"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.
09.28.22
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – NBC NEWS
- At this point, the anthropomorphic climate change talking point is just tiresome.
As Florida is absorbing the onslaught of a Category 4 Hurricane Ian landfall, we once again get the stupid display of reporters arriving on site to stand in the horrid elements and tell us the patently obvious.
As Lester Holt gratefully arrived to detail everything we should automatically know, he was talking to one field reporter, and, of course, they had to inject the prospect that this storm was created for only one reason.
NBC's Lester Holt on #HurricaneIan: "[T]he climate change, the warmer waters are also contributing to what we're witnessing."
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 28, 2022
Morgan Chesky: "Yeah, we are seeing the rapid intensification of these storms." pic.twitter.com/bWz6E3pe94
The issue with this theorem is that it is completely unraveled by their own narratives. We have been told climate change is going to deliver more frequent and more intense hurricanes. Yet, just one month ago, we experienced the month of August having zero named storms, the first time that happened in 25 years. There were no storms large enough to be named from early July to the end of August, something last seen eight decades ago.
Pre-Written Narratives – CNN
- Comparing hurricane preparedness to the pandemic is a completely normal hot take…yup.
We hate to imply that journalists have such an imbalanced resentment toward Governor Ron DeSantis that they abandon common sense at times in order to slam the man – we vastly prefer showing you how this is the case.
At CNN, they plucked one of the most rabid DeSantis reporters in Florida from the Tampa Bay Times, Steve Contorno, and the man has only developed his distemper further. He chooses the efforts to prepare citizens for the impending hurricane as a moment to criticize DeSantis for past pandemic decisions – because comparing a hurricane to Covid is completely normal and rational.
As DeSantis prepares Floridians for Ian, he is urging residents to heed advice from the same local leaders he suggested they ignore during COVID and praising a federal agency he previously alleged withheld aid to the state bc Biden was playing politics.https://t.co/CB8Dxjj8w2
— Steve Contorno (@scontorno) September 28, 2022
Legalized Press-titution – WBBH NBC 2 NEWS
- No jokes here…um…nope, no jokes.
With so many reporters in the field deciding to go out in the elements, one concern, after their safety, is the protection of their gear. At the local NBC affiliate in Fort Meyers, reporter Kyla Gayer had her chosen method of protecting her microphone in the rain garnering a few reactions from viewers.
** WE PRACTICE SAFE HURRICANE REPORTING **
— Jeff Butera (@ABC7Jeff) September 28, 2022
Yes, it's a condom.
Nothing better to waterproof a microphone.
My Waterman Broadcasting colleague @kylagaler has been fielding lots of questions, haha.
Moment of levity in this nasty storm... #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/hdyiXdhZIL
First Amendment Strike Force – YOUTUBE
- Too stupid to realize they just proved her point.
The election in Italy for Giorgia Meloni as the new prime minister has the furor in the press to rush out and declare she is a fascist. Listening to her words delivers quite a different response, as a speech she gave a few years ago displays. She talked of the importance of God, family, and the values that solidify her nation, as well as speaking to the importance of the individual while being extremely critical of the State and its dehumanizing effects on the electorate.
This is Italy’s new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 26, 2022
I’ve never heard any politician so perfectly explain what we’re up against and why we fight.
When you watch this video, you’ll quickly realize why the establishment is afraid of her.
pic.twitter.com/CswR8o3mjg
Just recently, however, when people began to share her speech, it was discovered that YouTube suddenly removed the speech entirely from the platform. Understand what we are seeing – the woman calling for the importance of the individual over the central powers is called the fascist, as those in power work to silence her in order to control the messaging to the people.
YouTube has now apparently censored and removed the incoming Italian Prime Minister's 2019 speech to the World Congress on Families. https://t.co/hjUj2Neczg
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) September 28, 2022
Anti-Social Media – CNN
- He also did not vote for Joe Biden, so he also is not…
On the soon-to-be-exiled morning show "New Day," they hosted a pair of Hispanic pundits to discuss the recent move by Ron DeSantis to fly immigrants to Martha's Vineyard. Ana Navarro – who some still insist is a conservative, absent anything approaching evidence – was not at all happy about the flights and was even less happy to listen to conservative activist Abraham Enriquez support DeSantis.
She actually told him to not use his Hispanic last name to support a conservative because…if you are supporting a conservative, you are not truly Hispanic?
On CNN's New Day Ana Navarro got snippy with conservative Hispanic activist Abraham Enriquez for supporting the Ron DeSantis flights to Martha's Vineyard.
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) September 28, 2022
She seems to think disagreeing with her on a topic disqualifies your Latino heritage. pic.twitter.com/gggMjRYYlt
