"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.
02.10.22
Pre-written Field Reports – WASHINGTON POST
We learn in dramatic fashion that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing a nefarious agenda. His new school policies are said to "tear at the seams" of his state, the "debate has turned especially raw and emotional," and contain "wide-ranging impacts that carry over into the 2022 midterms." This is horrific-sounding! And it is only bound to get worse if…these policies ever actually become enacted.
You see, WaPo is screeching to the high heavens over proposed bills that have not even been passed through the state congress, let alone signed, enacted, and impacting schools.
Recommended
- "But as Florida lawmakers consider legislation to police what students are taught…"
Gotta love the take that it does not tear at the fabric of Florida to polarize people by race, it tears at the fabric of Florida to try to stop indoctrination into that polarization https://t.co/1bcl1BB7by
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 8, 2022
Matching Media Memorandum – CNN
- A CNN gabber impugning anyone else's leadership defines impotence.
First off, CNN's resident beta-male Chris Cillizza trying to diminish a political leader is flat-out amusing. Next, that ANYONE at CNN would attempt to call out Ron DeSantis as not showing true leadership is the nadir of delusion. After refusing for over a year to call out Chris Cuomo or the multiple examples of sexual harassment from staffers, maybe criticizing anybody else over a lack of leadership is something that should be steered clear of just by practice.
Like so many others in the press, Cillizza attempts to deride DeSantis over the Mike Pence comment regarding his influence on the election. The Florida governor declined to take a stand on the issue, one that has no impact at all on his job duties. This means he refuses to play along with the press in their "gotcha" line of questioning. That denial of their game has Cillizza rather cranky over the matter.
"He knows that Mike Pence IS right ... [but] he's not going to say anything to get cross-eyed with the base of the party. That said, that's not leadership."@ChrisCillizza on Gov. Ron DeSantis' refusal to answer whether he agrees the former VP couldn't overturn the election. pic.twitter.com/aULfgelRtW
— New Day (@NewDay) February 8, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL
In a laughably screechy column from the Sun-Sentinel editorial board, the gang goes after Ron DeSantis' Press Secretary Christina Pushaw for daring to question the press and acting defensively for her boss. You know, doing her job. The paper also leans heavily on the governor regarding the ginned-up controversy from last weekend about some goofball Nazis who acted up in Orlando.
The paper repeated the insipid charge that DeSantis is somehow guilty or complicit because he did not respond to barely a dozen Nazis in a quick enough fashion to their satisfaction, implying he is tacitly in support of white supremacists, or at least scared to condemn them. In order to lob this charge, however, the paper has to ignore that the governor had honored Holocaust Remembrance Day and called to "confront antisemitism where it rears its ugly head." That was not a follow-up CYA comment he made. That quote was from an event just two days before the idiotic Nazi rally.
South Florida Paper Ridicules Itself With Another Attempted Slam on Ron DeSantis
— RedState (@RedState) February 9, 2022
https://t.co/7oVMRkP7YG
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
It has become something of a parlor game, waiting to see just when the media complex will learn that their obsession with the January 6 riot is delivering negative results.
The cable news nets have spent a year on the story, and they have chased off their audience. On January 6, MSNBC and CNN ran day-long coverage of the anniversary and were blasted out of the water by Fox News the entire day. In a recent primetime series on the demise of our democracy, Jim Acosta could barely elicit a yawn.
Now comes an even broader piece of evidence. Pew Research conducted a poll and has learned that a year out from the Capitol riot, and following incessant coverage by the news nets, today fewer people assign blame for the attack onto Donald Trump.
New analysis of Americans' attitudes about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol: https://t.co/fSbcgjeDHh
— Brad Jones (@B_radJ_ones) February 8, 2022
Both Kinds of Standards – CNN
The "Reliable Sources" newsletter is more oblivious than usual. Penning the screed today, Oliver Darcy opens with coverage of the Canadian truckers protest – sort of. Specifically, Darcy goes on about how Fox News is covering the protest…for seven full paragraphs.
Look, it is valid to say that the network that took exception to Occupy protests is now appearing contradictory by backing the truckers occupying Ottawa, but to do so and not comment on how CNN once adored the occupiers and now has nothing but disdain for this gathering is not. They both do it, but only one side is wrong.
Look how Fox is scorched because they were clocked at covering the protest for EIGHT HOURS over the course of two weeks. I recall CNN providing live coverage of Black Lives Matter protests and riots for hours at a stretch. As mentioned above, when CNN and MSNBC commemorated the J-6 Anniversary, they combined for 40 hours of coverage – and that was over the span of a single day. But yea, Fox having the focus on Canada is out of line today.
CNN - ''FoxNews is obsessed with the Canadian truckers!!!''
— Brad Slager - Aluminum Medalist 12oz Curling Team (@MartiniShark) February 10, 2022
ALSO CNN - ''Here's our correspondent, LIVE from the Canadian truckers protest!'' https://t.co/TK8VNARLDf
Anti-Social Media – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
- What seemed inevitable has come to fruition.
The announcement came down this morning that the long-running weekly Hollywood periodical Entertainment Weekly was having their print run ended.
Breaking: Barry Diller’s media group will stop publishing print editions of Entertainment Weekly, InStyle and four other magazines it acquired last year. The titles will live on digitally. https://t.co/quY2k7CJY5
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) February 9, 2022
