"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.
04.19.22
Anti-Social Media – WASHINGTON POST
Among the most insufferable journos out in the industry has to be Taylor Lorenz, the tech reporter the Washington Post recently hired away from The New York Times. Lorenz has a deeply troubling history of questionable ethics – as well as a history of crying about mistreatment that arrives as a result of her handiwork.
She has wrongly accused tech CEO Marc Andreesen of anti-social behavior on one platform and targeted a random user on ClubHouse for being wrongly accused of anti-semitic posts, despite being a devout Jew himself, something Lorenz intentionally hid in her accusatory posts. She is fond of creating online firestorms and then deleting her tweets to sidestep culpability.
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Her latest hit job needs to be framed in proper fashion to display her complete hypocrisy. Recall when Tucker Carlson reported on her antics, she wailed about being exposed by the Fox host – because he dared use her name and photo in his report, the photo on her bio at The Times, mind you. Early this month, she listed off unacceptable acts in regards to what she experienced. Recently, she gave an interview where she criticized silencing methods used on journalists. Then there was this laughably lame segment on camera where she broke down emotionally while telling MSNBC about the horrors of being targeted online.
This was Taylor Lorenz a couple of weeks ago.
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 19, 2022
She was crying victim of "harassment”.
Today she tracked down and harassed family members of the @libsoftiktok account for an article she’s working on.
It turns out Taylor’s the perpetrator, not victim.pic.twitter.com/CifXGvASCV
With that preamble, the Washington Post puts out a Lorenz report where she exposes who is behind the popular Twitter account Libs of Tik Tok, where leftists are displayed with the very videos they have posted of themselves. This is alleged to be slanderous and misinformation, and it is all the justification for Lorenz to go after who was behind the account. Understand that every single thing Lorenz has wailed about – doxxing, harassing, targeting women, smearing loved ones, silencing voices – was on display by her in creating this hit job. She has even been exposed going to the homes of family members of the account holder. But if anyone DARES to comment about Taylor Lorenz by name, they are committing an act of harassment.
Hi @TaylorLorenz! Which of my relatives did you enjoy harassing the most at their homes yesterday? pic.twitter.com/QehkBSgcmG
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) April 19, 2022
First Amendment Strike Force – WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS
- It was a bad Bunny day for Biden.
The annual Easter Egg Hunt at the White House took place over the weekend, and it is a sign of just how bad things are in the administration that a frothy PR event aimed at kids managed to deliver a series of bad optics for the president.
During a book reading to children, Joe fumbled after whining that his wife would read to the kids. Then in a segment of a book about a black sheep, Joe made a direct reference that he was just such a figure in his wife's eyes.
Jill Biden: "Black sheep, black sheep, what do you see?"
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 18, 2022
Joe Biden: "I see Jill looking at me." pic.twitter.com/OwxACGNnGq
Following this, Jimmy Fallon was in attendance to also read to the kids. When this portion concluded, Biden wandered off and began speaking randomly. The press office moved to cut off his live mic, made evident by the fact that we could still hear Fallon as he reacted to what Biden was saying.
.@jimmyfallon reads NANA at White House Easter Egg Roll, accompanied by President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. pic.twitter.com/5pmKQ16Xfw
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 18, 2022
Then came the embarrassment that Biden was repeatedly steered away from conversations by – the Easter Bunny. In one instance, he began speaking to reporters on Afghanistan, and immediately the censorious rabbit literally hopped in and ended his commentary. It turns out this was purely designed ahead, as the White House communications team was placed inside the two rabbit costumes to control the president.
.@POTUS @FLOTUS SURPRISE! pic.twitter.com/tE1dvRYkj6
— Meghan Hays (@MegHays46) April 18, 2022
Both Kinds of Standards – YAHOO SPORTS
- You know, while you are tossing around that 'hypocrisy' label…
There has been a flurry of reports in the sports journalism sphere about Colin Kaepernick possibly landing on an NFL roster this postseason – yes, again. The quarterback who has been out of the league for five years is really pushing to be reinstated, and he recently appeared on a podcast to discuss his options.
In the discussion, he carps about the NFL signaling about black social issues but still holding him at bay. Yahoo, in detailing the conversation, describes the league's reticence to reinstate Kaepernick.
- "Were the NFL team owner class actually committed to helping eradicate anti-Black racism in this country, it would heed Kaepernick's words and realize how foolish the league looks. Were the owner class actually concerned with racism on a level beyond stenciling in the end zone, it would acknowledge that fans have supported Kaepernick's right to protest for awhile [sic] now."
There is some validity to this, but if you are going to call out the NFL over hypocrisy, what about Kaepernick himself? He is, after all, the man who, in his Netflix bio-drama, described the league as a slave market and called coaches overseers. Why would he want to re-enter such an evil entity as that?!
Colin Kaepernick dismantles NFL's hypocritical — yet effective — messaging against him in rare on-record interview https://t.co/Uau4ERJYcd
— Opening Day Game (@OpeningDayNFL) April 18, 2022
Body Checking the Fact Checkers – USA TODAY
When the Biden administration is just too filled with embarrassments to rectify, it is better off for the fact-checkers to engage in look-busy type of work. After all, if you are occupied with combing through social media to correct random accounts wrongly posting stewardess photos from the early 1900s, which are actually pictures of Brittany Spears, who has time to wade through the inaccuracies from the administration?!
Fact check: Image shows Britney Spears, not first female flight attendant - USA TODAY https://t.co/sfU1CAQzJG pic.twitter.com/uSIsNHkxMg
— Britney Spears Fans (@fansofbritney) April 19, 2022
