There's an Update on Security for Biden's Gaza Port and a New 'Peacekeeping...
Biden Blows Off Respects for Murdered New York City Police Officer
New York City Councilwoman Gets Ratioed Into Oblivion Over One Question
CNBC: Voters Want Trump to Combat Runaway Inflation
‘No Tampons, No Peace!’: Panic at Vanderbilt University Sit-In As Protestors Realize It...
Comer Urges Joe Biden to Testify As Part of Impeachment Inquiry
A Massive Government Assisted Caravan Is Heading Through Mexico
Americans React to Biden Skipping Out on Slain NYPD Officer's Wake and Instead...
How Does RFK Jr. Affect This Presidential Race?
Judge In Hunter Biden's Tax Fraud Case Doesn't Buy Attorney's Claims
New Poll Shows How Hispanic Voters Feel About Biden Describing Laken Riley's Alleged...
Who Will Replace Mike Gallagher? Poll Shows It's Pro-Trump Alex Bruesewitz’s 'Race to...
Flashback: Two Cycles After Running on Gore's Ticket, Lieberman Endorses McCain at GOP...
Here's When Impeachment Articles Against Mayorkas Will Be Presented to the Senate
Tennessee Music Venue to Host ‘Trans Day Of Vengeance’ Event One Year After...
OPINION
Premium

WaPo Takes Dysfunction to 'Lord of the Flies' Levels

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Townhall Media

"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.

06.06.22

Reporting on the Mirror - WASHINGTON POST

  • Somewhere, Ben Bradlee has to be weeping.

The amazement is not how much things are unraveling at The Post, but that just as you notice how bad things have become, they make things even worse. First, here on Friday, we detailed how bad the Taylor Lorenz debacle had become. 

Then on Saturday at RedState, I chronicled how bad of a week the paper had, and in the brief time since, the place has become even more unwound. 

After issuing the second, lengthier, correction to Lorenz's article, the reporter went off on a rant, declaring that she was BOTH a victim of an editor's error and a bad-faith campaign by conservative media. She then bravely locked down her account. 

Meanwhile, in the sandbox drama surrounding Dave Weigel committing the social crime of retweeting a joke, reporter Felicia Sonmez continued to stir up strife. When fellow reporter Jose Del Real spoke up that taking all of her complaints on the public forum was not proper, Sonmez took it as a personal attack and called on management to address the matter – again, on social media and not in a professional interoffice setting. 

The matter has become so sophomoric that managing editor Sally Buzbee had to issue a memo to all staffers to act professionally and treat co-workers with respect. 

Felicia Sonmez responded to her boss' message – by continuing to gripe in the public arena, all while complaining she was receiving impertinent comments from those in the public arena. 

Keep making the popcorn because all of this dysfunction does not appear to be ebbing anytime soon. 

Presentation Paradox – CNN

  • The Commission is so vitally important that people are not expecting anything important to come out of it.

This week, the never-ending Congressional January 6 Commission will be staging live hearings in primetime, and many in the press are thrilled that they will be able to dredge up the story of the Capitol riot once again. The problem is, beyond the giddiness seen in the press, not many are left caring about this story, and it is a contradiction that Brian Stelter unintentionally overlooks. 

In his "Reliable Sources" newsletter, Brian explained that this new hearing was primed to be a serious event: "I'm not arguing that the hearings are irrelevant -- I'm saying that they are important." 

And yet…

In his exhaustive list of opinions and coverage he provides, there are expert voices saying the exact opposite. 

- "'Unfortunately, I don't believe that it's going to move the needle,' former DC metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone, who was dragged and beaten that day, told Jim Acosta on Sunday. 'I think most of the people in this country are indifferent towards what happened on January 6.'"

Then he gives the impressions of another expert who also sounds less than eager.

- "Political scientist Brendan Nyhan said Sunday, how the 1/6 committee's findings are presented to the public 'matters a bit on the margin.' But there are 'a LOT of unrealistic hopes being put on the stagecraft right now.' He said the committee 'is fighting uphill against structural factors advantaging Republicans' plus a 'media desire for new revelations and drama that are unlikely to be forthcoming...'"

Soooo…these hearings are supposed to be deeply important, but few people expect anything new or important to come out of them. Sounds conflicting. 

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – LOS ANGELES TIMES

  • When providing coverage of a trial, it is NOT required to actually watch said trial, apparently.

Not content to allow the Washington Post to corner the market on risible corrections, the Los Angeles Times had to issue one of their own during their coverage of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict. 

It appears that Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Winton was covering the trial for the paper – only it seems he was not actually watching the trial. The paper had to issue a correction that actor Jason Momoa had not, in fact, appeared on behalf of his co-star Heard, as they reported. 

-  "An earlier version of this article included a paragraph about Jason Momoa testifying by video at the trial. The 'Aquaman' actor did not testify."

It turns out that Winton had been duped by a TikTok video that declared the actor made a video testimonial in court, with the audio altered as a gag. 

Legalized Press-titution – ABC NETWORK

  • But we are supposed to take his words seriously…

It has been well over 100 days since Joe Biden sat for an interview with the press. That would be back in February when he sat with Lester Holt for the traditional Super Bowl interview. Well, the announcement has come out that President Softserve will finally meet once again with an interviewer in front of the cameras. Just…not with an actual journalist. 

Biden will try to recapture the type of magic seen when he spoke with Cardi B on the campaign trail by sitting in with late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel this week. This will not generate the level of interest they expect, given Kimmel has said in the past he would not deviate from monologues that drove away a core of his Republican audience. 

Gilded Reframe – THE DAILY BEAST

It will not surprise that Wajahat Ali wrote a piece rooted in race; it is a topic with him more dependable than Max Boot complaining about Trump and being a former Republican. But as Ali posits a scenario where he contemplates leaving the country because of all the perceived horrors, there is a severe blindspot in his accusals.

We are given all manner of sources to blame for his list of inequities of this nation that "turns on us," as he claims: Trump, Republicans, Fox News, Q-anon, the Capitol rioters, and so on. 

Joe Biden, who was supposed to repair all of this and guide us to a better life, is barely even mentioned. 

Blue-Anon – MSNBC

  • Behold as Chris Hayes looks at the intent of the Founders and declares it to be a fringe theory.

Chris Hayes penned a thread where he was laying out gun rights followers as a kook segment who believes that owning weapons serves as a check against an oppressive government. 

Just read through and chuckle as Chris holds up the concept that citizens should simply roll over when government agents arrive in forceful fashion. His central concept is that the written intent of the Second Amendment is what he sees as being problematic, so the only conclusion, therefore, is that he believes the government should be able to march in and force the population into subservience. 

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos