I don't know about the rest of this guy's info, but as a person who has actually had a trademark, I think that is a big ado about NOTHING.

Anyone can put a TM after a name, it is not illegal. Most likely these idiots are putting TM after their name so no one else will use it for fear of being sued for trademark infringement, which would be an act of masturbation on the part of the person using TM.

Now, if you put the R in a circle behind a name without having a REGISTERED TRADEMARK, with the USPTO, that is illegal.

A trademark for a "news" organization would never be given out to someone like this. The name states what it is. A trademark never is granted for something like this.

Think Reuters. A news service. But it is not trademarked under Reuters News Service, it is simple Reuters. I know because my trademark was granted the same day in the Federal Register. It is a BRAND. And the brand itself is supposed to become famous and you will automatically know, as we do now with REUTERS, that it is a news service. How would you know what REUTERS is, unless they made their brand famous. You would not.

A trademark is for a product or a service. A service mark would be something like what they would have to apply for. But even so, the wouldn't allow the name as it stands, it's too obvious what they are peddling.

Think Beany Babies. They are stuffed animals.

Get my drift? Probably not, trademark law is extremely complicated and hard to understand unless you do a LOT of research.