"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.)
12.03.21
Glossary Over Things – MSNBC
- Joy Reid is finger painting pretty pictures with words.
We generally shy away from Joy Reid coverage only because she is so consistently unhinged on a nightly basis. Her commentary is the political equivalent of a vagrant arguing with pigeons from a park bench, so covering her is the media equivalent of a layup.
Just for the sake of an update, Joy is predictably upset over the review of abortion rights taking place at the Supreme Court, inspiring her to go on a lengthy Twitter rant. In it, in order to convey her level out outrage, she resorts to coining new words. Listen out this weekend, as everyone around you will surely be invoking the new term "Talibanism" in polite conversations.
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The United States is in a deep, deep slide; away from democracy, away from religious ecumenism, and for women in this country: away from bodily autonomy. And the same forces demanding this Talibanism, also demand that Americans open their bodies up to death by guns and COVID.
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ?? (@JoyAnnReid) December 1, 2021
Body Checking the Fact Checkers – REUTERS
It can be baffling or amusing to consider at times what the self-important viscounts of vérité busy themselves with concerning their assigned duties. In order to fill their quota of corrective reports, the Reuters team of fact-checkers took on a dastardly discovery on social media.
Following the arrival of the new scourge that is the omicron variant of Covid, some people have shared an image of an old movie poster supposedly bearing the title of the new viral strain. We are being told by these pandemic cineastes at Reuters that this is an altered image that somebody has concocted – so please, do not let this fake movie poster dissuade you from getting your booster!
Reuters is on the case, letting us all know this is NOT a real movie poster, saving us from...from...ummm... https://t.co/S784gUPEjT pic.twitter.com/GowOKQqUaM
— Brad Slager - Incontinent On Another Continent (@MartiniShark) December 3, 2021
Gilded Reframe – DAILY BEAST
- Reporting jokes is the social media version of fact-checking memes.
Yesterday on "The Five," Greg Gutfeld posted a mocking poll question about Joe Biden and racism. Anyone watching the segment and hearing the entire panel laughing about it had to know it was done as a joke. Either Justin Baragona missed this, and his outrage is amusing, or he did know this, and his attempt at ginning up leftist outrage is just lame.
Let's check in on Fox News' 5 pm hour -- which is consistently one of the network's most-watched programs. pic.twitter.com/szbAawLUZG
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) December 2, 2021
There were a number of journos who blasted outrage at this post, made with no reference to the joke, who had to later delete their outbursts. It was so bad that Gutfeld was mocking the emotional outbursts moments later on the same show.
Pre-Written Field Reports – THE BULWARK
- Being knee-jerk is a job requirement at the Never GOP site.
With Trump gone, the conservative cranks at The Bulwark busy themselves carping over supposed offenses they see in their former party. Jim Swift saw a report about the potential government shutdown and immediately knew who to blame.
The pro-virus party. pic.twitter.com/cxtoJnfs0E
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) December 2, 2021
Except one of the senators looking to vote against the proposal is Joe Manchin. That is, Democrat Joe Manchin. Now, certainly Swift would argue that Manchin is practically a Republican, but doing so would mean an admission that Manchin is more conservative than the allegedly "True" conservatives at Jim's outlet.
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – FOX NEWS
It is an ongoing discussion that certain people think the herb cilantro has a lathery taste. So much has been made of this that at one time, the Mexican food chain Chipotle joked that it might one day produce a cilantro-scented soap.
Well, it has put its efforts where its herbal mouth is and has followed through with the threat.
Chipotle releases real-life cilantro soap after joking about it earlier this yearhttps://t.co/cOcD3hlCOR
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) December 3, 2021
