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.
07.08.21 (Update)
Both Kinds Of Standards – CNN
Much like Qanon, it appears that when it comes to Marjorie Taylor Greene, more people listen to her at CNN than those on the Right. In the latest example of this reality, the network seems upset that MTG commented on the proposal by the White House that they will be knocking on the doors of people who have not been vaccinated to convince them to get the shot. Greene likened this effort to Nazi-era authoritarianism, calling those who would be visiting homes "medical brown shirts."
It seems a curious outrage from the network that spent much of the Trump years referring to him, via anchors or guests, as Hitler, the GOP as Nazis, or various policies as Gestapo tactics. It was last summer when Chris Cuomo had a segment where the federal officers sent to protect federal buildings in Portland were called stormtroopers. And while citing MTG apologizing weeks ago for referencing the Holocaust in regards to mask-wearing, it was near the same time when CNN's Jim Acosta was being celebrated for calling Trump "The Mussolini of Mar-A-Lago."
Recommended
CNN’s Jim @Acosta slammed congressional Republicans who voted against the bipartisan 1/6 commission as caving to former President Donald Trump, who he dubbed “the Mussolini of Mar-a-Lago writing in his blog.” https://t.co/PJDBvhz1c3
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) May 24, 2021
Stealth Story Evolution – NBC 4 NEW YORK
There was a time when Michael Avenatti was deemed the savior of the Democrats. Positioned as a useful tool, he was spearheading attacks on Trump, smearing the despised president to such a degree he garnered hundreds of media appearances over just a couple of months and was even being touted as a potential 2020 Democratic candidate.
Now, he is facing sentencing for trying to extort Nike for millions, and all of a sudden, the press finds ways to not even mention his name.
A California lawyer who publicly sparred with then-President Donald Trump before criminal fraud charges disrupted his rapid ascent to fame faces sentencing after a jury concluded he tried to extort millions of dollars from Nike. https://t.co/ULTOOrbjoS
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) July 8, 2021
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
This weekend sees the opening of "Forever Purge," the fifth installment in the thriller franchise. As the critics are unveiling their impressions of the film this week, conservative entertainment critic Christian Toto reveals a telling aspect of the wave of reviews – they all sure seem to be on board with the leftist plot elements.
- "One element wasn't mentioned. The film's political outlook was hopelessly wrong and/or skewed to the Left. Why? Virtually every critic leans that way, so they agreed with the positions filmmaker DeMonaco took with his fifth 'Purge' outing, even if they had different views as to the movie's quality."
Hey, at least the movie was not labeled as being "jingoistic" – then they would all be in perfect agreement about the quality of the movie.
Reporting On The Mirror – NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS
The ongoing telenovela at ESPN over the comments made by Rachel Nichols in reference to on-air hostess Maria Taylor has been a national embarrassment for the network. ESPN has mismanaged and fumbled their handling of the NBA anchors, but one thing is clear – Maria Taylor has come out of this unscathed.
Nevertheless, the NABJ has come forward with a demand to sit down and discuss the matter with Bob Iger, the chairman of Walt Disney, parent company of ESPN and ABC Network, the channels carrying the NBA Finals.
- "NABJ Calls for Meeting with Disney Heads After Treatment of ESPN's Maria Taylor Reveals Toxic Culture of Bias"
This makes little to zero sense. The "treatment" Taylor has endured involves her being promoted to the main broadcast of The Finals, she has her dedicated program, she has been given right of refusal to work with Nichols, has been offered a raise of more than double her salary at a time of high-profile layoffs, and Nichols has been replaced as courtside reporter while being taken away from her own program.
If Taylor were treated any worse, she might be given an ownership percentage of the network.
Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – WASHINGTON POST
One of the more asinine aspects of Grievance Culture is the concept that certain foods can be the cause of racism. Now at the Washington Post, you can be considered hateful for recognizing that a food might be considered unique to your palate. Food writer Daniela Galarza took exception when people responded to her food newsletter by describing some of the entries as being "exotic." This is apparently a hateful adjective.
- "Reading the word hit me like a slap, and initially, I wasn't even sure why. My conclusion? What's 'exotic' to you isn't 'exotic' to my neighbor, might not be 'exotic' to my mom, probably wouldn't be 'exotic' to my best friend. Its use, particularly as applied to food, indirectly lengthens the metaphysical distance between one group of humans and another, and, in so doing, reinforces xenophobia and racism."
There you have it, folks; stop using the word "exotic" to describe food in racist fashion, and just accept that dishes from other cultures are acceptable to be consumed. Then when you do, you can be accused of appropriating another culture in racist fashion.
