"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.
11.01.22
Stealth Story Evolution – POLITICO
As the dizzyingly stupid story of the attack on Paul Pelosi continues to evolve, the press continues to struggle with their coverage. On the one hand, they struggle to insist a drugged-out illegal immigrant living in a bus with gay pride and BLM flags in the Castro section of San Francisco is a tie-dyed-in-the-wool conservative. On the other, they work to avoid covering details about the event that are inconvenient. A case of the latter was seen in Politico, as writer Adam Wren shows he is a partisan scribe or that he does not read his own outlet. Either the case, it became a headache for his site.
Wren penned a piece on the episode, claiming that conservative figures were sharing misleading details, such as the attacker only wearing his underwear that morning or that a third-party individual had been the one to let police into the home. Problem: Politico had reported on such, and this became a thorny reality. The solution was to go back and edit the original report in order to make Wren's piece hold up. Thus, Politico is granted the ability to correct their record, but GOP figures sharing the same details are able to be scorned for sharing misinformation.
Politico is a mess over the Paul Pelosi fiasco.
— Brad Slager: Polling For Soup (@MartiniShark) November 1, 2022
- The outlet declares anyone suggesting there was a third person is a right wing conspiracy dolt.
- @Politico reported there was a third person there.
- Once called out for its contradiction they now edited their initial report. pic.twitter.com/zT7NhfNp8J
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – MSNBC
Further evidence of the struggle the press has to make the Pelosi hammer attack a Republican effort is this entry from the Reid Out Blog about where Paul is getting his ICU treatment. See, Pelosi is recovering at a facility named after and funded by Mark Zuckerberg, and since he runs a social media platform where people say mean things, sometimes it means…uh, I suppose that he should be getting care at a hospital with lesser treatment options, we guess?
- "Yes, Paul Pelosi has been undergoing treatment at San Francisco's Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, a facility funded in part by the fortune Zuckerberg has amassed by owning social media platforms rife with conspiracy theories, some of which have targeted the Pelosis directly."
Nancy Pelosi’s husband is recovering in a hospital named after someone whose social media platforms have helped make him a target. (via @TheReidOut Blog) https://t.co/B3UI06srmb
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 1, 2022
Pre-Written Field Reports – MIAMI HERALD
- Some Jews are more anti-Semitic than others?
The desperation by so many to label Ron DeSantis as anti-Semitic is betrayed by facts, but the effort persists. In the latest chapter, when DeSantis appeared at a hurricane relief charity concert with Luke Bryan and Lee Zeldin, there were numerous charges of Zeldin being anti-Semitic because DeSantis mentioned how George Soros funded campaigns for progressive district attorneys. This provable fact has been called an anti-Jewish slur. Interesting that so many, like Miami Herald writer Leslie Abravanel, were willing to rush to call Zeldin anti-Semitic, as well as other names. I dunno, if it is wrong to note a Jewish man giving money to campaigns, I am sure calling Zeldin "revolting" is equally considered intolerance to the Jewish Zeldin.
While Ron DeSantis lets his state burn like a Tesla to run an imaginary presidential campaign (in NY for equally revolting Les Zeldin and on stage at a Puke Bryan concert), not everyone here is mute on #NazisInFlorida. #DefeatDeSantis #NeverAgainIsNow pic.twitter.com/S2NBQb7372
— Lesley Abravanel 🪩 (@lesleyabravanel) October 30, 2022
Anti-Social Media – NBC NEWS
As the press continues to lose its grip on Elon Musk's buyout of Twitter, they continue to want there to be controversy. In an effort to display the dismay and the upheaval Musk has caused, NBC has detailed a compilation of stars who have left Twitter as a result. Their list of luminaries is not exactly the kind of thing to make people shocked at the development. Hell, it probably barely moved the needle.
Though we suppose there are probably a few people who like the guy from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and onetime professional wrestler Mick Foley, so certainly the hole left behind will be felt by some…
Well, Elon Musk has ruined this place.
— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) November 1, 2022
Now we will no longer enjoy the musings from a former professional wrestler, and the guy from "Bill & Ted"!!!!
If any celebrity chefs or the guy who runs the camera on "Chrisley Knows Best" leave I might be done!https://t.co/NGfrvbeQmq
Reporting on the Mirror – NEW YORK MAGAZINE
In a pure navel-gazing column, Jonathan Chait comments on Washington Post's Erik Wemple commenting on The New York Times firing people due to woke cancel culture and such. It is a rare sight to see Chait actually speak out against left-wing madness – but he does not exactly make it a brave stand.
In commenting on Wemple's comments, Chait was referring to a move at The Times that involved fact-checkers massaging facts to justify firing someone over a social infraction, and he implies it is rare to admit to this in meek fashion.
- "That the Times was inventing new standards on the fly was perfectly obvious at the time. Why didn't Wemple make this point then? This is the second, and more interesting, revelation from his column. He bluntly confesses his 'posture was one of cowardice and midcareer risk management.'"
So he comments on a level of professional cowardice but then states that he has heard many of the same things in private. Meaning – he was too cowardly to have printed these things in the past.
The Washington Post's media critic admitted publicly what many people have told me privately: they didn't criticize crazy left-wing fads because they were afraid for their jobs https://t.co/2flxQdjCVF
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) November 1, 2022
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
In a story out of Lake Tahoe, police arrested a man who allegedly went to the apartment of an ex-girlfriend and vandalized her belongings while also burning a few of her items. But that is one side of the story. He said that what happened was a bear broke in and trashed the place.
The candidate for a city commission seat has a bit of a story problem, in that a bear expert says that the animal probably would not have worked to get into a window if a dog on site was barking furiously. Also, his story that he and the woman were still dating and shared the apartment has some problems, let's just say.
- "He claimed to have been regularly staying at the woman's apartment, and insisted they were still dating at the time. (When asked for the woman's contact information, he told this reporter that he was legally prevented from contacting her, and was unable to spell her last name, because it is 'Mexican.')"
“If this is indeed true, this would be the first time, in 30 years of investigating bears entering homes, that I’ve ever heard of anything like this.” https://t.co/mTGsEg6Iau
— SFGATE (@SFGate) October 27, 2022
