"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.
03.09.22
Prose & Contradiction – THE NEW YORK TIMES
James O'Keefe of Project Veritas has delivered a damning video that exposes the very fake narratives the mainstream press claims to loathe. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Matthew Rosenberg has been captured on tape completely downplaying the severity and the import of the mob riot at the Capitol in January 2021. This is as revealing an exposé as we can see of a reporter holding a particular set of views but then writing content 180 degrees out of phase of what he saw and experienced.
Speaking on the subject of January 6, Rosenberg is caught on hidden camera delivering a host of contradictions to his own coverage of the event:
- He states the media has been exaggerating the event.
- Facing the mob firsthand, he says, "We were just having fun."
- He declares, "There were a ton of FBI informants" mixed in the crowd.
- He ridicules reporters claiming to have been traumatized by the events.
Possibly the most revealing is when he is challenged directly on what he has said. "Will I stand by those comments? Absolutely." This, despite the fact that his writing primarily contradicted everything he stated on tape.
Project Veritas Catches NYT Reporter Admitting Inconvenient Things About January 6th
— RedState (@RedState) March 9, 2022
https://t.co/DXzkDtrjVZ
DNC PR Firm – CNN
The malpractice seen in the press regarding the Florida Parental Rights bill continues, only becoming more ardent with the resolution passing the legislature yesterday. At CNN's morning show "New Day," they brought on State Senator Shevrin Jones to rant hysterically about the new bill, surpassing all other hyperbolic declarations.
The politician bemoaned the content of the bill, of course, but then he went all the way over the horizon by declaring the likelihood this could lead to more student deaths. His contention is that – considering the law will control what is age-appropriate for only the youngest of grades – this will likely lead to an increase in kindergarten-age suicides. Not only did CNN hostess Briana Keilar fail to push back on this asinine claim, note how the very moment Jones brings up a study allegedly proving this CNN had a chyron at the ready to display his statistics. This whole clown show was scripted.
Fla. Dem @ShevrinJones warns bill restricting LGBT instruction in kindergarten will increase suicide.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 9, 2022
“The Trevor Project did a study, come to find out that LGBTQ youth are 4x more likely to commit suicide. Not because of the sexual orientation, but b/c of how they're treated" pic.twitter.com/A8C1uHcdFV
Body Checking The Fact Checkers – PROPUBLICA
At ProPublica, they have noted that in the fog of war, propaganda is emerging, and one of the tools being used by the Russians is to issue fact-checks against the information being delivered by those in the Ukraine. While fighting propaganda with propaganda is hardly a novel concept in wartime, what is unique is that the method seems deeply familiar.
The outlet notes that Russia is using debunking efforts that are, in and of themselves, misinformation efforts. It strikes as being rather ironic, given that using fact-checks to deliver misinformation has been a longstanding practice here in the U.S. with our media complex. Note this recent example from PolitiFact, where they confirmed a claim is accurate while declaring it FALSE at the same time.
You have to love PolitiFact rating Maria Bartiromo MOSTLY FALSE for saying we doubled crude imports from Russia, and then confirming her correct, then resorting to BUT the percentage is low. pic.twitter.com/NGIeIcTbJC
— Brad Slager - Digging into the CPAC 12-pack (@MartiniShark) March 9, 2022
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – PINK NEWS
Being someone who is not plugged into the activist/outrage set, it comes as a surprise to me that another social hurdle for gays has been cleared. The announcement has come down that the LGBTQ crowd can now have equal access to…the outside…I guess?
Meet the queer hikers proving the great outdoors isn't just for cis, straight, middle class folk https://t.co/gPYw3LIfZw
— PinkNews (@PinkNews) March 8, 2022
Not only are gays now permitted outdoors, but this also apparently wrests control away from the middle class, so now the wealthy members of society also will be able to enjoy the great landscape of our world.
Stealth Story Evolution – AXIOS
Axios is here to deliver the harrowing news on a new scourge across our continent – parachuting giant spiders will be spreading unchecked! The announcement is that an invasion of millions of large Joro spiders will descend upon us – literally. This Spring it is promised they will spread out all over the East Coast.
These are inches-long arachnids that can fashion a web into a windsail of sorts and use it to transport itself to new regions. But even as Axios describes a "Threat Level" regarding this plague, other details emerge.
The species has been around the Georgia area for almost a decade. The experts tell us there is nothing to be done to stop their spread. Oh, and they are completely harmless.
An invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand is expected to “colonize” the entire East Coast this spring by parachuting down from the sky, researchers announced. https://t.co/Dnwer6RC8j
— Axios (@axios) March 9, 2022
