia Frankel | AP  Critics say the issue is that the circulation of the images in official government announcements distorts reality, violates ethical codes and risks compromising official archiving and record-keeping efforts. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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