This is Townhall's daily VIP feature, where we will focus coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in the mainstream media.
05.27.21 (Update)
Stealth Story Evolution – USA TODAY
In a May 22 op-ed written by Chelsea Mitchell, the Connecticut high schooler wrote of her impressions of being a top female runner but losing out on championships to transgendered athletes. USA Today however went back and three days later altered the content of the editorial. The words that the paper eradicated were phrases where Chelsea referred to her opponents as males.
This is bad enough, as it marks the second time in months that USA Today has done this. Recall, they allowed Stacey Abrams to go back and alter her op-ed on the Georgia voting law after boycotts on the state by companies created a backlash, and she wanted to excuse herself from responsibility by expunging her words encouraging those actions.
What makes this egregious is that, unlike the already unacceptable Abrams alteration, this was done without Mitchell's approval, nor her becoming notified. Then even worse, the explanation from the paper ended up smearing the runner, painting Chelsea as intolerant.
"Editor's note: This column has been updated to reflect USA TODAY's standards and style guidelines. We regret that hurtful language was used."
The paper should be roundly mocked over this.
Gilded Reframe – THE DAILY BEAST
It was big news yesterday when Juan Williams announced he was stepping away from his co-hosting duties on "The Five," but the knee-jerk reactions were quickly muted. Brian Stelter tried to signal this was a sign of Fox purging leftists views (as his conservative-thin network just fired Rick Santorum), but then it was learned Williams was remaining at Fox, he just was stepping away from the program. Brett Baier and others commented on how they were welcoming Williams on their shows.
Thankfully The Beast found something objectionable. "Multiple sources familiar with the matter said one of the major drivers behind Williams' departure was Gutfeld's desire for 'The Five' to return to the studio."
Those monsters.
Body Checking The Fact-Checkers – CNN
- Tragic news for those spreading the "Toad Cruz" hashtag.
Thankfully we have Daniel Dale on the case to spare us from the indignity of believing that Ted Cruz made an appearance on Sean Hannity's show, and swallowed a fly live on camera.
Be calmed, all of you who were upset at this display – Dale assures us that this was a manipulated video.
Classic Twitter pic.twitter.com/nshRv8govj
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 27, 2021
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – POLITICO
- Pandemic pandemonium, reports Politico, as plastic portable public powder rooms in Portland are un-plentiful.
Gotta admit we did not see this side-effect of the viral scourge coming.
Reporting On The Mirror – THE WASHINGTON POST
There is a likelihood if you immersed yourself in the news to any degree this week that you probably heard something about the Tribune Publishing company about to be bought out by the Alden hedge fund. There was a late bid by the staff of the Tribune papers to find an alternate buyer, as the fear was Alden was going to lay off staffers, and possibly break up the company and sell off the parts, in Gordon Gecko fashion.
But all is not lost, Maggie has a plan – find a rich guy! She spoke to a few people who looked to the wealthy billionaire set as being in need to do the right thing for their communities and drop hundreds of millions on failing ventures. "This outcome represents a failure of civic leadership. There's a healthy population of plutocrats along the shore of Lake Michigan."
One person she quotes, says, "Chicago's wealthy class failed the city by refusing to rescue the Chicago Tribune from a hedge fund. The weaker the media, the more inequitable a city is allowed to be. Rich Chicagoans sent a signal that they do not care."
We have to admit, these feel like rather facile solutions, coming from an employee of Jeff Bezos.
Low Octane Gas Lighting – CNN
- Joe Walsh has his radio show canceled and shows he still does not grasp the reason why.
On CNN's "New Day," vocal anti-Trump conservative Joe Walsh came on to explain his syndicated radio program was recently canceled. His reasoning was that there is no place in conservative media for a non-Trump-loving conservative voice – which on the surface sounds ludicrous. There are a number of talkers who are enjoying rather successful runs without content that is pure fealty to the former president. If you are producing an audience to justify keeping you on the air Joe, you'd still be gabbing into the mic.
Joe even manages to hit on the problem behind his lagging numbers, though he refuses to acknowledge it.
"If you want to succeed in conservative media, they don't want you to be honest. Most people in conservative media do their best not to have to talk about Donald Trump, because they don't like him, and they know he's bad for the party and the country. So they do what people like Tucker Carlson do, and generally try to ignore Trump. I couldn’t do that."
And there it is. Walsh admits he is in the Liz Cheney realm; unable to move on and deal with the current issues, unable to shut up about the guy who is not in power. That these elevated minds cannot grasp that people are tired of this and no longer want to listen to it is a bit amusing to hear.
News Avoidance Syndrome – SCRIPPS
- The symbolism is lost on the journalist.
