"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.
07.28.22
Reporting on the Mirror – NEWS NATION
- We will find out just how much of a demand there is for Chris Cuomo.
It has been a quiet seven months for Chris Cuomo. We recently covered how he was discovered selling rather generic "FREE AGENT" t-shirts, but it appears he has landed a new gig after all.
Occasionally you see in sports a named head coach signing with a moribund franchise, and many speculate what the possible attraction could be. But in some ways, it is a cagey move because if you are taking over a 1-15 New York Jets, for example, you only have to show the slightest edge of improvement to establish a bit of job security. This comes to mind with the announcement that Cuomo will be on the air again this fall, on News Nation, at 9 pm.
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“The politicized media wants NewsNation to fail,” @danabrams says. He looks at some of the reactions to his @ChrisCuomo interview and the announcement that Cuomo is joining the network.#DanAbramsLive pic.twitter.com/rfWPxOaMQx
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) July 28, 2022
It is perfectly understandable if you are scratching your head over this announcement. News Nation is the reconstituted channel that used to be the Superstation WGN. Its programming does not crack the top-50 just among the news networks ratings. This could be where Cuomo has made the wise move. Even if he were to draw just 1/10 of the audience he had at CNN – roughly 100,000 viewers – that would basically double the current draw at the network. His announcement interview with Dan Abrams was not even the highest-rated show on News Nation that night.
Cuomo's Return to TV ranked 654th in all of television yesterday, averaging only 14,000 viewers in the key demo and 187,000 in total viewers. In fact, the Fredo exclusive wasn’t even the highest-rated show on News Nation...
— johnny dollar (@johnnydollar01) July 28, 2022
So sez @FTVLive https://t.co/lpgtlGmVT7
Prose & Contradiction – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- I'm sure Walker knows how to use spell-check, so he might be overqualified for media.
It is always fun when social media trolls try to insult someone's intelligence and commit grammatical errors in the process. You can ramp up that mirth when it is political pundits doing so, and in an embarrassing fashion.
David Axelrod AND Jennifer Rubin each attempted to insult the qualities of Georgia Senate Candidate Herschel Walker. Keyword - "attempted." That neither one was capable of formulating a sentence as they did so makes this attempt just golden.
Cannot make this up:
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) July 27, 2022
Both @DavidAxelrod and @JrubinBlogger are incapable of formulating a proper sentence as they attempt to mock Herschel Walker as being incompetent. pic.twitter.com/vuaa4BAFSd
Blue-Anon – THE NEW YORK TIMES
- They cannot spell "Quit" because they are still using the "Q."
The New York Times is still harping on the Qanon myth. What makes this all the more ridiculous is that it was The Times that claimed they had discovered the individuals – two political nobodies – who were behind the site that has not even been operational for a year and a half now.
But here is Stuart Thompson, detailing for us how those candidates who could be classified as Qanon devotees are getting pummeled in the primaries – yet going forward to say that many of the theories are supposedly now entrenched in the Republican Party platforms. Sooooo…the ideas are not working, and as a result, the party is adopting those positions anyway…got it.
QAnon themes have burrowed deeper into mainstream Republican politics this year, experts say, and the savviest candidates have found ways to leverage the conspiracy theory with voters without mentioning it explicitly. https://t.co/vLg284TM2k
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 25, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – 'THE VIEW'
- You know it is bad when they spend more days on the corrections than on the original report.
We detailed how the gals on "The View" had botched their coverage of the Florida Nazis at the TPUSA Summit over the weekend. First, they had to issue some corrections immediately after a commercial break that same broadcast. The next day, Sarah Haines made an on-air correction on two of the details the ladies were wildly incorrect about in the original commentary. Then yesterday, Whoopi Goldberg, who made the most egregious remarks, came on with her own apology/correction.
This is a sign of being a complete train wreck.
Round Two: Whoopi Goldberg make ANOTHER retraction of her irresponsible and disparaging comments against the students who attended Turning Point USA's event last weekend.
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 28, 2022
"It's not any better when I make assumptions about other people, which I did. So, my bad. I'm sorry." pic.twitter.com/BTLzbnSZVg
Both Kinds of Standards – PUNCHBOWL NEWS
We detailed how the press was acting outraged over the GOP not granting access to all media outlets last weekend. There has been barking and screeching over how this denial of journalists was a threat to the First Amendment, the free press, and tears at the fabric of society.
Then today came word that elected Senate Democrats – not election planners but standing politicians – had locked the press out of an economic policy meeting on the Hill. Maybe we should applaud Jake Sherman for not resorting to the yelling and gnashing of teeth over this episode.
A heads up to the Hill press corps. Senate democrats have barred reporters from staking out the room in which they’re discussing the reconciliation package. So dont waste your time going!
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 28, 2022
