"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.
09.13.22
Reporting on the Mirror – WASHINGTON POST
- "That feature I agreed to, expecting to be a sympathy piece and bolster my stature, was oppressive, and the reporter attacked me…"
It is almost growing to the point of not wanting to detail the travails and the idiocy of Taylor Lorenz, but the journo just demands to be on the receiving end of scorn and ridicule.
One of the high(low)lights from this year was when Lorenz was profiled on MSNBC and was allowed to unravel on camera. At one point, in discussing the treatment she claims to absorb online, she had a meltdown, sobbing about the attacks she has to endure. Pay no mind that she engages in and encourages the very type of behavior she wailed about, but self-awareness is not something in her toolbox.
Now, after a duration of having this amusing segment tossed in her face, Lorenz is lashing out. She has attacked Morgan Radford for staging the interview and for…allowing her to unspool her victimhood in front of the camera. We have to guess that Lorenz expected Radford to jump in and stop Taylor from behaving like Taylor.
The best part of all is this pull quote, to be entered into the Hall of Oblivious Fame.
- "All I can say is do NOT trust anyone in the media to tell your story or report on harassment accurately."
Taylor Lorenz is going after woman who made that MSNBC segment that spawned a bunch of memes about her. pic.twitter.com/Mf993JmpHi
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) September 13, 2022
Reporting on the Mirror (Pt.2) – WASHINGTON POST
- "Here, let me prove to you my own point about the press."
As if she needed to display the very behavior she complained about, Taylor Lorenz was exposed to be carrying on in her trademarked dysfunctional journalism style. The reporter and her paper have been detailed as having an unhealthy fixation with the account Libs of TikTok and the operator of that source, Chaya Raichik. In the latest, Raichik displays how Lorenz contacted her with the announcement that they have prepared a story about influencers and the 2020 election. In a piece with no direct connection to Libs of TikTok, Lorenz announces how they are accusing Raichik and/or her site of inspiring violence, harassment, and bomb threats against a children's hospital.
Taylor is very sad that I rejected her. But I softened the blow with some good news pic.twitter.com/39gJBu7WmL
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 12, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – REUTERS
- After spinning against a recession for months, it is getting harder to massage the red numbers in the economy.
As the numbers came in today for the Consumer Price Index, it was not good news – for the country. Also, tough news for President Biden. Taking it possibly the hardest is the press. As inflation ticked back up higher by 0.1%, reporters are left with the task of spinning the news for the administration.
Give Reuters a little credit at least for the effort, even as they managed to fail at tying the bow on this piece of fecal matter.
Monthly U.S consumer prices unexpectedly rose in August as declining gasoline prices were offset by gains in the costs of rent and food, giving cover for the Federal Reserve to deliver another hefty interest rate increase https://t.co/Kl1ZbQqsbe pic.twitter.com/90A8689gzP
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 13, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting (Pt. 2) – AXIOS
Perhaps the reporter most likely to have pulled something in making a stretch about this report is Emily Peck of Axios. She looked for the silver lining in all of this and tried to say that it was great news that workers in seven states will see an increase in their salary as a result of their minimum wage being tied to the CPI. Of course, this means, at best, they are only keeping pace with the price increases, so calling this a "raise" is being generous. (Some of those states have a limit to how high of a percentage the wages can increase.)
What is frustrating is a reporter coming this close to actually reporting on the correct details; after all, if you are hailing these wages rising, you basically have to admit that inflation is spiking in order to trigger these raises.
Workers in 7 states will get a raise based on today's CPI number -- it's an 8.3% raise! https://t.co/omyLfuTY9e
— Emily Peck (@EmilyRPeck) September 13, 2022
Pathological Media Amnesia – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Reporting from inside The Bubble:
There are contentious negotiations taking place between The New York Times and the trades unions of their employees. One of the sticking points – actually showing up for work. This is the week when the staff was supposed to return to on-site working hours, at least three days a week. For a huge amount of The Times' workforce, this is a demand too high to expect from them.
Over 1,300 workers are refusing to show up at the offices because the economic conditions are too extreme for them.
-" 'People are livid,' Tom Coffey told The Post. A 25-year veteran editor at the NYT, he works on the news desk and serves on the union's Contract Action Committee. He added that being forced to return to the office during a period of high inflation means workers will have to spend more money on gas, mass transit, clothing and lunches, despite the lack of salary increases."
Yet, at the same time, the very same newspaper is trying to sell us on the concept that inflation is not all that bad and consumers are feeling less economic pressure. These elitist prigs need to be sent packing.
The Consumer Price Index for August may show a moderation as gas prices fall, easing the pressure on households and the Biden administration as falling gas prices paved the way to less financial pain. https://t.co/RSCvObk7Qs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 13, 2022
Glossary Over Things – THE RECOUNT
- Taking Marco Rubio to task for…(rechecks notes)...following science.
You can tell the impacted minds at The Recount really thought they had Marco Rubio nailed over this one. The Florida senator made the declarative statement that a man has never given birth, and the outlet really believes that his adherence to centuries of accepted science has been exposed by their reliance on the sudden recalibration of definitions to suit political agendas.
Locked in a tight race with Rep. Val Demings, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) trots out a transphobic attack on the CDC for using the term "pregnant people."
— The Recount (@therecount) September 12, 2022
"Pregnant men ... I can assure you that's never happened," Rubio says, which is factually inaccurate. pic.twitter.com/EpsHPJ3i8q
