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.
06.10.21 (Update)
Low Octane Gas Lighting – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Having learned no lessons from the recent examples of major stories from major outlets needing to be recalibrated, Maggie Haberman appears intent to remain on the playbook that everything connected to Trump is automatically to be criticized. She came out with some blazing comments about the former president, and she was more than intent to step on rakes – she used them as a pogo stick.
It all began with Senator Tommy Tuberville putting out a message recommending that people go out and get vaccinated, a move due to the state of Alabama being on the low end of state vaccination rates. Maggie, unprovoked, felt the need to chime in with caustic comments regarding Trump.
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Notable. The former president, who wants credit for the vaccines developed during his presidency, has declined to take such a step. https://t.co/fk3mdaHKoA
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 10, 2021
Oh, Mags – where to begin…
Through Operation Warp Speed, Trump produced not one but THREE vaccines to come to market before Biden was installed as president. That means he earned credit in that department.
Next, he has recommended people get vaccinated; numerous times. There is no shortage of headlines attesting to this, something Haberman could have easily researched and found.
But there is an even more blatant reason the reporter should have known about this. As our own Guy Benson pointed out – The New York Times reported this themselves!
NYT in March https://t.co/65JyxuTbCk pic.twitter.com/pneBmBtx7E
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 11, 2021
In an attempt to save face, Haberman attempted to move the goalposts. Her explanation for her obliviousness; she was referring to PSAs, not interviews...covered in dozens of major news outlets. Of course, she misses out on a detail. Unlike Tuberville's example, Trump has been completely prevented from sending out PSAs on social media.
Gilded Reframe – TIME MAGAZINE
With the G7 Summit taking place this weekend, Time Magazine presents Joe Biden in a fashion that does not exactly exist in reality. The effort to build up the president into a cool icon loses more of its impact with the subheading, "Taking on Putin," which they use to describe the man who JUST gave Putin the opportunity to commence with the construction of a vital oil pipeline – something Trump took the effort to block.
Biden takes on Putin https://t.co/8o1tsTV7LD pic.twitter.com/TQGYoSYDF6
— TIME (@TIME) June 11, 2021
Legalized Press-titution – THE DAILY MAIL
We have to say, this cover is just making everyone feel uncomfortable.
This looks like a prop newspaper you would see as set dressing on a coffee table in any of the ''Austin Powers'' movies. pic.twitter.com/B9aOLPIrvV
— Brad Slager - Media Antagonist / Bad Movie Curator (@MartiniShark) June 11, 2021
News Avoidance Syndrome – WASHINGTON POST
Max Boot had gone all of almost a week since his last column expressing his disdain for Donald Trump. Fearing that people may have a wavering belief that he does not care for the former president, Boot cued up a new column to express his position. It is all centered upon the revisionist history of the viral lab leak story, but of course, when it is growingly apparent that China was culpable, Mr. Boot manages to still spin it as a Trump issue.
If you had been wrong 2,521 times, would you claim vindication if, on the 2,522nd occasion, you said something that may—or may not--turn out to be right?
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) June 10, 2021
That’s what Trump has done in regard to the theory that covid-19 originated in a Chinese lab. https://t.co/MYhcenfwOH
Conveniently avoided here is the far more than 2,500 examples of the media claiming the story was debunked and/or those suggesting a leak from the lab took place were dealing out conspiracies.
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
- More examples of our tax dollars at work.
Leave it to the vaunted thinkers at NPR to cover the stories with the deepest of import. Here they break open the latest must-know detail – shoe manufacturer Crocs is producing a shoe with a high heel.
Sure, you may be looking at this with a dismissive attitude, but NPR is there to assure us this is important information. After all, it describes, "What may be one of the most controversial shoe releases in recent memory."
Balenciaga x Crocs pic.twitter.com/QRASfslkYz
— SAINT (@saint) June 7, 2021
Stealth Story Evolution – THE HILL
You have to give credit when it is warranted. This comes courtesy of Joe Concha, so this quality is not too shocking.
"CNN insults #MeToo movement, provides happy ending for Jeffery Toobin" (@TheHillOpinion) https://t.co/03Axo0XIMF pic.twitter.com/Y3mzN6qHlb
— The Hill (@thehill) June 11, 2021
06.11.21 (Original)
Legalize Press-titution – CNN
It was with a pure mixture of amazement and predictability that CNN welcomed Jeffrey Toobin back into its open relationship. It is unclear if he will undertake a new position or if he will be partnered with anyone in particular. Certainly, there are some levels of protection mandated to be put in place.
One thing certain to come to an end with his return is that cute practice of showing anchors at their broadcast desk not wearing slacks.
