"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.
02.08.22
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – NBC NEWS
The press is still having a tough time trying to unravel the bird's nest of a knot Stacey Abrams created with her elitist photo-op in a school. The image of her maskless, while surrounded by a throng of masked kids, was so bad she ended up tossing the pic down the memory-hole. Yesterday, the Washington Post resorted to "pouncing GOP" deflection, and today, NBC News goes even further.
Alex Seitz-Wald covered the mask takedown dustup, and he made a stretch so painfully broad he must require Tommy John surgery as a result.
Recommended
- "Abrams visited a Decatur elementary school to promote reading and Black History Month. But not since George W. Bush continued reading 'The Pet Goat' to Florida students on Sept. 11, 2001, has such a benign event turned into such a political blunder."
Presentation Paradox – MIAMI HERALD
So severe misrepresentation of things is at play here by The Herald, but since this is an article concerning Governor Ron DeSantis, the butchering of facts to make a point in a hit job is completely on-brand for the Miami paper.
The first problem is that this is certainly not an official stance, as that outfit makes it a point to not issue political positions. But further, over 40 Pedro Pan individuals took exception to the stance by the paper and independently signed a letter disputing the newspaper's presentation. The Herald has not reported on this detail, nor that some members appeared with DeSantis at a roundtable discussion on immigration and the border crisis.
Interesting that dozens of Pedro Pan residents not only disagreed with The Herald but wrote to the paper with their position established. No mention of this in the report, of course.
— Brad Slager - Aluminum Medalist 12oz Curling Team (@MartiniShark) February 8, 2022
@ChristinaPushaw https://t.co/sZovehks47 pic.twitter.com/OwpwKH7oFQ
News Avoidance Syndrome – CNN
For just a moment, we thought the unrealized possibility was becoming reality. Brian Stelter appeared poised to be finally doing a deep dive into the myriad problems at his network.
- "Through my coverage of various media industry scandals over the years, and through my first-hand experience with a few of them, I can confidently say this: The scandals are more intense on the inside than they may seem on the outside."
Well, now, this is impressive! Brian is going to set aside his usual partisan positions and instead resort to candor, giving us all an unvarnished look into CNN and how he, and his cohorts, are grappling with the scandal. This will be a revealing enterprise where we learn–
OH WAIT - He was talking about Spotify…
Media industry scandals are more intense on the inside than they may seem on the outside. And so it is at Spotify right now, as employees challenge management and condemn Joe Rogan... https://t.co/aliAp53b54
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 8, 2022
Both Kinds of Standards – WASHINGTON POST
- If written by a parody site, it would be written off as being too broad.
It has been commented on in the past that the press approach to reprisals on terrorists by our leaders is interpreted through the lens of partisanship. It becomes a dark hilarity to see the major papers resorting to it right before our eyes.
According to WaPo-
— Brad Slager - Aluminum Medalist 12oz Curling Team (@MartiniShark) February 8, 2022
- Donald Trump only killed impressive austere scholarly figures.
- Joe Biden eradicates horrible terrorists. pic.twitter.com/f1L9aGVv8z
Anti-Social Media – BUSINESS INSIDER
Dave Portnoy, the president of Barstool Sports, is a frequent target of the hypersensitive set in the media. He is also very adept at dealing with his critics. Not to say he is above criticism, but when it comes to Portnoy, if you are going to accuse him of something, you better be equipped with the facts.
Business Insider has been a regular source of accusations, and their last attempt involves accusations of sexual assaults Dave allegedly committed against some women. The problem for B.I. – Dave has receipts, and even when they do not look glowing for his character, he is willing to share. Portnoy has a series of text messages, police reports, and more to show that the women they cite as victims appear to be rather willing participants. This could become an interesting development; Portnoy is bringing a lawsuit against the writer and the outlet.
I Am Officially Suing Julia Black and Business Insiderhttps://t.co/Yh7K5eTfiJ
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 3, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – VANITY FAIR
I'm certain that the Wordle fans out there were eager for another article on the hot game. I'm less certain that they needed to hear about it from the likes of Monica Lewinsky. And I am not at all certain her impressions on this game involving at most half a dozen terms necessitated 1,200 words of insight.
WORDLE! ??????https://t.co/avv5FZaVjj
— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) February 4, 2022
