"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.
10.12.22
Anti-Social Media – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- The way factual reporting on a Democrat has angered so many in the press speaks volumes.
Yesterday, Dasha Burns of NBC News revealed her interview with John Fetterman, and just as revealing as his incoherent responses were the lengths she revealed they went to in order for Fetterman to get through the sit-down. They had to provide him with a real-time talk-to-text program so he could clarify what was spoken to him.
Burns also commented that in casual conversations before filming, he exhibited signs of a challenging cogency.
Unlike any political interview I’ve ever done. Unlike any race I’ve ever covered. WATCH: https://t.co/VUMwNNG7rf
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) October 11, 2022
Burns has received her share of pushback and challenges to her presentation, but she has calmly and rationally explained her time with the candidate. And, as Ed Morrisey of HotAir points out, it has taken the press this long – practically on the eve of the election – to conduct a personal interview with Fetterman, not to mention that it has been this long since the press has been willing to even acknowledge his deteriorating condition.
Dasha Burns may have forgotten the @iowahawkblog / @jtLOL First Rule of Journalism. Thankfully, she exposes just how widespread it is.
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) October 12, 2022
NBC reporter: None of the 'journalists' criticizing my Fetterman observations have been in the same room with himhttps://t.co/M0OwggN51M
Reporting on the Mirror – MSNBC
- Call him "Larry Burgundy."
The defenses for John Fetterman continue, and joining the fray of excuse-making on behalf of the Democratic candidate is MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell. He “makes a confession” that, like Fetterman, Larry operates with a teleprompter on his program. Funny thing is, anytime you refer to television personalities as “news readers,” they tend to get offended. Now…it is a statement of pride.
Of course, we have to ignore the difference of Fetterman requiring the use of a teleprompter for an interview, which differs greatly from a scripted hour-long broadcast, but that is just me pestering you with details.
I have a confession to make.
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) October 12, 2022
I used a teleprompter in this interview last night. The truth is I am not able to do my show without a teleprompter. (That's true of every TV news host who is discussing the way John Fetterman does interviews.) https://t.co/EAK1TLcwBm
Pathological Media Amnesia – DAILY KOS
- "But we hated Trump, so that was different."
When looking over any of the press members going out of their way to defend a clearly impaired Fetterman and cast accusations of ableism and other claims of insensitivity, recall how many people in the press and the Democratic Party spent time saying Donald Trump was impaired for the way he walked on a slippery staircase.
One of the blatant examples to crop up was from Gabe Ortiz. He was rather indignant about anyone suggesting Fetterman is unfit to serve.
"'Stigma against people w/disabilities does real tangible harm,' disability rights activist Rebecca Cokley told Plank. 'If a disabled person has demonstrated they can fulfill the task of a job w/or w/out accommodations, there shld be no questions about their fitness to serve.'"
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) October 12, 2022
So, just to be clear – it is wrong to point to an individual showing signs of mental issues during an interview. That is the position we are being sold, correct?
Huh, you make it sound like it is wrong for anyone to do such a thing after they speak with reporters... https://t.co/23bDBYWUSr pic.twitter.com/TxbZduQ16q
— Brad Slager: Armageddon A Bit Sick Of All This! (@MartiniShark) October 12, 2022
Gilded Reframe – DAILY DOT
One other aspect of politics that is reliably certain to get the press up in a dander is the account Libs of Tik Tok. At The Daily Dot, Claire Goforth turned her laser-like focus on the owner of that account and came across a surprising discovery. (CLARIFICATION: Claire was the only one surprised here.)
Goforth found out that members of the Ron DeSantis communications team had communicated…with members of news outlets. She came across emails and 900 documents that showed the DeSantis team issued statements and press releases to those in the media. The big reveal here? The governor’s press secretary had…well…contacted the press. How about that?
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the right-wing press factory that pumped the Don't Say Gay bill.
— Claire Goforth (@claire_goforth) October 11, 2022
My latest for @dailydot https://t.co/Nn7aeS8I0z
First Amendment Strike Force – GOOGLE
Issues & Insights is the outlet where political cartoonist Michael Ramirez operates his craft. The Pulitzer-winning artist has a notably right-leaning perspective, so it is not all that surprising that the social media overlords might target his views. It was announced by his outlet that Google has made moves to punish the site over his artwork and some other veiled reasons regarding content.
- "To Google’s content police, Ramirez’s cartoons are 'shocking content' and it is restricting ads on a page where a catalog of them appears. We appealed this ruling with Google and were denied. No explanation was offered, of course. And there’s no possible way to know what would constitute a 'fix' that would satisfy Google.
Google Targets Two-Time Pulitzer Prize-Winning Cartoonist, Labeling Art 'Dangerous' https://t.co/4zeKhjLT62
— RedState (@RedState) October 11, 2022
Pre-Written Field Reports – WASHINGTON POST
- Well, he’s a Republican, and Jenn hates the GOP, so in her mind, she is 100% accurate.
The news that Republican Senator Ben Sasse is leaving Washington to take up a faculty position at the University of Florida, and two of those words – "Republican" and "Florida" – were all it took for Jennifer Rubin to fire up her smoking Gateway laptop and hammer out her excited column. That damned Ron DeSantis is behind this!!!
Yes, seriously. Behold her ill-thought outrage.
- "His selection certainly appears to be based on political identity, not merit. No one can seriously argue that Sasse is the finest candidate in the country for the position. DeSantis might as well have put in the job description: 'Compliant Republican hostile to liberal ideas.'"
Well, just off the top, Ron DeSantis has no action whatsoever in deciding who will be appointed to a university. As for Sasse lacking the credentials? Ms. Rubin is displaying her crippling inability to do basic research, given the fact that Sasse’s role prior to occupying a Senate seat was – as President of Midland University in Nebraska.
If DeSantis wanted a slippery, right-wing politician for the job, he chose well. Sasse has long been considered bright by the standards of the U.S. Senate, but that does not necessarily mean he is up to the intellectual rigor of a major university. https://t.co/z8RBjZX6Cu
— Jennifer "Pro-privacy" Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 12, 2022
