"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.
08.08.22
Legalized Press-titution – PBS
- Maybe we should be grateful he avoided DC Comics references.
On the "PBS NewsHour," Judy Woodruff brought on Washington Post columnist and MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart to discuss Liz Cheney and her prospects. After the guests admitted that Cheney was getting hammered in the polls and facing a sound defeat in the primary, Capehart recast the Republican turncoat in cinematically heroic terms.
- "I keep thinking about the scene in 'Star Wars: Episode IV,' when Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi are battling it out on the Death Star. And Obi-Wan says to Darth Vader, if you strike me down, I will come back more powerful than you can imagine. And, to me, Liz Cheney is Obi-Wan Kenobi. If she loses, which she very well might lose her primary on August 16, she could very well come back more powerful than Donald Trump has imagined."
Recommended
Anti-Social Media – MSNBC
- Promoting diversity within the ranks of white supremacy.
Sitting in for Lawrence O'Donnell was Zerlina Maxwell, and in a panel discussion about those dastardly Republicans, her experts were Kurt Bardella and Professor Christina Greer. These elevated minds came to the conclusion that the members of the GOP are – get ready – a whole bunch of racists!
After Bardella set the table, Greer decided he had not been sufficiently accusatory, but she had to acknowledge that while racists, the Republicans were attracting a growing share of minority voters. Not a problem; those ethnic voters are racists as well.
- "We also realize that, you know, you don't need white people for white supremacy anymore. They're really starting to, you know, use their white supremacist rhetoric and chip away at certain Latino, Asian and Black populations across the country."
Those Republicans are cagey like that. They are somehow hardcore racists who desire to draw in more minorities they supposedly hate, and they manage to attract those minorities by displaying how much they cannot tolerate them.
Understand, the GOP views autocrats like #ViktorOrban as a role model, someone, whose white power rhetoric they want to make policy in America. accomplishmentsThat's what they mean when they say "Make America Great AGAIN."
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) August 5, 2022
via @TheLastWord with special guest host @ZerlinaMaxwell pic.twitter.com/NMQ1OZ5NyB
DNC PR Firm – THE NEW YORK TIMES
- The incestuous relationship leads to the machine spinning into a rabbit hole.
The current nature of the D.C. press has achieved an even deeper level of shamelessness in bedding down with the Democrats.
The Biden administration uses supportive news reports to make wild economic claims. The New York Times raves in response to White House spin. Ron Klain praises the paper for properly promoting their "achievements." Then Paul Krugman touts Ron Klain stroking his paper. It's all so unseemly you almost need to shower after…
Paul Krugman RT's Biden WH COS Ron Klain high-fiving a New York Times 'straight news' report praising Biden. The incestuous nature of the Dem/media relationship cannot be denied. pic.twitter.com/bkPpsLrUQ1
— Sister Toldjah ?? (@sistertoldjah) August 5, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – Reuters
- Bad events always amount to the same reason, no logic is needed.
Recently, The Hill came out with a lame article, stating that children these days are in poorer shape than years ago. The cause was not the pandemic shutdown removing them from schools and preventing them from engaging in normal activities. No, it was – of course – due to climate change.
Then there was the rather jarring news that three people had been killed in the park directly across from the White House Friday, a direct result of a lightning strike. Reuters was on the case to explain that this event that happens thousands of times a year, since forever, is actually caused by global war–...uh, "climate change."
Washington DC lightning strike that killed two offers climate warning https://t.co/o1X4WxMYEQ pic.twitter.com/lLHSU85lRs
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 5, 2022
Presentation Paradox – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Once again, being 100% incorrect is held up as proof of being completely accurate.
Staying on the climate beat, one of the biggest points of convenience in the whole climate change hysteria is that every time conflicting evidence arrives, it is somehow never a disqualifying detail, and a handy pivot of the discussion is made to continue with the promises of doom.
More polar bears are found today? That is because of their environmental shifts making their prey more vulnerable. Does the Antarctic area show record ice? That is now because warming is pushing the flows further out. Now, we get news that Australia's Barrier Reef – which we have been assured would be dying off because of temperature rises – has shown signs of the highest growth cover in over 40 years. Good news?
Hardly!
Marine scientists have found that parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have recorded their highest levels of coral cover since monitoring began nearly four decades ago, although they warn the reef’s recovery could be swiftly undone by global warming.https://t.co/ejRxQOqDQF
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 5, 2022
Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia recorded the highest amount of coral cover in nearly four decades, though the reef is still vulnerable to climate change and mass bleaching, a monitoring group said Thursday.
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 4, 2022
??https://t.co/LrVL5JR8ik
Reporting on the Mirror – VARIETY
- Selling this as a desired result is a severe disconnect.
As theaters continue to rebound from the pandemic, there are efforts to continue luring audiences back. Some theaters are equipped with the 4-DX system, sold as a completely immersive theater-going experience. There may be some selling points making this tempting for ticket buyers, but this seems a bit of a misfire.
I see problems enough with spraying people in the face, but to suggest that this would be desirable in delivering the feeling of being blasted with toilet water is not exactly what would be called a selling point.
#BulletTrain is “a great fit” for 4DX, according to the company. Not only because of the action, but comedic moments get unexpected emphasis too — the image of an erupting bidet triggers a spray of water from the nozzle in front of each seat. https://t.co/WzsxwOyceS
— Variety (@Variety) August 7, 2022
