"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.
08.25.22
Matching Media Memorandum – MSNBC
- If this is true, it changes…er, nothing at all.
Fresh off of her book tour, Katy Tur is back on her day shift, and recently, she was not only joining the rest of those in the journalism complex opposing the Roe v. Wade rollback, she basically had an infomercial for abortion.
In speaking with a representative from Planned Parenthood, Tur trotted out many tired talking points, such as PPFA provides a wide variety of healthcare options for women besides just abortion. In doing so, she sets the usual trap for herself on the topic; the issue is limiting abortion, not Planned Parenthood. But as her argument goes, while the organization does so much more than just abortions, it is somehow having its existence threatened by restricting abortions.
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Best of all, however, just before this section, Katy gives a brief list of reasons why women may need to get an abortion. High on that list: "They just don't want the child."
During her @PPFA public service infomercial, @KatyTurNBC helpfully informs us that one of the reasons women need an abortion is they "Don't want the child". pic.twitter.com/K9sWPLxfAO
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) August 24, 2022
Body Checking the Fact Checkers – SNOPES
A list of books supposedly banned by the Florida Department of Education was being tossed around social media circles. It was even touted by teachers' union head Randi Weingarten. Major problem: The list was fake, as Florida not only does not ban any books, but some of the titles were even on FLDOE recommended reading lists.
SNOPES tracked the source of the list, a random activist account, and when confronted, the operator declared that the list was satire. SNOPES ran with this explanation in an effort to excuse everyone. The account, however, had been initially defending the list, declaring it as accurate and stating it could not disclose its source while challenging Florida officials to prove the list was inaccurate. SNOPES willingly went with the claim and stated the "satire" elements were removed from the meme.
Of course, this then runs into the site, in the past, taking issue with the likes of The Babylon Bee and declaring their actual satire as False and Misleading Misinformation.
The threats to our democracy are suddenly not a concern when those on the left are spreading lies.
— Brad Slager: Raid Veteran/CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) August 24, 2022
Notable accounts push fake items and @Snopes excuses it away as just satire. All the usual accusations are swept away.https://t.co/MLQrI0cr70
Pre-Written Field Reports – JUSTIN LING – FREELANCER
- Look, I'll just throw out the accusation now. I'll look into the details later.
We still cannot figure out why there is this knee-jerk response to anyone noting that George Soros is funding any of the variety of projects he is legitimately seen funding. But it takes the most comical of turns when professional journalist Justin Ling lashes out with the tired charge that criticizing one man's donations amounts to antisemitism.
Making this uproarious is that Ling is stating that it is a well-known Jewish organization committing a Jewish hate crime, all because it notes Soros is funding a noted anti-Jewish group.
Here's AIPAC making common cause with anti-semitic conspiracy theorists, from Viktor Orbán to all manner of far-right activists, to make a bogeyman out of George Soros.
— Justin Ling (@Justin_Ling) August 24, 2022
This is unbelievable. https://t.co/OAcVn8Ob07
Low Octane Gas Lighting – MEDIA MATTERS
- Yes, those poor Ivy League law students are on the same level as natural disaster victims…
In an attempt to support Joe Biden's daft plan to erase college debt and fight back against those stating that this is making working-class people fund the bailout of wealthy collegians, MMFA fixture Matt offers this analogy.
Unfair to people who don't live in hurricane zones to constantly bail out people who live along the Gulf Coast.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) August 24, 2022
Not sure which is dumber – suggesting that people willingly taking out a massive loan are the same as people unwillingly seeing their lives destroyed by a killer tempest or that he is equating a college education to being a natural disaster.
Anti-Social Media – SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL
- Maybe take a moment to consider the "Why" portion of your comment.
Scott Travis from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is pretty consistent in displaying his rather sharp left-leaning bias. It frequently leads him down some revealing paths. That is, those are not revealing truths to him, but they reveal his partisanship. In looking over reports of Biden's tuition vote-buying scheme, Travis noted an outlier in the coverage. Maybe the question would be, why are there not more outlets using this accurate message?
.@FoxNews headlines often use words you don’t see from other media — like handout. pic.twitter.com/3NZ7WDZR4j
— Scott Travis (@smtravis) August 24, 2022
Stealth Story Evolution – MSNBC
- It's probably not fair to be dredging up past positions like this.
This week in all the discussion of Biden's student loan maneuver, Chris Hayes has been fully showing he is in support of the plan. He has often referred to times when he perceives that Republicans have been contradictory in their responses to past positions.
With that in mind, should we not peer back just a few years when Chris himself had an issue with this type of government payout? Of course, back then, it was a farming bailout, which addressed some issues with the food supply – in others words, had a benefit for everyone.
Not to be *too* much of a stickler for, like, the constitution and appropriations and such, but where is the $12 billion for the "farmers" coming from?
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 24, 2018
