"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.
06.02.22
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Is a two-month discrepancy in messaging really that big of a deal?!
It has been a tough entry period for newly christened White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and now we are starting to see some of the disconnect inside the White House that had been better obscured by her predecessor Jen Psaki.
On the matter of the widening baby formula shortage, KJP was asked about the matter, and she made the statement that the administration has been on top of the issue since February.
Reporter: "When was someone called here at the White House and say the [baby formula shortage] is a problem?"
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 1, 2022
Jean-Pierre: "I don't have a timeline on that. All I can tell you, as a whole of government approach, we have been working on this since February." pic.twitter.com/AoPoV7P8b5
The issue: Her boss appears to be operating on a different timeline, suggesting that they were made aware of the problem in April. As this came to light in the press briefing, it is quite noticeable how few news outlets are covering the glaring messaging problem coming out of the White House about another glaring problem.
Reporter: Why didn't you move quicker on the baby formula shortage?
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 1, 2022
Biden: "I don't think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of Abbott facility."
Reporter: "Didn't the CEOs just tell you they understood it would have a very big impact?"
Biden:"They did but I didn't" pic.twitter.com/ei2e1N5mkY
Presentation Paradox – THE ROOT
Yesterday, the jury handed down its verdict in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, and it was good news. It means we are spared any more trial coverage!
But it is not all happy news. It turns out that the jury ruling against the pampered and privileged blonde actress Heard is actually a decisive blow to the future prospects and safety of…black women?!
- "For Black women, who do not have whiteness or fame or money to protect them, Heard's words of the verdict as a setback ring especially true. Whether you believe her or not, the way the world treated Heard was downright cruel and uncalled for. Not only were her bruises placed under a microscope by forensic experts during the trial, social media joined in on the skepticism."
Amber Heard Verdict Sends A Message To Black Women Everywhere https://t.co/Hq4z5Zcqm2 pic.twitter.com/JnoPg4zwWE
— The Root (@TheRoot) June 1, 2022
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – THE BLACK WALL STREET TIMES
- Delivering a half-truth in order to maintain accuracy.
The news of the shooting of staff members at a hospital in Tulsa was disturbing, yet it led to some wild leaps in logic. One politician came forward to declare this incident a clear case of "white supremacy."
We can't even process one mass shooting before the next occurs.
— Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (@AMBichotte) June 2, 2022
Today’s atrocity in Tulsa happened on the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Black Wall Street massacre. White Supremacy is clearly a factor.@JoeBiden https://t.co/78xXaUXR2W
Not clear is how a black shooter targeting a black doctor is a case of white criminality. Also not helping matters is when news outlets present partial information on the incident that can frame things in an incorrect manner. While mentioned in the body of the piece, announcing in the headline how only a black doctor was targeted is a way of getting the story framed in a particular manner.
“The shooter could not find this physician, and that elicited you know, his behavior at the shootings,” City Councilor Jayme Fowler told CNN. Police say the shooter was a "Black male" in his mid to late 30s.https://t.co/RkY8D4HHNx
— The Black Wall Street Times (@TheBWSTimes) June 2, 2022
Pre-Written Field Reports – WASHINGTON POST
Not to be outdone in the slanted race coverage is the Washington Post, which makes things even worse with their coverage of the Tulsa shooting by attributing race as being involved, yet never mentioning the race of the shooter. The implications left hanging are rather disturbing in this report.
- "In New York, a White man is accused of killing 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store on May 14. Payton Gendron, 18, burst into a Tops Friendly Markets store and shot 13 people — 11 of them Black, investigators said. The latest incident came on the 101st anniversary of another horrible event in Tulsa, when a White mob pillaged a Black neighborhood, killing hundreds in one of the worst episodes of racial violence in the nation's history. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) described Wednesday's hospital attack as 'a senseless act of violence and hatred.'"
Tulsa gunman killed his doctor and 3 others in hospital attack, bought one of his guns the day of the shooting, police say https://t.co/8ElSVnBSl4
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 2, 2022
Gilded Reframe – MSNBC
On "Morning Joe," the crew gave a promotion segment for a new series that explores the cause behind a significant shift in the Hispanic voting base toward conservatism. Of course, there could not be substantive political issues leading to this change; the reporter behind this series, Paola Ramos, manages to see something far more nefarious at play.
In describing what she found for the new docuseries on Peacock, Ramos describes Latinos as a group that is easily duped by propaganda.
- "When you go to a battleground state like Florida, when we think of 2020, we heard that story of communism every single day. Many Latino voters chose Trump because of that fear. What we found this time is that today's polarized environment, the disinformation, the culture wars we see every day on TV, the extremism – all of that is feeding off feeds off that fear of communism and disinformation."
Paola Ramos explores the rightward shift of Latino voters in a new @MSNBC series. Watch "Field Report with Paola Ramos," tonight at 10pm ET on @MSNBC and streaming on @PeacockTV. pic.twitter.com/d8nhvhp1iD
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 1, 2022
Great selling point to bring Latinos back to the Democratic fold – tell them they are too naive or stupid to realize they are being manipulated.
