presstitute

[ pres-ti-toot, ‐-tyoot ]

noun

, Slang: Disparaging.

1. a journalist or media source whose news coverage is considered to be inappropriately influenced by business interests, political motives, etc. (often used attributively):

   claims made by the industry and trumpeted by the corporate presstitute media.

Word History and Origins

Origin of presstitute¹

1950–55; press ¹( def ) + (pros)titute ( def ) (with reference to journalists selling their morals for cash)

Example Sentences

Across campaigns, I’ve been called a liar, a pig and, most recently, a “whorenalist” — a cruder variation of the more common presstitute.

From Washington Post

She has been subjected to racism and vilification, accused of being a “fake news”-peddling “presstitute,” and subjected to viral memes that superimpose her head on male genitalia.

From Washington Post

The verbal assaults — most prominently featuring the terms “idiot,” “shut up” and “presstitute” alongside other sexist, homophobic and racist salvos — began after her news website Rappler published her investigation into the government’s social media disinformation machine.

From Washington Post

“Presstitute” is one, applied to liberal journalists to accuse them of selling their coverage for money or influence.

From The Guardian

But in the world of Twitter conspiracists, I was a “presstitute” working with “dodgy state actors” – a “paid propagandist” and “smear artist” engaged in “conscious subversion of domestic politics”.

From The Guardian