"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage of 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.
04.18.22
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- See, the buck will not stop with Biden if it never actually arrives at his desk…
Clearly, the message has been received, and the press has eagerly joined in on the messaging. Looking over the numerous challenges in this country, it might be tempting for you to peer over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and look for action. Well, our betters in the journalism circuit are here to disavow you of that mistaken notion.
As it turns out, the president is kinda-sorta-in-a-way helpless to do anything, you see. ABC News announces that it is mostly the fault of…us.
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- "High consumer demand in the economy -- met with low supply -- is the main factor driving inflation. And the government is limited on intervening, according to experts who spoke with ABC News."
At CNN, John Harwood tries to shield President Biden as well, delivering a very tidy campaign message – for the Republicans.
there's just not much President Biden can do about ithttps://t.co/nQNo1SSLBU
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) April 17, 2022
On "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," they also had the orange flags out, trying to wave traffic past the very visible wreckage.
New media line: President Biden has nothing to do with causing inflation and has no power to do anything about it. @GStephanopoulos: “When it comes to inflation, there’s not much the President can do about it.” @MariaESalinas: “There’s not much he can do about it.” #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/CQKDxYjheM
— Brent Baker ???? (@BrentHBaker) April 17, 2022
And at MSNBC, they take it a step further. There is nothing that can be done – so the Democrats need to do as many other things right now!
Inflation dooms Dems' midterm chances, so they should pass as much as they can nowhttps://t.co/BM2dbAMHQX
— Stephen (@Stephen50653676) April 18, 2022
DNC PR Firm – DNC WAR ROOM
- As talking points go, it is golden – but as a factual statement, it is more worthless than lead.
Anyone reporting on Republicans cheering on inflation and giving Putin credit for this sure have a gift-wrapped talking point. After all, they all are convinced that the GOP is in bed with Russia, based on the debunked years-long talking point of collusion in 2016. The basis of this latest narrative is from the DNC War Room (run by a collection of wonks who served in the military, by the way), and they are pushing this with some linked journalism to prove their point.
While @POTUS is using every tool at his disposal to lower gas prices, Republicans are busy cheering on Putin’s price hike to score political points. https://t.co/aKeC09ZUXM
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) April 12, 2022
The problem?
Nowhere in this Bloomberg piece do they provide examples of Republicans cheering on the inflation numbers. Neither do they give examples of political points being scored. In fact – a second reading of the article shows that the word "Republicans" does not even appear anywhere in the piece.
Legalized Press-titution – NBC NEWS
- If only the Democrats would listen to Chuckles.
Chuck Todd hates two things: People who accuse him of being biased against the Republicans and bad news for the other party. On this weekend's "Meet the Press," we saw Todd resorting to his favorite topic. It is not any particular news item, but how any particular news item affects the Democrats.
This time around, it was inflation and how polls reflect mounting bad news for Biden and his party. Chaz is particularly upset that Biden's biggest group of support for him – young voters – is running away from the president in a dead sprint.
Gilded Reframe – WASHINGTON POST
Not every journalist is currently in the process of declaring Elon Musk granting more free expression is a threat to our democracy. Some are still busying themselves with the Florida law that does not target gays but is somehow homophobic. At WaPo, Kate Cohen struggled with the reality that the law makes no mention of LGBT+, attempting to spin this message-challenging problem as the fault of those who wrote the legislation.
- "This and similar legislation have been nicknamed 'don't say gay' laws, the Florida law does not, in fact, say 'gay' or 'transgender' or anything like that. It cloaks its discriminatory intent in studiously neutral language:"
This is where the unbiased and neutral non-partisan opponents in the press have to go in order to maintain the narrative. They have not been lying all along about the bill saying these things for months, it is that those dastardly politicians intentionally did not say homophobic things in order for them to…enact homophobic legislation…I think is the claim now being made. None of this makes much sense, but that is the inevitable result when you base your outrage on things you have to assume and project onto a law.
- "So how does everybody from gay rights groups to Disney know that these laws are anti-LGBTQ? Because they know what supporters of these bills mean by 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity.' To them, these aren't neutral terms that encompass an entire spectrum of human experience, including heterosexuality. They are 'woke gender ideology'"
From @KateCohen92: Hey, parents: ‘don’t say gay’ says ‘don’t say straight,’ too https://t.co/NFKIKAXDTd
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) April 15, 2022
Anti-Social Media – CNN
- If we open up social media to free expression, then EVERYONE will be as crude as journalists!
With all the reporters and media figures ordering fainting couches off Amazon in reaction to Elon Musk purchasing shares of Twitter, you knew Brian Stelter had to join the fray. Stelter is taking the position that letting people have more freedom of speech would be dangerous, and it would lead to the platform becoming a fetid swamp of outrage and trolls. "People don't play in the gutter! Most people don't want to send their kids to play in the gutter!"
Here's @LaurenSHirsch with the latest state of play about Twitter. "I suspect the Twitter board is very nervous about having this look like they are dismissing Elon outright," so they're going through the motions... pic.twitter.com/azAt1CEXnN
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 18, 2022
Then, just to underscore the impacted wisdom of this, the wrongheaded enforcement of the platform authorities, as well as a strong dose of elitism, look at how a foreign journalist who was actively promoting genocide against the Jews is permitted to have his account active and ongoing. Maybe Stelter is operating with a syntax technicality here. He was not playing but working in the gutter. Completely different.
Why does @miandawoodadv still have a Twitter account? He’s literally calling for genocide. Twitter seems to have a soft spot for anti-Semites. Also, how does Trump lose his Twitter account but Mian Dawood keep his? pic.twitter.com/auMPStIGaE
— Ian McKelvey (@ian_mckelvey) April 17, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – CNN
On his "State of the Union" show, Jake Tapper brought on singer Dave Matthews and framed the interview around the plight of Ukraine refugees. "It's an enormous humanitarian crisis, spurring many people to help, including my next guest - Dave Matthews. He's trying to help the best way he knows how."
Matthews explained things. "So many of us are part of the chorus – of people that are trying to turn the tide. I thought I would just join in as many ways as possible. So I got some friends together to play a song that I just finished writing."
.@davematthewsbnd performs new song in support of refugees on #CNNSOTU. https://t.co/Pg4iWWAP3x
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) April 18, 2022
Despite the way this was presented, this was not, in fact, a song written about the plight of Ukraine citizens. Matthews debuted this song in Mexico two months ago, in Cancun. That show was on Saturday, February 20, about one week prior to the Russian invasion of that country even commencing.
