"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.
08.02.22
Anti-Social Media – NEWS NATION
After a lengthy period away from primetime news nets, Bill O’Reilly has been cropping up with some regularity on the Dan Abrams program shown on News Nation. It appears these might have been regarded as auditions, as the Daily Beast reports that O’Reilly is being brought on the network as a regular contributor.
This comes immediately after it was reported that Chris Cuomo was joining the same network, taking on a new nighttime program this fall. Add Bill to the list of sexual assaulters there, which includes News Nation President Michael Corn - who had to leave ABC News in scandal. Maybe the channel can create a new undercover program called “To Catch A Pundit.”
EXCLUSIVE: NewsNation is apparently not done stacking its roster with media men accused of misconduct.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 1, 2022
After the Chris Cuomo hiring announcement last week, Confider has learned that Bill O’Reilly is now in talks to join the fledgling cable channel. https://t.co/V7DWacR8JP
Prose & Contradiction – CNN
- Drawing attention to a better result is just another oblivious move for Brian.
Despite calls from CNN’s new bosses to be even-handed and back away from bias, it is really the kind of story Brian Stelter could not avoid doing, considering it concerns both Donald Trump and Fox News. You have to know the reaction was on par with an addict lapsing.
In his newsletter, Brian was covering the story of the former president engaged in a feud of sorts with the rival network – and you can just picture him nervously scratching his limbs in anticipation of getting his fix. In a follow up quote, Stelter mentions one Fox personality, in curious fashion.
- “On Sunday's ‘MediaBuzz,’ Howard Kurtz said ‘there is no edict whatsoever against having Trump on this network.’ He said he invited Trump on his program relatively recently, indicating Trump is turning down Fox, not the other way around.”
The curiosity here is that Kurtz is not Stelter’s direct rival, but Howie actually created “Reliable Sources” years ago while he was at CNN. Today, his media show appears opposite of Stelter, averaging about double the ratings. On Sunday, Kurtz had the seventh most-watched program that day, as Brian barely managed to break the top 20.
Cable News Rankings Sun July 31
— RoadMN ??(@RoadMN) August 2, 2022
1?@MarkLevinShow
2?@SundayFutures @MariaBartiromo
3?@TGowdySC
4?5???@FoxandFriends @RCamposDuffy @Johnny_Joey* @Kilmeade*
6?@NextRevFNC @SteveHiltonx
7?@MediaBuzzFNC @HowardKurtz
8?@JonScottFNC
9?@FoxNewsSunday @BretBaier pic.twitter.com/qh0EfINpDP
Stealth Story Evolution – THE NEW YORK TIMES
- Suddenly, that particular detail reflects poorly on the paper.
It was great news to hear that Al-Qaeda amir Ayman al-Zawahiri was taken out in a drone strike. The details that came in gradually cause some concern.
I’m hearing 11 dead in US drone attack - two died of injuries at the NDS Hospital in Kabul & 9 killed outright. Two members of Sirajuddin Haqqani's family were among those killed which is now fuelling rumours this was also an attack on Sirajuddin Haqqani. Few tears will be 1/2
— Yvonne Ridley - #indyref2 (@yvonneridley) August 2, 2022
If the Haqqani name rings as familiar, he would be the Al-Qaeda communications leader known for writing an op-ed in The New York Times. Considering the terror leader was killed in Haqqani’s home, it was probably with a dawning recognition of how this might appear that the paper quietly made an alteration to their coverage of the attack.
>@NYTimes story on Ayman al-Zawahri originally said "According to one American analyst, the house that was struck was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior official in the Taliban government." It was removed w/o note.https://t.co/YCU8mAc9WKhttps://t.co/rzecBnvG89 pic.twitter.com/B92xXyj1vi
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) August 2, 2022
Reporting on the Mirror – THE NEW YORK TIMES
- Considering the humiliating result, this hero’s welcome seems a bit misplaced.
It was with much fanfare that it had been announced that columnist Nikolas Kristof was abandoning his writing career to embark on a political campaign to run for the governor’s office in Oregon. Problems arose when it was determined Kristof did not meet residency requirements to run for office in the state, and his campaign was suspended well before voting even took place.
Regardless, The Times sounds rather glorious in their announcement of Kristof returning to their good graces.
We are thrilled to announce the return of @NickKristof to @nytopinion, where his column will resume this fall. https://t.co/Fa58A5ahiy
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) August 1, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – PEOPLE MAGAZINE
- It appears that anyone taking this topic seriously might be “intellectually fluid.”
The celebrity magazine has some deeply trenchant news to report: Demi Lovato has announced a change to her pronouns!
Yes, again.
Demi Lovato Says She's Using 'She/Her' Pronouns Again: 'I'm Such a Fluid Person' https://t.co/4iWuQzFWWB
— People (@people) August 2, 2022
Now, because we are serious professionals here at Townhall, dedication to research is key, so we tracked down some more details.
"Yeah, so, they/them is... I've actually adopted the pronouns of she/her again." She continued, "For me, I'm such a fluid person that ... I felt like, especially last year, my energy was balanced in my masculine and feminine energy so that when I was faced with the choice of walking into a bathroom and it said 'women' and 'men,' I didn't feel like there was a bathroom for me because I didn't feel necessarily like a woman. I didn't feel like a man. I just felt like a human."
For the record: Demi Lovato did NOT say she is abandoning they/them as her pronouns, she simply said she is adding she/her. Please listen to the entire clip. Media friends, it’s important to get this right.
— Tamara Dhia (@tamaradhia) August 2, 2022
