"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.
10.03.22
Reporting on the Mirror – NEWS NATION
- And here I guessed stepping away from ethical problems was the best remedy.
Last night saw Chris Cuomo's return to primetime with the launch of his self-titled show on NewsNation. To say one brief review, this was a curious decision right out of the gate.
Cuomo is looking to reestablish himself as a valid newsman after an ignominious departure from CNN over a number of professional, ethical violations. So how does Cuomo look to kick off his rehabilitation and show how serious he is to be regarded as a proper journalist?
He has on the poster image of ethical violations – Dan Rather.
.@DanRather gives his take on America today, telling @ChrisCuomo, "We need to be more united and we need to take a more moderate approach to how we view one another."
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) October 4, 2022
Watch #Cuomo: https://t.co/s8z9kEhjMw pic.twitter.com/teBHzPvOlh
Gilded Reframe – POLITICO
- Now it is wrong for a governor to put politics aside in order to help his citizens?
With the arrival of Hurricane Ian (actually, even before its arrival), the press has been desperate to level blame on Governor Ron DeSantis and slam him over – anything. Joining this fray is Matt Dixon of Politico, who seems to think he has a valid criticism regarding relief aid for Floridians affected by the storm.
According to Dixon, it is apparently wrong for DeSantis to work together with President Biden to organize help for Florida because, in the past, the two have been critical of each other over policies. Making this stunted assessment all the more idiotic, Dixon describes DeSantis coordinating with Biden over the relief aid as a "benefit."
- "Florida is now poised to benefit from billions of dollars in additional federal assistance to grapple with the devastating damage left by Hurricane Ian."
DeSantis has been a critic of Biden on nearly every policy front. But he sure does like the president's wallet.
— POLITICO (@politico) October 3, 2022
Over the past two years, DeSantis’ admin received billions in federal relief cash, which the governor has used to fund his top priorities.https://t.co/pmzBGQpz2e
Then there is the precious viewpoint that the money going to Floridians who have been devastated is coming out of Joe Biden's wallet. I hope Dixon keeps his job at Politico for a very long time.
Anti-Social Media – CNN
Donald Trump is known for many things. One of those things on his list of things is his threat to sue many entities for any number of, er, things. Just this past summer, for instance, he threatened to sue CNN over their perpetual campaign of criticizing him over any number of issues. But that is usually him just spouting off and talking tough.
Except he has now filed a defamation suit against CNN.
- "The former president's attorneys allege in the filing that CNN 'has undertaken a smear campaign to malign the Plaintiff with a barrage of negative associations and innuendos, broadcasting commentary that he is like a cult leader, a Russian lackey, a dog whistler to white supremacists, and a racist.'"
Former President Trump sues CNN for defamation, accusing the cable news network of taking persistent actions aimed at "defeating him politically." https://t.co/0V3AKtplIY
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 4, 2022
Now, this is a longshot case, of course, and many are rather dismissive about his actual chances of winning. But they probably held similar opinions about Nick Sandmann's chances.
Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT
Florida Senator Rick Scott has bothered many in the press for bothering to point out the ridiculous comment Kamala Harris made about hurricane relief aid being distributed based on equity. Now, the White House is relying on its partners in the press to bail out the vice president.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates is now sharing a review from PolitiFact that has rated Senator Scott's comments about VP Harris FALSE, declaring, "No, Kamala Harris didn't say Hurricane Ian relief would be based on skin color."
Then the "fact"-checkers quote Vice President Harris directly – as she said race would be a factor in determining who gets aid.
- "'Can you talk just a little bit about the relief efforts, obviously, of Hurricane Ian and what the administration has been doing to address the climate crisis in the states?' Chopra Jonas asked Harris.
Harris responded first by touting the $369 billion in funding in the Inflation Reduction Act 'dedicated to addressing the climate crisis,' which she said is a crisis 'evidenced by Ian, by the wildfires happening in California, the floods, the hurricanes.' I know we are all thinking about the families in Florida, in Puerto Rico with (Hurricane) Fiona, and what we need to do to help them in terms of an immediate response and aid, but also what we need to do to help restore communities, and build communities back up in a way that they can be resilient. She said 'it is our lowest-income communities and communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions, and impacted by issues that are not of their own making.'"
Stay *classy.*
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) October 3, 2022
And *honest.* https://t.co/RYXNQ6p2oK https://t.co/DhM3wcEPOh pic.twitter.com/Q3BiMxaiN0
Presentation Paradox – THE HILL
- How does an anti-cancel culture podcast fire a host over content?
Over at The Hill, they have a popular vid-cast program, "Rising," that features commentators from liberal and conservative perspectives. The hosts frequently decry censorship and cancel culture in general and have been largely free to express viewpoints on the air. At The Intercept, they reported how Katie Halper managed to encounter both of those subjects directly.
In a solo segment on one show, Halper covered Rep. Rashida Talib and comments she had made about Israel being an Apartheid state. Halper expounded on this and agreed with Talib's position.
But soon after, she learned of management looking over her segment, and the decision was kicked up to the editorial team of the outlet, which chose to decline to run that segment. When Halper went to management to ask to address the issue on the following program, she was notified that her services would no longer be needed.
Hill TV Censors Segment on Rashida Tlaib’s Description of Israel as “Apartheid Government,” Bars Reporter
— FreeSpeechOnIsrael (@FreeSpeechOnIsr) October 1, 2022
Host Katie Halper recorded a segment defending Tlaib’s accurate portrayal of Israel’s government, but Hill TV’s owners refused to run it. https://t.co/VJiHGg2ibj
Both Kinds of Standards – THE NEW YORK TIMES
At The Insider, they report that NY Times columnist Joyce Cohen has been named in a lawsuit brought about by a property owner. This would be a dispute over the legality of a sub-let apartment in Manhattan that Cohen has been in with her husband and the charge that they refused to pay rent.
Making this a compelling story is that Cohen writes a popular column about finding housing in and around the city called "The Hunt." It becomes amusing that the landlord is claiming that the woman who is intimately familiar with the processes of real estate in the city entered into an illegal sublet scenario and that her refusal to pay back rent is because she claims the rent should be lower in that area, while the property owner states rents in that neighborhood are actually higher.
A New York Times reporter who writes about searching for homes in the Big Apple was sued, with her landlord saying she stopped paying rent on a $3,000-a-month Upper West Side apartment https://t.co/tSIwymjqki
— Finance Insider (@FinanceInsider) August 3, 2022