You can clearly see one of the negotiated mandates by the network in order for Toobin to return on the air:
— Brad Slager - Media Antagonist / Bad Movie Curator (@MartiniShark) June 11, 2021
''Any time you are on camera both hands MUST be visible on the desk, at all times.'' pic.twitter.com/u6tvMco70Q
Pounce Of Prevention – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Jonathan Weisman wrote about the recent comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, and you get his sense of struggle dealing with the facts early on. Saying that, she "appeared to equate U.S. and Israeli 'atrocities' with those of Hamas and the Taliban." That is a curiously veiled description of what she actually equated in her quote. "We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban."
As he struggled mightily to both report on the comments by the Democrat and not appear overly critical, Weisman then did hit upon a proven tactic for his mission.
- "Republicans seized on Ms. Omar's language, eager to stoke outrage and turn the tables on Democrats after anti-Semitic comments by one of their own members, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, whose recent comparisons of the Holocaust to pandemic safety policies drew condemnation from both parties."
Presentation Paradox – AXIOS
In his report on the rampant fraud seen in the payouts of unemployment benefits, Salmon delivers some curious data; up to one-half of all the money sent out went to criminals. Fifty percent is a glaring figure, one that raises questions. Salmon gave some answers, but instead of clarifying things, he managed to instead call his article into question.
First, yes, this data comes from security companies with skin in the game — https://t.co/8lMKYUlBqn and LexisNexis. Also, crime statistics are always fuzzy. There's nothing here that's precise. On the other hand, government sources aren't disputing these numbers.
— Felix Salmon (@felixsalmon) June 10, 2021
I dunno; it kind of feels like that could have been highlighted a bit more within the original piece. There's also another motivation behind inflating things on this matter – "...President Biden has been clear that this type of activity from criminal syndicates is despicable and unacceptable. It is why we passed $2 billion for UI modernizations in the American Rescue Plan."
The Tiger Beat – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Dr. Rochelle Walensky has had a rough go of it since she took over as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so The New York Times is here for damage control. This is the woman who was beholden to the teachers' unions on her guidance measures for the nation, but the article insists, "The C.D.C.’S New Director Follows The Science."
Interestingly their own coverage defies this claim. Deeper in the personality profile, there is this review of her work:
- "She said vaccinated people 'do not carry the virus' — an overly optimistic statement that the C.D.C. had to walk back. Later that week, new guidance from the agency said that vaccinated people could safely travel, but Dr. Walensky added that the agency did not actually want them to travel at all, a stance that left some Americans perplexed."
This very Fauci-like character study is delivered by the same paper that, this week, ran an op-ed declaring we should not follow the CDC for guidance in a pandemic.
Gilded Reframe – BLOOMBERG
In the study of President Trump's post-presidential life, Joshua Green lays out a scenario where Donald Trump is nearly hermetically sealed in his golf resort, surrounded by sycophants, and under a constant cycle of praise from supporters – uh, just like all other past presidents.
This is presented in a fashion of uniqueness, and it is delivered not only as if it were an oddity, but there is also no mention at all about the press harboring a similar addiction to the man.
Kind of a curious avoidance in this press coverage that is 3,500 words covering the former president.
NEW: Trump's life after the White House doesn't resemble that of a typical ex-president so much as a foreign monarch cast into exile—like Napoleon at Elba, but with golf and a bigger buffet.
— Bloomberg (@business) June 10, 2021
Read The Big Take ?? https://t.co/I8l4ftEj4v (via @BW)
Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – DEADSPIN
There is a supposed plight we are told, with the future career of Cameron Kinley, a defensive end who played for the Naval Academy. The issue is that Kinley is being prevented from entering the NFL draft because he still has to fulfill his military service. This is declared an affront due to the color of his skin. It is best not to ask, how?
The issue is convoluted in that there had previously been a waiver set in place for the military members playing football, having them moved to reserve status in order to be eligible right away for the pros. This was an order that the Trump administration took down, so Kinley still has his obligation. This applies to all current athletes in the armed services, not just Black athletes. That seems to be in need of mentioning.
If there is a complaint to be made, it could be that Kinley had made his commitment to the military out of high school with the previous standard in place. But writer Carron J. Phillips has the real reason behind this controversy.
- "Here's a story that's as American as apple pie, baseball, and voter suppression. It involves naivety, racism, politics, football, the military, and faux patriotism. It checks all the boxes."
Navy won’t let a Black football player go to the NFL and everyone is to blame https://t.co/ky6Jywqz0u pic.twitter.com/Ct2dDEVfbJ
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) June 10, 2021
