"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.
11.02.22
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – "CBS MORNINGS"
- Behold reporters facing their own inconsequential agenda being dismissed.
First, understand that Scott McFarlane is a J-6C cheerleader at CBS News. For their morning show, he went to a Virginia district to feature the two candidates in a razor-close campaign. Elaine Luria is the Democratic incumbent, and she is tied in the polls with Republican Jen Kiggans, and what has McFarlane so surprised is that Luria being on the January 6 Committee is not helping her cause.
After his report, the CBS panel all sounded dismayed that things were this close, even as McFarlane acknowledged that he spoke to voters in the area and they mentioned the economy as their main focus. Even when he brought up the subject to them there was little concern.
Reality may be seeping in...a bit too late.
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) November 2, 2022
On CBS this morning they struggle with a Virginia House race where J-6C member Elaine Luria is in a virtual tie.
They seem perplexed, even while declaring the voters in the area do not care as much about Jan. 6 as they do inflation. pic.twitter.com/uSRZx4EhFF
Both Kinds of Standards – NBC NEWS NOW
- Well, since the claims of Georgia voters being discriminated has been blown out of the water, we move to the next outrage.
Over the weekend we watched as Jose Biden took part in the hateful and intolerant practice of showing his photo ID in Delaware in order to cast his vote. Georgia having record turnout in early voting has also rendered the previous outrage narrative neutered, so what are outrage activists to do? Fear not, social warriors, NBC News is here to give you new hope for relevancy.
It turns out that requiring a photo ID at polling locations is discriminatory toward members of the trans community. So fire up your social media lecture podium, you have a new cause to rage about!
We have now moved from Voter ID being racist to it being trans-intolerant.
— Brad Slager: Polling For Soup (@MartiniShark) November 2, 2022
"This is Jim Crow on hormone blockers!!!" pic.twitter.com/EvC35IyiwC
Pounce of Prevention – CNN
- The list of GOP verbs continues to grow…
Making the effort to diffuse the latest traction the Republicans have going into the midterms, Jake Tapper has coined an all-new verb for the GOP reaction to bad news for Dems. Polls are showing that after the economy, one of the main issues driving voter interest is crime, so Tapper tries to claim the Republicans are stoking fear – because Democrats who claim women will be shackled, retirees are poised to lose their benefits, and that EVERYTHING is a threat to democracy would never resort to using fear tactics.
The man who proudly hails from Philadelphia is clearly too distracted by the World Series and the undefeated Eagles to notice the crime surge in that city. Instead, he states that “Republicans try to Harness the power of fear.”
CNN's Jake Tapper: "The notion that violent crime is on the rise has left millions of Americans scared. And the GOP has tried to harness the power of that fear..." pic.twitter.com/PJgUvDKLNl
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) November 2, 2022
Low Octane Gas Lighting – TWITTER
- Anger over the prevention of the spread of disinformation.
Yesterday the White House promoted a tweet that bragged how Biden had called for the largest increase in Social Security payouts in over a decade. That tweet was eventually pulled down because it was fact-checked. The issue is that Biden had not done so, it was the result of the SS checks being pinned to the inflation rate. What is interesting is that journalism outlets were not the ones correcting the posting.
If you wondered why the press has been so upset at the Elon Musk takeover, it is an example like this – it was Twitter users who flooded that tweet with corrections, to the point that Twitter posted a disclaimer, and the White House eventually deleted it altogether. This has to anger the information brokers that approved misinformation has been called out.
Twitter has now added context/fact checks to 2 tweets from Biden and the White House in the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/V52kKmeZQl
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 2, 2022
Gilded Reframe – THE DAILY FREEMAN
When faced with the mounting evidence of a coming red wave at the polls, some outlets need to, shall we say, deflect from the cause. In Kingston, New York, there has been a surprising turnout in early voting, and they chalk it up to the fact that in July, there was a small internet buzz created when they decided to create new I Voted stickers and turned to residents to enter designs and vote on them. A bizarre spider image was made by a 14-year-old, and that was the winner of the online contest.
- "Dina LaRose, of Palenville, a key master at the site who helps voters with casting ballots, believes the stickers were even helping to draw voters out for early voting. 'It’s definitely gotten more people out for the first day,' she said."
I don't know if you all remember the "I Voted" sticker design contest for Ulster County that went viral and the internet all voted for this design but...it really did win, and they are using it for the current election: https://t.co/POAaLCEFC9 pic.twitter.com/S5TJIkL5JE
— Kaleigh Rogers (@KaleighRogers) November 2, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – WALL STREET JOURNAL
Some time ago, the tailgating diversion of cornhole games had turned pro. A national league has been formed, along with corporate sponsors like Johnsonville Sausage and Bush’s Baked Beans. And with that notoriety – and big money payouts – comes scandal.
When the national finals were held recently, there was an uproar created when officials were called in to investigate possible rigging taking place.
- "Was the No. 1 ranked doubles team using illegal beanbags? With the cornhole world watching live on ESPN, officials inspected the bags with the solemnity required for such a grave complaint. (They) asked officials to check their opponents’ bags, too. Turns out, they weren’t compliant, either.
Wrote one commenter on the Addicted to Cornhole Facebook page– 'Now the dirty underbelly is being exposed.'"
A cheating scandal called “BagGate” has thrown professional cornhole into a tizzy and sparked new regulations. “We’ve really had to crack down.” https://t.co/lA3CDdcDaa
— WSJ Sports (@WSJSports) November 2, 2022
