"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.
02.04.22
Legalized Press-titution – CNN
The LA Times has a deep exploration into the Jeff Zucker meltdown at CNN, and in the process, it certainly appears a reporter revealed that Zucker, and his network by extension, was working hand in hand with the January 6 Commission. When CEO of Warner Media, Jason Kilar, talked of the network's stature going forward, he mentioned that Zucker's departure would alter the values at the network.
This comment didn't sit well with CNN Washington correspondent Jamie Gangel. She details that news of Zucker's resignation has bothered not just random politicians but those currently investigating the Capitol attack.
- "Gangel said she received calls from four members of the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol 'who felt devastated for our democracy' now that Zucker has exited CNN."
How could these members declare that democracy is threatened by a network CEO being let go if he was not colluding with the commission? This is a deeply revealing admission from Gangel, who just on Monday came forward with her own exclusive from inside the committee.
"I think it's important to remind people Marc Short is a firsthand fact witness,"@jamiegangel on exclusive new reporting about key January 6 testimony from the chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence. pic.twitter.com/4DrmvQ6p8Y
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) February 1, 2022
News Avoidance Syndrome – CNN
- Recognizing the demon, but not the Devil who placed him in the position.
Also from that LA Times report was the detail they provided courtesy of a recording of a meeting Kilar held with staff in CNN's Washington bureau. Reportedly, Jake Tapper took exception with what he viewed as the Warners executive being cowed by threats made by deposed anchor Chris Cuomo.
- "Tapper was particularly confrontational to Kilar during the meeting, suggesting that WarnerMedia was caving to Cuomo, who is said to have vowed to retaliate against Zucker for firing him without pay. 'He threatened,' Tapper said. 'Jeff said we don't negotiate with terrorists. Chris blew the place up. How do we get past that perception that this is the bad guy winning?'"
Of course, in order to level this line of argument, Jake has to ignore that it was Zucker who not only placed the terrorist bad guy in this position, but he encouraged that behavior from him for over a year. Blaming Cuomo while excusing Zucker is like getting mad at a Gardner Minshew interception but not blaming the coach for putting him in the game.
Low Octane Gas Lighting – MEDIAITE
It was a candid moment in a live interview, and even when the host picked it up, Discovery CEO David Zazlav did not correct him. The exchange took place this morning on CNBC when Joe Kernan was interviewing the executive, discussing the fortunes of the tumultuous CNN. When assessing the network, he makes what sounds like a revelatory admission: "We're the leader in news to the left." Kernan noted this comment, and he replied, albeit with some jest in his tone.
- "Definitely to the left. Did you say to the left?" (Zazlav laughs at the comment.) "Man, you weren't kidding." (Kernan now laughs as well.) "That was an aside. I probably shouldn't have said that."
As can be seen, Zazlav had at least two or three opportunities to walk back his comment or clarify it to wriggle out of any implication. He did no such thing, but Mediaite was contacted over this. In their rather straightforward report on the interview, the outlet saw fit to enter a correction on their article.
- "Correction: Mediaite has learned Zaslav was referring to the left side of the Discovery portfolio, not the left side of the political aisle. Though Zaslav himself did not dispute the context of the comment when Joe Kernen asked for clarification, his true intent was made clear when Zaslav followed up by saying he views sports as being on the right side of the portfolio. Mediaite regrets the error. See an updated version of our story below."
That seems a bit of a stretch, especially when you consider that if this had been Zazlav's intent in his comment, he would have made a point of clarifying it as soon as he realized he had been interpreted as saying something else.
Anti-Social Media – NOS Journaal (Netherlands)
As the Winter Olympics are gearing up in Beijing, there are a number of problems and challenges for many. I detailed how athletes, advertisers, and broadcasters are grappling with a number of issues. NBC, for instance, has the broadcast rights to the games, but the network is sending no correspondents to Beijing, instead covering the games from here at home. While COVID has been the primary explanation, another has been tech security and the censoring standards by the Chi-Com government.
This last item has already been shown on display, as a Dutch news network experienced this firsthand. During a live broadcast from the games, NOS Journaal reporter Sjoerd den Daas was accosted by Chinese authorities and pulled away from the camera as he was reporting.
Onze correspondent @sjoerddendaas werd om 12.00u live in het NOS Journaal door beveiligers voor de camera weggetrokken. Helaas is dit steeds vaker de dagelijkse realiteit voor journalisten in China. Hij is in orde en kon zijn verhaal gelukkig een paar minuten later afmaken pic.twitter.com/GLTZRlZV96
— NOS (@NOS) February 4, 2022
Not the savviest authoritarians going when they do so on a live remote, instead of cutting off the feed first.
Gilded Reframe – GLOBE AND MAIL
- Maybe calling in the military to disperse peaceful families is not the way to get your message out.
We have now descended through the maple-looking glass.
Everyone still recalls the insipid reporters who stood in front of conflagrations set by arsonists during the 2020 riots as being examples of "mostly peaceful protests." Well, when the protest-loving media are faced with another protest, but it becomes one for an issue they dislike, the reframing of the activity reaches laughable proportions.
The Canadian truckers convoy has been impactful and draws huge crowds of support – and the press cannot stand it. There has not been a single reported incident of violence taking place, but here we are; we cannot call THIS protest non-violent because something just might…uh, happen…?
- "Police haven't reported any physical violence at the ongoing Ottawa rally against vaccine mandates and other government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, but critics warn that conflating the absence of bloodshed with 'peaceful' protest downplays the dangers of the weekend demonstrations."
So for your scorecards:
- Dozens of deaths and billions of dollars in damage = NON-VIOLENT
- Truckers honking their horns = VIOLENT
Calling the Ottawa protests ‘peaceful’ downplays non-violent dangers, critics say https://t.co/2emfRa5Jpc
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) January 31, 2022
