"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.
12.13.21
This past week has been notably embarrassing for those on-air personalities still at CNN, and their behavior of late leads to a question. Is it possible the furor surrounding Chris Cuomo has been to their benefit, as it may have served as a distraction away from their own bouts of imbalanced behavior? It has barely been a week since Chris was dispatched, and the result seems to be the unwanted focus on the remaining talent.
Here is a clutch of the elevated thinkers at the network delivering their best and brightest commentaries.
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – CNN
- Don Lemon notes that GOP strategy of killing off Democrats is starting to pay off.
There is an odd statistic recently found that there has been a sharp rise in automobile fatalities this past year. It has been estimated that 2021 has experienced up to a +18% surge in vehicular deaths, but Don Lemon has been able to glean what this all means and has ferreted out the cause.
- "So what gives? Well, some experts are saying that this is due to an overall lack of civility in our society — a lack of civility we have seen at school board meetings. ... Over mask mandates. … And on airplanes."
And we all know who it is creating problems for school boards and spurning those mask mandates. Of course, Lemon did not come close to exploring the impact of defunding the police on this statistic, not that fewer police officers on the roads and fewer enforcing speed limits might impact things on our roadways. Nah, it's surely due to people not wearing masks in their cars.
Maybe we could attribute this rise in car fatalities to more of those last year being classified as Covid deaths? That's at least less unhinged than tying a connection to school board arguments.
Pathological Media Amnesia – CNN
- Jake Tapper manages to forget the lecture delivered by…Jake Tapper.
The desire to score a political hit on Senator Ted Cruz was so strong that Jake Tapper managed to not only forget what his segment with Senator Amy Klobuchar was to be centered on, he also managed to forget his very message itself.
When Tapper had Klobuchar on to discuss the passing of Senator Bob Dole, Jake fell into the same trap many pundits did this weekend in slamming Cruz for not wearing a mask at the wake. That video existed showing many around Cruz also taking their masks down was lost on Tappper, as was Sen. Klobuchar choosing not to engage Jake in his attempted slam.
Also, lost on the CNN pundit? That he and Klobuchar were likewise unmasked while sitting in near the same proximity during his alleged interview.
She also did not attack Jake Tapper while seated next to her while not wearing a mask, and while she too was unmasked, you cement-head hysteric.
— Brad Slager - Incontinent On Another Continent (@MartiniShark) December 13, 2021
They are all vaccinated, for the record as well, if that helps calm your nerves. https://t.co/Ch3qPTzPS9
Pre-written Field Reports – CNN
- One pundit dared to comment on the Jussie Smollet trial. It was a mistake.
Once the foregone guilty verdict for Jussie Smollet came in, many eyes turned to the media, who had uncritically supported the actor and enthusiastically reported his claimed racial attack story. Once the trial concluded, there was far less enthusiasm in the reporting, save for John Avlon. He was more than eager to jump in front of the camera to comment on the trial – by making it all about Donald Trump.
This means he has anger toward Trump, but none for Smollet, but there is one other detail he avoided while making his comparison. Just how similar is Trump's prevarications, when he was not the one to reach out to CNN celebrity Don Leemon for personal guidance, as Smollet reportedly had done following his non-attack?
WATCH: CNN's @JohnAvlon Taunts Trump as 'The Jussie Smollett of American Politics' https://t.co/7SmYrCpIvb
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) December 10, 2021
News Avoidance Syndrome – CNN
- Chris Wallace expresses excitement for a new platform…uh, that had always been available to him.
There was a measure of surprise and shock yesterday when Chris Wallace made the on-air announcement that after nearly two decades, he would be departing Fox News. It was less surprising to learn later he was signing with CNN. The idea is that he will be set up with his own show on the new streaming platform beginning next year, CNN+. Following his announcement, Wallace had this to say about the new venture.
- "I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape—and finding new ways to tell stories."
The only thing – he had that new freedom and flexibility all the time. Fox News launched their streaming platform, Fox Nation, three years ago, Chris.
We’re thrilled to welcome Chris Wallace to CNN as an anchor for @CNNPlus. His new weekday show will feature interviews with newsmakers across politics, business, sports and culture & will contribute to CNN+’s slate of live programming available at launch. https://t.co/6dgFzBd2QT pic.twitter.com/h8djkxClsB
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) December 12, 2021
Both Kinds Of Standards – CNN
- Say, Brian? If you want to paint Fox News as a crazy news outlet, maybe having the crazy cat lady on to do so is the wrong approach.
Following the Chris Wallace announcement, Brian Stelter dutifully covered the event on "Reliable Sources," and he gathered a panel to discuss what this means for Fox News going forward. He decided to address that channel's unhinged nature, and he turned over the table to the reliably imbalanced pundit Julia Ioffe to describe that network.
- "Fox is becoming like a crazy sauce that you keep on the burner... and gets more and more concentrated, and I think that flavor isn't for everybody."
Oh, Julia…
Here's the thing, maybe if you intend to sell people on the concept that Fox News is a hotbed of conspiracy nuttery, maybe uncorking your own hysterical commentary while doing so undermines your point of view.
Ahem, speaking of Crazy Sauce, Ioffe went on Tapper's show and said Trump "radicalized...more people than ISIS." Get off the burner! https://t.co/h6QYR61s65
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) December 12, 2021
DNC PR Firm – CNN
- Getting very objectively excited for Gavin Newsom's proposed radical new law in unbiased giddiness.
California's Kaiser of a governor, Gavin Newsom, recently hatched a new plan to stick it to Republicans and the Supreme Court by mirroring the new abortion law in Texas but using it to apply to guns. He wants to be able to sue those who put ghost guns on the street, in the way citizens can now sue illegal abortions in Texas.
Filling in for Jim Acosta on "CNN Newsroom" this weekend was Phil Mattingly, and he was rather excited about Newsom's broad-stroke law proposal.
- "So he got an idea. Why not create a law based on a similar principle? Only this time, it would give residents legal standing to file lawsuits against those who manufacture or distribute firearms. He tweeted, 'SCOTUS is allowing private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?! If that's the precedent, then we'll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets. If Texas can ban abortion and endanger lives, California can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives.'"
Mattingly then brought on PBS commentator and wife of John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, to discuss this wondrous idea. Hoover had to deflate Mattingly slightly by reminding the CNN expert that there is a legislative process that needs to be followed in order to see this brilliant law of Newsom's see the light of reality.
- "Look, it seems a little too cute by half. I mean, I understand what he's doing, and he's trying to make a point. But that law in Texas – by the way, the one in Texas and in Mississippi – these are laws that have passed through the legislature's lane by the governor. So I don't know that Governor Newsom can do this unilaterally. But he's trying to make a point."
Anti-Social Media – CNN
- What did they know, and how long did they know it?!
In his usual zeal to dig deeply into the problems of Fox News, Brian Stelter could not find the time to address the story that broke on Friday of a longtime CNN producer who was arrested for child sex crimes.
John Griffin was arrested by the FBI Friday for multiple charges of coercing underage girls to be trained by him to become sexually submissive. Griffin was a longtime producer of the CNN morning show "New Day" and has been directly working beside Chris Cuomo and John Avlon.
In a dose of irony, as Brian Stelter has long been a loud advocate of local news divisions, one such outlet was the source that outed who Griffin was.
Local news does most of the meaningful coverage of child sex abuse.
— An Open Secret (@AnOpenSecret) December 12, 2021
Local news ID’d John Griffin from the FBI arrest report, investigated his background and occupation.
Without local news, CNN would have quietly fired this pedophile and covered it up.
Suppprt local news. https://t.co/9o0v9ETEw0
