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.
07.12.21 (Update)
DNC PR Firm – CNN
Over at the nation's capital, CNN's Wolf Blitzer encounters some jarring reality in the course of his day.
OY! Check out these gas prices here in the Nation’s Capital. pic.twitter.com/hanW9rUsLQ
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) July 12, 2021
The only thing surprising about this tweet is a privileged news anchor surprised by a reality most have been experiencing for months now. But if Wolf wanted to get to the bottom of this shocking development, he would not find out by paying attention to his own network. CNN has declared that the man who rolled back Trump-era energy policies, called for a halt on new energy exploration, killed the Keystone Project, and enabled Russia to build its own fuel pipeline is completely blameless for the gasoline surge that occurred once he took office.
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President Biden is being attacked for $3 gasoline. But the truth is the White House isn't to blame for high gas prices — and has few options to lower them. | Analysis by @MattEganCNN https://t.co/DMZtKMHIJJ
— CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) July 12, 2021
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Talking tough about guns while acting weak about guns.
Joe Biden wants you to think he is taking a hardline look at gun crime.
.?@POTUS? meets with local leaders and law enforcement to discuss gun violence and crime prevention. pic.twitter.com/glb8MObR5e
— Meghan Hays (@MegHays46) July 12, 2021
He is not actually doing so, and this is revealed by the fact that the Washington media is also not taking a serious look into the matter. This is evidenced by what the Washington press is not asking of the president. It is obvious the president is not at all serious about those violating gun crimes when he fails to address a central issue on the matter hitting rather close to his home.
Did a single reporter ask the President about his son obtaining a gun license illegally? https://t.co/tE6FXAmUcH
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 12, 2021
His son does hardcore drugs and lied on his form 4473. That’s a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Put him away or shut up. https://t.co/XluBGKPw51
— Brett (@btwigg_) July 12, 2021
Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – CBS NEWS
- Curious how decades of oppressive rule gets blamed on the last president.
It is so predictable, and yet it remains laughable whenever it gets trotted out. The Left in this country cannot come to terms with the fact that the communist regime in Cuba has been an abject failure for decades. It is almost as if they are incapable of grasping why so many people are fleeing a wondrous Eden – and why it is a crime to leave.
But now, in the face of a beloved dictatorship facing upheaval from the citizens, the press has to come up with another excuse for why things are failing in the island paradise. CBS "This Morning" is on the case, however, ready to explain why six decades of authoritarianism has been disastrous for the citizens – it's all Trump's fault!
.@CBSThisMorning tries to blame the Trump administration for Cuba's crumbling economy pic.twitter.com/VelrhQ9AzM
— Kyle Drennen (@kjdrennen) July 12, 2021
Matching Media Memorandum – ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Why explore any other factors being a cause when the man no longer in power can be blamed?
Two things are clear when it comes to the crisis growing in Cuba; the press is not interested in exploring the influences, and they are willing to just invoke the previous president in order to explain away the troubles.
They seem to miss out that blaming U.S. sanctions for the failure of the communist system in Cuba undermines any praise for said system. Saying that their communism would work if only they were permitted to do business with a capitalist country indicates where the problem rests.
First question on Cuban protests came courtesy of the AP: "Why hasn't President Biden taken steps to undo some of the things his predecessor, Donald Trump, did to overturn the overtures made by President Obama?"
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) July 12, 2021
Prose & Contradiction – CNN
- It's only hypocritical because you noticed!
There is a very strange dose of obliviousness taking place in the press regarding party rule. In D.C., the big debate is over eliminating the filibuster because the Republicans unfairly have a means of blocking Democratic policies in the Senate. The argument goes that it is unfair that the minority party can have this much power, and therefore the filibuster must be taken away, after centuries of practice, and the Democrats using the same voting tactic to record numbers – just last year.
Of course, this argument only is valid if you ignore one central fact; the Senate is a 50/50 split. Democrat legislation is only passed, therefore, with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president...the word "tie" indicating that there is, in fact, no majority. However, in Texas, there is a true minority rebellion taking place. The GOP runs all of the chambers in the state and the governorship, yet the Democrats, absent any true power, are finding ways to subvert the will of the people by blocking legislation by any means possible.
Currently, the Democrats are completely subverting the rule of order by fleeing the state for the nation's capital. How they think going to D.C. will sway anyone over to their side is one mystery. The other is why the press, after weeks of pearl-clutching over minority party influence, are suddenly very supportive of these Democrats undermining the practice of democracy.
Breaking: Texas Democrats are walking out to deny Republicans a quorum, which will prevent the passage of their elections bill, the trans bill, their bail bill, and everything else. They will have to leave the state for weeks. The last time they did this was in 2003.
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) July 12, 2021
07.12.21 (Original)
Presentation Paradox – CNN
On Sunday's edition of "State Of The Union," Dr. Anthony Fauci joined host Jake Tapper. The pair decried the report from CPAC in Dallas this weekend, where a crowd cheered on some anti-vaccine rhetoric.
