"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.
11.29.22
Artisanally-crafted Narratives – WASHINGTON POST
After Elon Musk delivered one of his latest trolling posts – this one a photo of his bedside table festooned with guns and cans of diet soda – Kate Hyde quipped that she was awaiting some deep-thinking pundit to deliver a screed on how this proves Musk is in allegiance with Donald Trump.
One day later, oblivious to the ensuing mockery, deep-thinking pundit Emily Heil delivered her screed on how Musk's Diet Coke cans prove he is in allegiance with Trump. Heil mentions that Diet Coke fans have "unsavory acolytes," such as Trump and Harvey Weinstein, and this somehow impugns Musk as…the same?
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- "Trump reportedly drank as many as 12 cans a day, and he was said to have used a call button on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office primarily as a means of summoning a fresh glass."
Twitter owner Elon Musk shared a photo of his bedside table littered with cans of Diet Coke, reminding us of the power the beverage has. https://t.co/p7zL5TLONT
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 29, 2022
First Amendment Strike Force – REUTERS
- The call to terminate free speech continues unabated in the press.
Andrea Shalal of Reuters was at the White Press press briefing and asked a leading question of Karine Jean-Pierre regarding Twitter, essentially asking what the White House will do about the users being permitted to express themselves freely. KJP took a swing at the teed-up query.
- "This is something that we're...keeping an eye on...It is their responsibility…to make sure when it comes to misinformation, when it comes to the hate that we're seeing...they take action.... we're all keeping a close eye on this. We're all monitoring what's currently occurring."
So now we are at the stage of the press essentially prodding the government to step in and start regulating free speech. Completely repugnant to watch playing out.
Reuters's Andrea Shalal to KJP on @ElonMusk owning Twitter: "There's a researcher at Stanford who says...this is a critical moment...ensuring...Twitter does not become a vector for misinformation...Are you concerned about that & what tools do you have?" pic.twitter.com/OIKRmIusla
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 28, 2022
Both Kinds of Standards – WASHINGTON POST
Yesterday we detailed how Taylor Lorenz was bemoaning all of the activities she predicts will result from the actions of Elon Musk opening up Twitter, the humor falling on the fact that she whined about many of the actions she herself has engaged in this year alone. In the body of the piece, she referred to a clinical instructor at Harvard Law's cyberlaw clinic, Alejandra Caraballo, who listed off many of the predicted violations of human decency promised to take place in the near future.
- "People who engaged in direct targeted harassment can come back and engage in doxing, targeted harassment, vicious bullying, calls for violence, celebration of violence. I can't even begin to state how dangerous this will be."
A possible explanation for why Caraballo cannot state the danger is because she has promoted this very behavior. Just one month ago, this Harvard expert addressed the people wanting free speech on Twitter (calling them "fascists," in hilariously oblivious fashion) and proceeded to suggest bullying and doxxing those people.
This is the expert @TaylorLorenz turned to about Twitter, saying Elon Musk opened the gates of hell by - allowing free speech.
— Brad Slager: Polling For Soup (@MartiniShark) November 29, 2022
Caraballo complained of doxxing and bullying taking place, but as can be seen, Alejandra is actually in favor of those practices.https://t.co/L1chfTltI1 https://t.co/CEyVmCVLSD
Legalized Press-titution – GOOD DAY DC
- Dying to know what would happen had he not granted us permission…?
Will Smith has a new film coming out on December 9, and while out promoting the Oscar-bait civil war era drama "Emancipation" on his junket tour, Smith spoke with TV host Kevin McCarthy about the fallout from his attack on Chris Rock during last year's Oscar ceremony, addressing the reality of people turning away from seeing his film following that incident,
- "I completely understand that if...someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready."
So take comfort, you cynical cineastes who are choosing to avoid seeing this movie. Will is allowing you the freedom to avoid a movie. You know, as opposed to him forbidding you to not watch.
"I completely understand that if...someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready...My deepest hope is that my actions don't penalize my team."
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) November 28, 2022
Will Smith on audiences who aren't ready to watch his films after Oscars. #GoodDayDC pic.twitter.com/2fc3XaXbMa
Anti-Social Media – TASNIM NEWS
- Lectures from countries defenestrating gays are pretty easy to ignore.
In pregame pressers at the World Cup, an Iranian reporter attempted to corner team Captain Tyler Adams regarding supposed discrimination and how he was comfortable representing such an intolerant nation.
- "Are you ok to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against black people in its own borders, and, uh, we saw the Black Lives Matter movement, over the past few years, are you ok to be representing the U.S., meanwhile there's so much discrimination happening against black people in America?"
To his credit, Adams did not bust out laughing and pointing at the reporter, instead taking the classy route and delivering a calm but firm rebuke of the presented idiocy. This was a first-rate example of how to lead on the global stage, remaining professional while refusing to buckle and apologizing.
USMNT captain Tyler Adams mispronounced Iran and was called out by an Iranian journalist.
— OutKick (@Outkick) November 28, 2022
He was then asked about discrimination in the United States and whether or not he is okay representing the USA.
His response is brilliant 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/dFo40I1H4w
Anti-Social Media (World Cup Edition, Pt. 2) – TASNIM NEWS
- We need Google Translate to convert "Lead By Example" for us.
Adding to the hostility from the Iranian press in Qatar, the national news service was REALLY up in arms over how they are portrayed in…standings grids online?!?!
After lecturing Tyler Adams on the proper pronunciation of their nation, the news outlet took to extreme activism to see that Team USA was removed from the tournament. The supposed crime? On a web page with the group standings, the USMNT displayed the Iranian flag in what was said to be a "distorted" fashion. This is claimed to be a violation of FIFA rules and the severity of the offense being cause for the US to be removed from the World Cup.
Just to underscore exactly how devoted Tasnim is toward the sanctity of national flags, take a look at the header photo on the outlet's Twitter account.
This is quite the hilarious lecture about decency and showing proper respect for a national flag, coming from the agency with this header photo.
— Brad Slager: Polling For Soup (@MartiniShark) November 29, 2022
The main difference between our countries:
We really are not bothered by your hateful display, as it shows your own infantile weakness. https://t.co/fw4HTaQomK pic.twitter.com/DejKCJ9iy1
