"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.
03.16.22
DNC PR Firm – VOICE OF AMERICA
- And tonight, the role of Frank Drebin saying "Nothing to see here" will be played by Patsy Widakuswara.
Last night, President Biden gave a disaster of a presser. He led off by misidentifying Doug Emhoff's stature, repeatedly being corrected on how he is not the husband of the First Lady, and then calling him the Second Lady. He next followed that cringe-fest by butchering the name of the Ambassador to the U.N. as he was reading her name off the teleprompter.
Anyone watching this wheels up in a ditch performance would call it what it was – embarrassing. That is, anyone besides those working in the pliant media circles. At Voice Of America, their correspondent Patsy Widakuswara beheld this spectacle and leaped to deflect on behalf of the president.
There was perhaps a poorly-delivered joke when @POTUS said the "first lady's husband contracting COVID". He was referring to the @SecondGentleman who apparently tested positive. pic.twitter.com/TpAsjHFmPF
— Patsy Widakuswara (@pwidakuswara) March 15, 2022
Legalized Press-titution – CNN
Whenever Chris Cillizza attempts to get into the tall grass of political analysis, you know it will end up about as well as a kitten attempting to jump down from a bunk bed; you know it will end poorly, but it is still amusing to watch. This latest sees Chris addressing the concept that in Washington, things have become uniquely polarized, and he has discovered the cause.
Republicans have grown *much* more conservative than Democrats have grown liberal over the past 5 decades https://t.co/gFYaAaSpnK
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) March 15, 2022
That's an impressive 10/1 ratio, partner. Chris cites a Pew Research study that claims, using an arcane numbering system of roll call votes, that Republicans have moved to be more conservative at a rate four times higher than the Democratic Party move to the left. The problem; a similar study was done by Pew just five years ago showing a huge move left by the Dems, and that party was not exactly trending toward the middle during the Trump administration.
Peer over this list and try to come up with GOP policies anywhere near as far on the right-wing.
- Hillary & Obama flipped on gay marriage
— Brad Slager - Coming Out of Retirement...Village (@MartiniShark) March 16, 2022
- Dems nearly nominated a socialist for President
- Dems defund police
- Dems back infanticide
- Dems promote males in female sports
- Dems want to eliminate our energy grid
- Dems allow illegals to vote
Cillizza: 'THAT DAMNED GOP!!!' https://t.co/lNKWqDTstn
Pre-Written Field Reports – KYIV INDEPENDENT
- Adopting the anti-Fox bias from the Western news outlets in real-time.
The tendency of news outlets to reflexively lash out at Fox News appears to be a contagious condition. Here we see a Ukrainian journalist complaining that the network allegedly was hiding or ignoring the death of the journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova. Fox had, in fact, reported on the event in detail throughout the day, but after many other outlets had detailed the death. There was a reason behind this delay.
As Fox reporter Trey Yingst explained, the network was pausing until they were certain her family was properly notified and they had received proper permission from them. In other words, those other networks said to have heroically reported on it were insensitive and reckless.
There was a reason Fox News didn't initially mention Sasha. My bosses were on the phone with her parents multiple times before we could even confirm she had been killed. This wasn't a grand conspiracy to leave out Sasha, it was an effort to respect the wishes of her loved ones. https://t.co/kCXTupmvAr
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 16, 2022
Stealth Story Evolution – G4TV
Over at partner site RedState, Brandon Morse picked up on a rather curious turnaround seen from the gaming portal G4TV. This past January, during one broadcast, it featured a feminist gamer who went on a lengthy rant about sexism in the gaming sphere, a screeching tirade lasting three minutes that accused the audience of being hateful objectifiers, during which she actually said to the cameras, "If you don't like it, don't watch it!"
Well, the audience took her up on that offer. Subscribers to their YouTube channel plunged nearly 90% just 30 days after that performance. It seems the producers have made a decided change, moving away from featuring angry activists who demonize the audience. One recent episode had a notable departure from acerbic feminists.
A Desperate G4TV Reverses Course After Woke Feminist Rant Crashes the Channel, Now Features Women In Bikinis https://t.co/ix0wdIvscm
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) March 15, 2022
Anti-Social Media – POLITICO
One of the lasting images from the January 6 riot at the Capitol last year was a picture taken prior to the attack. Entering the building, Senator Josh Hawley responded to a gathered crowd and raised a fist over his head as a sign of support. Opponents have since used that image for the past year to brand him as a compliant supporter of the riot.
With his race for reelection ahead, Hawley is turning that image into a branding opportunity to raise funds – but Politico is not pleased. The photo of him was taken by a small news agency that the outlet purchased this past December, and they are claiming copyright intrusion.
Politico Makes Petty Move, Barring Josh Hawley From Using His Own Imagehttps://t.co/8aweDk3JIm
— Townhall Media (@TownhallMedia) March 15, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – CNN
Sometimes you can hear Ron Klain's voice, even when it is an anchorperson speaking. As the White House insists on attempting to repair the economy via blind insistence, many news outlets are willfully playing along. Cue CNN, who dutifully states that airline tickets are so high now not due to gas prices, but because so many people are now traveling.
This, even as one travel expert is quoted defying their headline.
-" 'Even with this strong traffic, the airlines can't recapture all the higher fuel cost, particularly if they go up quickly,' he said."
Blame the return of passenger demand — rather than fuel prices — if you pay more for a flight this spring or summer https://t.co/5RqXyLTRkh
— CNN International (@cnni) March 16, 2022
