"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.
09.03.21
DNC PR Firm – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- "We can't defend what she said, but we love the way she said it!"
It was widely reported how Jen Psaki handled a question delivered by Owen Jensen, a reporter from the Catholic news outlet EWTN. With the subject of the Texas abortion law cycling at the moment, Jensen came at the press secretary with a question regarding Biden's faith and his position on abortion being in opposition to the Church's teachings. Psaki turned rather petulant, and she all but snapped at Jensen in her answer.
- "He believes that it's up to a woman to make those decisions, and up to a woman to make those decisions with her doctor. I know you've never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant."
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The press was just gushing over her response here, raving how she took apart, snapped at, schooled, shredded, and pushed back at the questioner. Of course, the press did not analyze her response because while she sounded bold and assertive, she never managed to address the central aspect of the question regarding Biden and his faith.
Also at issue here, if this reporter has no agency on this topic because he is a male, then that also means that Joe Biden also has no business weighing in on the topic, and for that matter, the media needs to halt throwing his support of abortion in our faces. He is a male, after all, so his opinion has no merit, according to his own press secretary.
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- With these matching reactions, you almost have to wonder if plagiarism is at play.
Despite the numerous reactions, it appears there was one official description of yesterday's #PsakiBomb.
I believe it is safe to say just how Jen Psaki reacted to a male reporter yesterday! pic.twitter.com/RBEYpjIPVt
— Brad Slager - Focused On Lasers (@MartiniShark) September 3, 2021
Body Checking The Fact Checkers – USA TODAY
Strap in – this is a long and hectic ride.
Sympathies may go out to the fact-checkers these days because their self-appointed task of burnishing Joe Biden is made near impossible by the man himself. The latest involved the news that while attending the arrival of the fallen Marines from the Kabul airport, Joe Biden repeatedly checked his watch during the transfer of the fallen. Daniel Funke of USA Today tried mightily to defend him, stipulating that Biden only checked the watch at the very end of the proceedings. Funke relied on C-SPAN footage of the event, which covered the caskets a majority of the time.
Then problems arrived. First was the photo and video evidence going viral on social media. Then there was the fact that numerous family members in attendance stated on the record he was checking his watch throughout the event. Even the Washington Post quoted a wife of a fallen Marine saying he did so repeatedly.
Finally, USA Today had to issue a correction. Understand – this means that not only have they already reported on the event, but they fact-checked the details with a supposed definitive conclusion. And they still got it wrong. Then, as the correction came in, the paper still could not state that it was verified.
- "Corrections & Clarifications: This story was updated Sept. 2 to note that Biden checked his watch multiple times at the dignified transfer event, including during the ceremony itself. The rating on this claim has been changed from partly false to missing context."
This means that the testimony of a widow, two fathers, and a mother of four fallen Marines is not enough for USA Today to confirm a story.
Reporting on the Mirror – MSNBC
- With legislation this important, how will it impact the pundits?!
On the daily version of "Meet The Press," they were discussing the Texas abortion law, and former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill was in the process of giving her impression, and she began to have palpitations on air. No, not a result of Chuck Todd's all-consuming masculinity, but over her reaction to the passage of the law.
WATCH: @clairecmc calls Texas abortion ban “an outrageous workaround” of Roe v. Wade that creates “a private police force.”
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 2, 2021
“My heart is beating so fast right now. … I want bounty hunters after the people who are raping their children” not hunting women seeking abortions. pic.twitter.com/Cx68WzoB9C
The jury is still out if this was insensitive of McCaskill or a cagey bit of stagecraft that she was experiencing an arrhythmia attack in response to the Fetal Heartbeat Law.
Presentation Paradox – MIAMI HERALD
Well, it has been nearly a week, so it is time for another press outlet to arrive with a slanted hit piece on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that will fall apart like a teenager's excuse after curfew. The latest is the claim that Covid cases in Florida are mushrooming – much like they are in numerous states across the country – but the state is using a new counting method in order to display dropping numbers. Some of this is accurate in that it is a newer method. It is also a more accurate method, as it tabulates each day instead of resorting to large-scale document dumps that artificially inflate the case rates.
So this is not, in fact, a "new" counting scandal. It is the Miami Herald glossing over the portion of their article showing a revised accurate counting that began weeks ago, in keeping with CDC reporting.
- "The dramatic difference is due to a small change in the fine print. Until three weeks ago, data collected by DOH and published on the CDC website counted deaths by the date they were recorded — a common method for producing daily stats used by most states. On Aug. 10, Florida switched its methodology and, along with just a handful of other states, began to tally new deaths by the date the person died."
It is a more accurate method, and therefore, it reflects dropping cases because the cases are, in fact, dropping. But this is not proper according to the newspaper because...well, they do not like this drop in cases.
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Maybe with all the errors this week, the fact-checkers took an early weekend.
When President Biden spoke out against the new Texas law, he lapsed into his usual tactic of gross exaggeration and severe numerical error. Seriously, the guy should really just steer clear of numbers in general.
When he was lashing out at the law, he made this statement, which has eluded the steely gaze of the professional correction agents in the press.
Noting there is no rush from the fact-checkers on this quote from Joe Biden yesterday.
— Brad Slager - Focused On Lasers (@MartiniShark) September 3, 2021
Not sure how it is that millions of Texas women are denied an abortion by the state's new fetal heartbeat law, when nationwide there were fewer than 900K abortions last year. pic.twitter.com/4TclTHLHqr
For the sake of accuracy and context (two things the checkers LOVE), Texas had below 55,000 abortions last year, nowhere near "millions."