"It's horrifying ... it's almost frightening" -- Dr. Fauci on CPAC attendees cheering against Covid vaccinations pic.twitter.com/QUplEFb1s7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 11, 2021
Yet, as the desire in the press is to paint most of the anti-vaccine rhetoric as emanating from the conservative/Republican wing of the country, Tapper's own network provided us with conflicting data, with a poll in May showing that more Democrats are opposing the idea of getting vaccinated. Funny how that party was not scorched over the resistance to science and the national well-being.
Glossary Over Things – THE NEW YORK TIMES
The uprisings taking place in the island nation of Cuba are problematic for the press. One thing journalists consistently rely on is comparing a data point to that on the communist nation. Now, the people reduced to driving 1950s-era vehicles and buying black market hygiene products are taking to the streets, outraged over numerous atrocities they have tired of enduring.
You see the struggle from the Paper of Record, as they soften the response by saying "hundreds" were protesting in cities, even as the article described there being thousands in just one town. Then there was the pull quote that protestors who were shouting the term "Freedom" were invoking an "anti-government slogan." The significance of this appears lost on The Times, as was the fact that some of those calling for freedom were carrying the United States flag, a symbol that this same paper recently derided because many who fly that flag did so from the bed of pickup trucks.
Shouting “Freedom” and other anti-government slogans, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets in cities around the country on Sunday to protest food and medicine shortages, in a remarkable eruption of discontent not seen in nearly 30 years. https://t.co/BbqQPLrNiE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 11, 2021
Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – CNN
- Brian Stelter reaches out for comment from Tucker Carlson and gets commented into dust.
CNN's media analyst, who appears to think only one other news outlet exists, recently tried to suggest that Fox News was obsessed with him. It was so laughably lame of an attempted deflection that he managed to discredit himself instantly by promoting the paperback release of his book – that is centered entirely around Trump and Fox News.
Brian took his attention away from Fox News talking about him to refocus on covering Fox News, specifically the actions of Tucker Carlson and his claims of being spied upon by the NSA. Stelter has reframed the story a few times, and he has relied upon the concept that the network has not vocally supported Carlson sufficiently, a sign to him that they do not believe their popular host.
Stelter was in the midst of reporting that Tucker was furious with management for not supporting him, and he reached out to the Fox host for comment. And he received comment. It was a comment that does not align with all of Stelter's claims.
Carlson's response to my request for comment today: "I'm not mad at anyone at Fox. If I was, I'd say so. I'm mad at you for lying relentlessly. What a loathsome person you are. Please print that." We did print that... https://t.co/D4v98EUioO
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 12, 2021
DNC PR Firm – MSNBC
- The contemptible relationships do not apply when Democratic politicians join forces.
Anytime a Republican figure signs on with Fox News as an analyst, there is outrage in the press about the incestuous nature of the network with the GOP.
Notably, you see no such hysterical reaction when Democrats sign with compliant news networks, as took place on "Morning Joe" today.
JUST ANNOUNCED on @Morning_Joe: former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development & Mayor of San Antonio @JulianCastro joins as the newest NBC News and MSNBC Political Analyst. pic.twitter.com/gqbzWrM6rX
— MSNBC Public Relations (@MSNBCPR) July 12, 2021
Low Octane Gas Lighting – Daily Mail
Many in the press were agog at the annual Sun Valley conference, where billionaire titans of industry kite into Idaho to speak with politicians and media figures. Bill Gates gave a speech on Friday to the privileged set, imploring them to take immediate action regarding climate change, as it has become a dire global emergency.
It needs to be highlighted that the mode of transportation used by this assembled gathering of imports was significant enough to impact common travel routes.
- "So many of the attendees flew in on private jets, to hear the climate change talk, that the air space had to be temporarily closed. The busy private jet traffic on Tuesday saw the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration bring in restrictions on air traffic control, temporarily banning other planes from the country's West Coast to as far as Michigan and Canada from departing."
Gilded Reframe – THE BULWARK
Over at the foundering ship The Bulwark, they continue to drape themselves in contradiction, as the crowd that used to claim to be True-Cons™ continue to bask in liberal positioning. The erstwhile Ensign Tim Miller offered up a lengthy rebuttal to a recent passage from Kevin Drum that explained how liberals were fueling the recent culture wars. Of course, when those on the Left are smeared, the "conservatives" at The Bulwark have to rise up in defense.
- "Demagogues of all political persuasions have used these changes to try to create resentment as a tool to amass power. It’s the inflamers, the arsonists who are responsible for the 'war' part of the culture war."
Of note is a topic that is glossed over, which gives a predictable result. The passing mention of the BLM protests and riots leads, unsurprisingly, to blame leveled at Trump. Miller wants to impugn those supposedly inflaming social strife, but he does not have much in the way of criticism for those who were actually causing strife by lighting cities on fire.
