"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.
First Amendment Strike Force – CNN
To explain, there is not much surprise in seeing a Democrat looking to censor and silence voices they disagree with on principle. It has been a common trait with them for generations already. What is notable is a journalist being understanding about it. Granted, it is Oliver Darcy we are talking about, CNN's resident de-platform lobbyist, but it is still noteworthy.
At issue is a letter sent out by Senator Elizabeth Warren to Amazon, one that Darcy, in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter, describes as "scathing." He goes on to explain.
- "Warren said it was the second time in six months she's written to the company, which she said suggests 'that Amazon is either unwilling or unable to modify its business practices to prevent the spread of falsehoods or the sale of inappropriate products—an unethical, unacceptable, and potentially unlawful course of action from one of the nation’s largest retailers.' Warren is demanding the company respond to her letter within two weeks."
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What has the Massachusetts senator so riled? It is a selection of books that she has declared to be inappropriate. She does not explain what law is violated specifically, but the government pushing to ban publishing seems far closer to illegality. Of course, Darcy, who has pushed to silence and remove others in his past, sees no problem with this effort from a politician to effectively digitally burn books.
Amazon is spreading deadly myths and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines at a time when every step towards ending the pandemic could save countless lives. I'm asking Amazon to review & fix its search results to end this cycle of misinformation. https://t.co/m6UgO1sKHc
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 8, 2021
Both Kinds of Standards – POLITICO
Writing in "Politico Nightly," Dan Goldberg joins in with the growing list of journalists bemoaning the fact America is returning to normal and enjoying football once again. This has a bit of a twist, however. It appears that any form of enjoying football is dangerous.
- "'I'm very worried,' said Peter Gulick, an infectious disease expert at Michigan State University. But aren't most football games outside? Yes, and while that significantly reduces the risk of transmission, it doesn’t eliminate the risk. Packing people on top of each other in a stadium, where fans spend three hours cheering, screaming and high-fiving gives the virus plenty of opportunity to spread."
Okay, we get that – but there is a level of accepted risk fans are selecting. Some could opt to just watch the game in a less crowded environment and be safe, correct? WRONG.
- "Health officials aren't just worried about gatherings of fans at stadiums. The whole culture of football brings people together at bars."
Oh well, okay – we'll just stay inside. That way, we will be completely safe in our own…
- "'...or at homes around the big screen, the types of indoor settings where Delta thrives. You have a couple drinks, the mask comes down and pretty soon you’re yelling and screaming and you’re nose to nose with the person next to you,' Gulick said. 'I can see that happening. You start off strict, and by the end of the game you're in a whole other category.'"
So, it's football, isn't it? We need to just ban football for the sake of public health. We can expect the NFL to be receiving a letter from Senator Warren's office any day now.
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – BOSTON MAGAZINE
Hard to find much to gripe about this. If a resident wants to spend his time on copious specifics of doughnuts in a region, there is no reason to stop him. Boston Magazine profiled a local who is spending his time reporting about and recording the merits of apple cider doughnuts throughout the New England area.
You could mock that the magazine dedicates 900 words to the endeavor, but considering the intrepid eater has logged nearly 200 samples thus far, it seems worthy of merit.
a Cambridge man is on a mission to map out, and sample, every cider doughnut in New England—all 191 of them https://t.co/zsKWTFpH1t pic.twitter.com/hmVu8wzCNY
— Spencer Buell (@SpencerBuell) September 8, 2021
Prose & Contradiction – POLITICO
The entire Afghanistan fiasco has been a strain on the press. After spending so much time burnishing Biden's image before he even took office, cleaning up his ensuing mess has been taxing. This gets really amusing when the desire to blame Donald Trump is impacted by your cheerleading for Biden as the heaven-sent replacement. This quandary leads to articles such as this.
Now, we see the media that has firmly told us for eight months that Donald Trump did not win the election are resorting to pretending that Joe Biden did not win the election. This leads to criticizing Trump's current foreign policy...and this makes sense to them, somehow.
As evidenced by his calls to bomb Afghanistan, Trump’s foreign policy doctrine is, basically, undefinable.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 9, 2021
via @meridithmcgrawhttps://t.co/juQ9RzWHdC
Both Kinds Of Standards – LOS ANGELES TIMES
Recall years ago, when a rodeo clown made front-page news for a week because he donned a Barack Obama Halloween mask? It was called racist and intolerant, and how it represented the worst of our nation and showed we had not yet moved into a post-racial society.
Well, today, we see a far more direct instance of this racism...and it is no big deal. Larry Elder, campaigning for the governor's mansion in the California recall election, visited Venice to walk in a homeless encampment when he was accosted by a white woman in a gorilla mask who threw an egg at Elder.
Instead of spending column inches on hateful racism, the paper gave it all of one sentence and then dutifully interviewed those in the area who were upset with Elder's arrival.
Larry Elder cuts short Venice homeless encampment tour after hostile reception https://t.co/rrY832i6Dy
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 8, 2021