Joe St. George of Scripps posts this video of workers dismantling the former enclave of journalism history, The Newseum.
Your journalism heartbreaking video of the day: the Newseum being torn down piece by piece on Pennsylvania Ave pic.twitter.com/VxIoYIufbE
— Joe St. George (@JoeStGeorge) May 27, 2021
05.27.21 (Original)
Presentation Paradox º The Miami Herald
- Paper alleges Florida Health Department at risk of losing accreditation – for receiving high praise?
It is now just expected that the press will launch attacks at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at will and that those attacks will likely fall apart faster than a LEGO house built by a two-year-old. The latest sees The Miami Herald claiming the Florida Department of Health (FDH) was on the verge of losing accreditation due to the numerous flaws found in its Covid operations. Experts are quoted, a disgruntled resident is profiled, and even the failed whistleblower Rebekah Jones is referenced.
What is given barely a mention – the actual findings of the investigators. After a lengthy presentation of how horrible the FDH has been, we finally get the assessment by the president of the accreditation board investigating the department – "The professionals at the Department of Health are doing a really excellent job."
This just continues the press showing an inability to face any positive pandemic news.
News Avoidance Syndrome – MAINSTREAM PRESS
Think for just a moment on all of the breathless coverage we have been treated to the past week about Marjorie Taylor Greene and her insensitive comments comparing herself with Holocaust survivors. We have been told how the topic was taboo and that her words represent a rift within the Republican Party. Well, given that foundation, there is a notable lack of energetic coverage over a seemingly larger issue of the same manner.
We're going to make a huge leap here and suggest possibly this is due to the fact that it involves the Democrats.
Four Democratic representatives of the House wrote a scathing letter calling out the anti-Semitism of fellow members and how it ties into the rise in anti-Jewish violence that we have seen lately. It is rather amazing that an overlooked interview MTG granted to the Christian Broadcasting Network has set the media ablaze, but noted Democrats calling out inciteful language heard on the floor of the House is completely overlooked. Wait, did we say amazing – we meant to say, "completely typical and expected."
Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – THE NEW REPUBLIC
Just in time for Memorial Day, we have this bromide-laden racial treatise, where Chris Lehman thought it a grand idea to add to the culture wars by lashing out at vets from foreign wars. To give you a sample of the must-avoid nonsense, we get served items like, "The notion of post-Vietnam trauma was already spreading beyond the corps of afflicted veterans and gaining traction as an all-purpose depiction of white male grievance."
It seems like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Lehman wants to earn a Purple Heart for shooting himself in the foot.
Body Checking The Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT
With more resistance arriving from states passing legislation, the truth source takes on the minefield that is Critical Race Theory – by boldly declaring it does not quite understand it, and it is not even being used...they think.
"It includes the idea of systemic racism, but is hard to define precisely, and it's unclear how much it shows up in the classroom."
Well, that certainly clears things up. "We are not sure what it is or if it is being used, but we are certain Republicans are the ones making this controversial, and whatever it is, Republicans are pouncing on it."
Both Kinds Of Standards – CNN
The recent flap over Chris Cuomo being found to have sat in on strategy sessions with the staff for his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo, in order to deal with handling the news of his various scandals has affected the network. CNN chief Jeff Zucker held a town hall with employees because so many were discussing how unseemly the whole affair had been. It is tough to see how Zucker placated anyone with his comments.
The man who has steered CNN to a near -70% drop in the ratings for 2021 threw his full support behind the troubled primetime anchor. "'There is no one else in Chris's shoes,' Zucker told the staff, referring to the newsman's unique identity as the brother of a major newsmaker. 'There are not special rules for Chris.'"
In a way, he was probably accurate there. It appears there are no rules at all for Cuomo.
Low Octane Gas Lighting – CNN
- At this point, Chris Cuomo is basically begging to be fired.
Just as the heat is being turned up on his stature, Chris Cuomo has just managed to discredit himself in the highest manner. He was struggling with the reemergence of the story that the Covid outbreak may have originated in a Chinese viral lab, one that is vexing many in the media who had previously dismissed the notion as a crackpot theory. Cuomo was in media-apology mode, straining to explain how this was a completely new angle to the story, one nobody had previously explored before.
Well, nobody except Cuomo himself. Nicolas Fondacaro of the MRC pulled up these video nuggets.
.@ChrisCuomo says the Wuhan lab theory is 'a newer notion,' but @NewsBusters archives shows him hyping it in April 2020 https://t.co/35AMh62VZ8
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 27, 2021
This means Cuomo went from saying the intel community was exploring the lab to dismissing the theory once Fox and others entertained his own idea and now has circled back to government curiosity.
Or, it means Fredo pays as little attention to his show as the rest of his shriveling audience.
