"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.
08.09.22
Gilded Reframe – VANITY FAIR
In a deeply intimate profile piece, Vanity Fair looks ahead to what is in store for MSNBC's Rachel Maddow – but there is some curious looking back as well. Writer Joe Pompeo was willing to dredge up the lengthy coverage given the Steele Dossier in order to sell the Russian Collusion narrative, and she attempts to wriggle out of that embarrassment by comparing herself to a curious choice of equivalency.
Her attempt to explain away her reliance on that faulty piece of evidence is to bring up another disgraced journalist in order to make herself appear valid – Dan Rather.
- "Do you remember what the Dan Rather scandal was about? The story of George W. Bush getting a sweet gig in the National Guard so he didn't have to go fight in Vietnam was true. Somebody giving Dan Rather a forged document, so he had a screwed-up news story about it, is fascinating, and it's an interesting thing about CBS News. But it doesn't mean that the National Guard thing about George W. Bush was not true! It just—it neutralized it."
Rachel Maddow Tries to Legitimize Her Collusion Coverage to Vanity Fair and Manages to Invalidate Herself Entirely
— RedState (@RedState) August 9, 2022
https://t.co/E3rlYc7q1U
Prose & Contradiction – WASHINGTON POST
In the attempt to continue selling the concept that Joe Biden is doing a fantastic job, the Washington Post brought back his former salesperson, Jen Psaki, to explain the latest level of magnificence from the administration.
In her describing the strategy for the new successes, the former press secretary causes unnoticed problems for the paper. The first is in the contradiction of the promises that the administration was going to usher in a new era of transparency.
- "'One of the lessons learned — a big lesson learned — was that letting the negotiations with senators dominate the public conversation was a mistake, because it made it so that disagreements about minutiae became what the public consumed, instead of how pieces of legislation were going to impact people's lives,' said Jen Psaki, Biden's former White House press secretary. 'Sometimes the best things happen in the dark, away from the public.'"
The other problem? Her touting of the effort to obscure the process is left unchallenged by the paper that has as its catchphrase, "Democracy dies in the darkness."
Inside Biden’s hot streak, from the poolside to the Capitol https://t.co/NnNSFM5Z0Q
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) August 9, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – WASHINGTON POST
There is a rather lame attempt by the Democrats to insist that President Biden is a vibrant and powerful figure by co-opting the Brandon memes and portraying Joe as a superpower. The press has joined in, with the likes of Matt Viser pushing the effort. The problem with this effort – Joe Biden himself.
At the very same time that this desperate meme-ing is taking place, Biden looks addled as he forgets he just shook Chuck Schumer's hand. Then there was this episode on a tarmac, where Joe struggles mightily with the attempt to put on his sports coat and ends up dumping his sunglasses in the process.
Yes Matt, most superheroes are completely flummoxed by their own cape.
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) August 9, 2022
Very well detailed.https://t.co/52b3FtFFDj https://t.co/WVplPi4jFe pic.twitter.com/dhRJxx7jaI
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- While the temperatures are not different, the presentation is FAR MORE GRAVE!
While Europe is currently enduring a dangerous heatwave – like it does every summer in its restricted air conditioning condition – there is a significant change in the weather; the forecasting.
UK heatwave maps past and present.
— James Melville ?? (@JamesMelville) July 14, 2022
Past:
Cheery sunshine graphics??
Present:
Scorched earth ?? pic.twitter.com/mzk7kShIrS
Meanwhile, in Germany ????
— James Melville ?? (@JamesMelville) July 15, 2022
Heatwave weather maps in 2009, 2019, 2021. pic.twitter.com/1ewpI19x86
The same in Finland and Sweden pic.twitter.com/MKSAunrsQm
— Beretta ?????????????? (@kh_vorsteh) July 15, 2022
Legalized Press-titution – WASHINGTON POST
After the passage of the inflation reduction bill that manages to increase federal spending, the Washington Post actually attempts to develop sympathy for – the IRS.
Why does the IRS need $80 billion? Just look at its cafeteria. https://t.co/gMa6lf1k6P
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 9, 2022
