"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.
07.13.22
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- This is how you sell us on the concept of the hearings being a serious affair?!
For over a year, the press has been insisting on what a vital and historic political event this January 6 Committee has been. The lack of gravitas in anything they have uncovered is one indicator this is not a serious affair. Here the committee provides some gripping footage of meetings taking place among administration officials.
On Dec 18, 2020, Sidney Powell, Lt. Gen. Flynn, and others entered the White House for a meeting.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 12, 2022
The meeting lasted multiple hours and included two groups of Trump advisers trading insults, accusations of disloyalty to the president, and even challenges to physically fight. pic.twitter.com/azqHAENbmB
But when it comes to reporting on the pertinent details, our journalist superiors have discovered what it is we need to focus upon.
Recommended
''We are serious journalists, and this J-6 Committee hearing is serious, and we need the American public to take this seriously.'' pic.twitter.com/XJGeFAJaRV
— Brad Slager - Unique Taco/Lifetime CNN+ Subscriber (@MartiniShark) July 13, 2022
Hoax & Change – NBC NEWS
- We ask witnesses questions, but we do not question witnesses!
Not all reporters were flippant about the committee hearing – but that does not mean they were taking their job seriously.
Sahil Kapur detailed the testimony of one of the witnesses, but the last thing he, or the committee members, would dare to do is challenge or correct the misinformation delivered to the cameras. When one witness declared police had been killed on January 6, the last anyone would dare do is correct the record.
Former Oath Keepers spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove: "We need to quit mincing words and just talk about truths. And what it was going to be was an armed revolution. People died that day. Law enforcement officers died... This could have been the spark that started a new civil war." pic.twitter.com/ndDk7tvU0u
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 12, 2022
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – POLITICO
Politico has decided they wanted to join in on the media effort to lean on Ron DeSantis. Given the laughably poor record of damaging the governor, this appears a foolhardy effort, and Politico had about the same measure of success as prior efforts.
This is a rather arcane hit job, but the outlet thought they had DeSantis caught in a contradiction. The writers found a contractor with the state that provides CRT training materials, and this was suggested as a severe contradiction. The problem: The CRT materials are not the only types of services the company offers, and the work done for the Department of Education was not through the governor's office and did not involve anything remotely controversial.
Other than that, the story was…well…
Politico Joins in on the Media Taking Aim at Ron DeSantis, Has the Same Problem Hitting the Target https://t.co/x0fWUVTCtH
— Christina Pushaw ?? ???? (@ChristinaPushaw) July 13, 2022
Gilded Reframe – THE NEW YORK TIMES
The New York Times has taken a look at impending laws regarding the recording or addressing of disinformation. It would seem that supporting free speech is not as noble of a cause as one might think. The Times has taken a rather biased approach, as they have determined that so-called blue states are on the side of truth and red states want to allow all manner of damaging speech. Yes, seriously.
- "In blue states, lawmakers have tried to force the same companies to do more to stop the spread of conspiracy theories and other harmful information about a broad range of topics, including voting rights and Covid-19. In red states, the focus has been on protecting conservative voices on social media, including those spreading baseless claims of widespread electoral fraud."
NY Times Tells on Itself in Story on Republican/Democrat Approaches to the Flow of Informationhttps://t.co/1nxBnekg3j
— Townhall Media (@TownhallMedia) July 12, 2022
Pounce of Prevention – THE HILL
In order to lend protection to Dr. First Lady Biden, The Hill sees the real issue with the taco controversy generated by the rather narrow words she used for Hispanics. Despite a wide swath of Latinos who heard her words and decided it would be fun to mock her – including the decidedly not-right-wing National Association Of Hispanic Journalists – The Hill pinned down that those focused on Jill's words were only on the right.
Right rips Jill Biden for saying Hispanic community as unique as "breakfast tacos" https://t.co/Yv4agwPemc pic.twitter.com/LuGUdKFeUy
— The Hill (@thehill) July 12, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – REUTERS
- Bringing down the billionaires by getting gouged over crappy ice cream is a weak flex, just saying.
This is not a complaint of the ice cream vendor – they have this wired in and are on point. But the customers…you need to ask a few questions.
What we are presented with is an ice cream truck selling frozen confections that are in the facial shapes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and others. The concept is that this way, customers get to "Eat The Rich."
You could question exactly how they are making a social statement by actually engaging in the practice of capitalism. But then you could also look into exactly what they are accomplishing by paying $10 DAMNED DOLLARS for crappy soft-serve frozen avatars in a bid to stick it to the billionaires.
New Yorkers can take a bite out of capitalism by munching on popsicles shaped like the heads of billionaires Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg near McCarren Park in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/oD8JEZhkeW
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 13, 2022
