"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media. (For a VIP discount, drop SLAGER in the signup form.)
12.08.21
Artisinal-Crafted Narratives – CNN
CNN's Chris Cillizza really thinks he has Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell over some kind of barrel. Chris addresses the fact that McConnell is intentionally going out of his way to not discuss directly the man who is no longer the president of the country. Cillizza highlights numerous times recently when Mitch had been asked directly about Donald Trump but has refused to be goaded into entering the discussion.
The pundit believes that this is somehow a negative on McConnell, without really explaining how.
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- "McConnell has clearly made the very conscious decision that he simply isn't going to talk anymore about Trump in public -- no matter what the former President says about him. The problem for McConnell is that him ignoring Trump -- in increasingly acrobatic and comical ways -- still doesn't make the former President disappear. Nothing can do that."
Say, Chris? This does nothing to impugn the senator, but it speaks volumes about the press still being obsessively focused on the former president.
Mitch McConnell, comic https://t.co/co3DDDNdy1
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) December 8, 2021
Presentation Paradox – THE NEW YORK TIMES
It is a rather straightforward story – days after they lit the Christmas tree outside of the Fox News headquarters in Manhattan, an arsonist arrived last night and set the tree ablaze. For reasons only they know, the folks at The New York Times were reticent to blame the individual caught on camera lighting the fire. Saying only the tree "Catches Fire" and alludes to an arrest.
The prospect of a Yuletide spontaneous combustion is just one of the examples of holiday magic this time of year.
The real question is did the tree cross state lines? pic.twitter.com/X57mEfcimu
— Brad Slager - Incontinent On Another Continent (@MartiniShark) December 8, 2021
Low Octane Gas Lighting – MSNBC
- Just another example of the press attacking Biden unfairly, correct?
Following last week's desperate chart showing Biden allegedly dropped gas prices by $0.02 comes the next flailing attempt to sell us on Biden's soaring economy. Dual headlines are being shopped, and the host of MSNBC's "The Beat" dutifully delivers the alleged good news about jobs.
Following news of the November employment figures coming in drastically low, Ari Melber thought he could snow viewers by comparing a similar jobs total under Trump when that total was praised. To explain (not for our readers, but for Ari), these are not comparable due to different economic conditions at the time and to the projections from economic experts. The total from Trump's 2018 report actually beat expectations, while last month's figure came in well below the expected amount, at 42% of the expected jobs.
While the AP reported on the "sluggish" jobs report under President Biden, they called a similar number under Trump "robust." pic.twitter.com/C2prt0uHZU
— The Beat with Ari Melber on MSNBC ?? (@TheBeatWithAri) December 6, 2021
Reporting on the Mirror – WASHINGTON POST
Just like the news industry saw flush times during the Trump years, so too is the book publisher sector enjoying rabid interest in the wake of Trump's departure. A raft of books has been steadily released pertaining to the Trump presidency, and it appears that there is one reporter who has stood out in the wake of this wake – Martin Pengelly of The Guardian.
Pengelly has made a name for himself by finding a way to get his typing mitts on copies of these books ahead of their release, scooping every one with some of the salacious contents. This leads to deep exploration into just how he manages this feat.
Or to frame the article another way – Jealousy.
Meet the reporter who always seems to get a copy of the hottest tell-all Trump book first https://t.co/CQrVlk9IhS
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 7, 2021
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- If the press just keeps at it, the general public will be made to care about January 6.
Earlier in the week, The Wall Street Journal announced they are starting up their own internal polling division; I mean, why not? All the cool outlets are doing it. The intent was to deliver more accurate snapshots of the electorate leading into next year's midterm elections.
The WSJ just released new polling results where they asked registered voters what the issues were that they preferred the president and Congress focus on in their D.C. duties. What is revealing here is not the top issues – Immigration, the Economy, Inflation – but how far down the list those topics the press has been loudly focused on this year.
Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" proposal lands at #15 and nestled even deeper, as the 17th most important with voters, is the effort to stop right-wing efforts. Grouped here are the stop Republicans topics, like the January 6 Commission, Insurrection, and The Big Lie. Not only do few people show concern for these issues, but ranked significantly higher was the need to stop left-wing issues. So, yeah, the prospects for Democrats next year appear even dimmer as the press pounds away at issues few people are actually concerned about.
BBB juuuust a bit off the mark from voters’ priorities… pic.twitter.com/2WidHguatV
— Brendan Buck (@BrendanBuck) December 8, 2021
Reporting on the Mirror – THE VERGE
Get ready for some jarring information – podcaster extraordinaire Joe Rogan has been spouting off many topics which appeal to people on the Right and could be dangerous! Now be ready to be underwhelmed; this is according to the galaxy brains at Media Matters.
Writer Ashley Carman had an interview with one of David Brock's basement dwellers who spent this year listening to every single Joe Rogan episode – a supposedly impressive 350 hours were spent listening. Yet, in the interview, there is very little in the way of the substance of what was found. So yes, I had to seek out the MMFA webpage to see what the furor was all about.
Very little.
It basically boils down to a list of things the writer did not like to hear. Considering this was a year-long quest involving hundreds of hours of listening, there is little in the way of impressive revelations for the time spent. This is what the result is of a media outlet interviewing someone from another media outlet about their listening to yet another media outlet – a guy with his own talk format had opinions you disagreed with and complained about.
What you learn after 350 hours of Joe Rogan https://t.co/a5HkelFWer pic.twitter.com/u3UMcsJVFm
— The Verge (@verge) December 7, 2021
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – OUTKICK
In the run-up to the Winter Olympics this coming February, a qualifying tournament is being held in the Netherlands. NBC Sports usually covers the events, but the recent match between Team USA and Japan was not broadcast. The US Curling Federation explained there was a problem with an onsite sponsor, and they directed viewers to a streaming website where the games could be viewed.
Due to an unforeseen sponsorship conflict with the local organizing committee in Leeuwarden, the remainder of the Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualification Event's coverage will be available through the @worldcurling streaming platform, Recast.
— USA Curling (@usacurl) December 7, 2021
??https://t.co/yq8o2IQPbM#usacurling pic.twitter.com/uax0iYo6l1
Over at Outkick, they tracked down what the issue was behind the blackout. It seemed the network had an issue with a toy company that was one of the featured advertisers at the rink where the games were held. More specifically, it was the fact that the sponsor was the maker of adult sex toys.
A sex toy company's ad has U.S. broadcasters all hot & bothered to the point where they're not broadcasting the U.S. matches: https://t.co/L6TwATFbEj
— OutKick (@Outkick) December 7, 2021