Perspective: Calling food “exotic” reinforces xenophobia and racism https://t.co/CH3dvkpNK4
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 7, 2021
07.08.21 (Original)
Blue-Anon – MSNBC
In a discussion that sounded sane at the start, Hayes hosted Kristen Soltis Anderson and The Bulwark fixture Tim Miller to discuss the possibility of Allen West challenging Greg Abbott in Texas before veering way off the beaten path. He noted the shifting stances of JD Vance, and this sent Hayes into a wild dose of irrational speculation.
"If Donald Trump decided tomorrow to wage a campaign to make 'Hang Mike Pence' a litmus test for the Republican Party, the vast majority of Republican officeholders would get behind hanging Mike Pence." And then, just as if he were wondering if he wandered too far astray, Hayes reiterated this was, in fact, his belief.
"It is that bad; I really, truly believe that."
To her credit, Anderson recoiled at that thought, visibly shaking her head. Tim Miller, meanwhile, was laughing, nodding, and behaving like a clapping seal in his pure Never-Trump manner. This is amazing and disturbing from someone alleged to be a wise pundit.
'Grim Dark Ass Hayes' is his new name. @chrislhayes said Republicans would support hanging Mike Pence if that's what Trump wanted. This is so dangerous! pic.twitter.com/qEO9LP9FfX
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) July 6, 2021
Pre-written Field Reports – CNN
- On the topic of Critical Race Theory, CNN begins chasing its audience to Fox News.
It has been a tough week for the National Teachers Union and its president Randi Weingarten. CRT is getting roundly opposed by parents across the spectrum and blocked by more state legislatures, and in response, Weingarten trots out the tepid defense that CRT is not being taught in schools. First problem; examples of this being taught are known. Second, if it is not being taught, why do so many proponents tout the success of the curriculum? One teacher is seen saying, "CRT is just a lens that can influence how teachers teach." Then there was the small matter of the union recently declaring it was installing the program in all 50 states and thousands of school districts.
On CNN's largely overlooked morning show "New Day," they tried to come to Weingarten's rescue. The lengthy segment in support of CRT, in unbiased fashion, blamed all of those who oppose CRT for having been brainwashed by Fox News pushing its anti-CRT agenda. This was certainly not thought out by the floundering network. Not only are they pushing an unpopular school agenda, but they are telling parents who are looking out for their children's interests that the voices of support are found on another news network.
CNN's Elle Reeve asked both sides of the debate to define "critical race theory."
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) July 7, 2021
Vocal opponents don't fully understand what it means. Watch. @elspethreeve pic.twitter.com/26X52y6EcP
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – VICE NEWS
Here is a side-effect we are certain you did not anticipate. At Vice, they have delivered a new study that found fish can become addicted to Meth. A months-long study found that dosing trout with elevated amphetamine concentrations in their water made them addicted.
This is supposed to be a gripping reality that we could be altering environments with – drug pollution (are people flushing Meth that frequently?) While we are supposed to be wringing our hands and showing concern, this brings up a larger question; why are the researchers more concerned with fish becoming addicted and not getting humans to kick the habit?!
And you think chicken wing prices have soared?!
— Brad Slager - In Trouble More Than Pres. Biden (@MartiniShark) July 7, 2021
Holy crap -- I do not even want to consider what the market price would be for 'Meth Trout' on a seafood menu! https://t.co/gTXITseALw
DNC PR Firm – MSNBC
Alicia Menendez sat in for Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline: White House," and the discussion concerned Donald Trump seeing so much improvement with Latino voters and exploring some of the reasons why that happened. Well, reason will not be a priority when bringing on a former Clinton operative.
Former Hispanic Press Secretary for the Clinton campaign, Paola Ramos, was dismayed at the numbers and tried to make sense of things. She did not succeed. Ramos mentioned that half of Latinos feel they need to "act white" in order to achieve the American dream and half rebel against whiteness. Maybe part of the problem is a press corps that regards Hispanics as a minority or white, depending on how it serves a particular agenda. Maybe part of the problem is declaring that it is a crisis when Latin voters think for themselves. Or, just maybe, having an expert from a failed campaign after Trump improved Latin support in 2020 was not the best move.
"What we're seeing right now is a cultural identity crisis that we are undergoing as a community that is completely splitting and dividing Latinos," Paola Ramos says about Latinos' decreasing support for Democrats. https://t.co/pAi0uvhhLA
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 5, 2021
Gilded Reframe – MOTHER JONES
In an article that is overly long on words yet short on pragmatism, MJ takes a look at the spikes in violence across the country and comes to a conclusion: Stop blaming it on the anti-police movement they supported last year!
At least give them a small amount of credit – they acknowledged there is a rise in crime. It is just that there is tremendous effort to introduce a grocery list of possible other contributing factors. Well over a thousand words are dedicated to what could have been their approach of denial summed up in two words – It's complicated.
Stop blaming crime rates on defunding the police https://t.co/6pjkqxOPQ9
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) July 7, 2021
