A Resurrected Outlet Dies Anew

- "DeSantis' communications team has openly boasted about how it's not their job to help members of the media, and are well known for taking screenshots of reporter questions and posting them on Twitter, a habit that only makes the relationship worse. Stories that they disagree with often end up as standalone headlines on right-wing websites or Fox News."

What Dixon leaves out regarding the emails posted is this is often done as a response to show the slanted work of the press. What he is essentially complaining about is the DeSantis office displaying instances of the press framing stories incorrectly, as they then show the proof – something Dixon has experienced firsthand.

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Biden Justice Department Agrees to a Disgraceful Settlement With Lisa Page and Peter Strzok Matt Vespa

Gov. Ron DeSantis is hitting back at former President Trump as each gears up for a potential Republican primary. Nightly reports 👇https://t.co/xrSBHc9Ou6

— POLITICO (@politico) February 1, 2023

DNC PR Firm – WASHINGTON POST

• Disputing a politician whose own words are actually on the record.

At WaPo, Nick Miroff is their reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security. Nick became rather incensed when he was watching a House committee hearing on border security, regarding comments he attributed to Rep. Chip Roy.

I'm catching up on this morning's House Judiciary border hearing and just saw clip of Rep. Chip Roy claiming fentanyl is "pouring in" between ports of entry.

That is NOT TRUE, and frankly, a rather insidious falsehood https://t.co/jPDnVkjcDt

— Nick Miroff (@NickMiroff) February 1, 2023

Pretty stern words he delivers about Roy's claim, but there is a bit of a problem; can we call it an "insidious falsehood" when the reporter misquotes what Roy said, which was on the record? Miroff's claim is that most fentanyl is confiscated at ports of entry and that border agents account for "relatively small amounts" of fentanyl seizures. Except what Rep. Roy actually stated was that border agents were so consumed with other duties and understaffed that they were not capable of effectively capturing fentanyl crossing our border.

Note, too, in the video clip, that the comments Miroff takes issue with were confirmed as accurate by the government official who was being questioned.

"The Border Patrol can't possibly catch all of the fentanyl at the ports of entry, nor catch the fentanyl between the ports of entry."

Rep Roy DEBUNKS committee Democrats' bogus talking points on #BidensBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/obST8ty5ot

— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) February 1, 2023

Hoax & Change – PUNCHBOWL NEWS

• Turns out the GOP cruelty demands ARE a laughing matter.

Heather Caygle reported for Punchbowl how Rep. Jamie Raskin was giving a floor speech and referenced the fact that he was wearing a hat, as a result of recent chemotherapy hair loss, and he joked about removing it only when others in Congress remove their toupes. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin gets a standing ovation in Dem Caucus after saying he will push back on Republican efforts to make him take off the cap he's been wearing as he undergoes chemotherapy.

"And I will make them take off their toupees," Raskin said to Dem cheers

— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 31, 2023

Even though Raskin confirmed he was joking around, Caygle took his comments to heart, going so far as to actually badger Leader Kevin McCarthy over the non-existent demands made by members of his party.

I just asked Speaker McCarthy about this as he exited GOO conference

McCarthy said he doesn’t “know anything about that” but said he’d “look into it”

— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 31, 2023

Anti-Social Media – GAWKER

• The announced closure of a previously-closed outlet that need not have been resurrected.

Word has come out that more media layoffs are taking place, and this time it is enough to see the shuttering of an outlet. The firebrand Gossip site Gawker was shut down years ago when the site lost a defamation suit to professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. A year and a half ago, Bustle Digital Group purchased the rights and library of the site to regenerate it for the non-existent market demand.

The announcement is that Bustle is going through a constriction process, and one of the decisions is to shut down Gawker entirely. It would seem that the site has not been profitable, as the reason behind the decision was, "In this new reality, we have to prioritize our better-monetized sites."

This darkly means there is a new interpretation of the site's tagline: "Today's news is yesterday's gossip."

.@Gawker Is Shutting Down (again) https://t.co/G60jh0Brtw via @Variety

— Todd Spangler (@xpangler) February 1, 2023

Pathological Media Amnesia – VARIOUS OUTLETS

• So the ban is BACK on, which means tomorrow...

In what has become one of the dumber ongoing news items already this year, propane gas stoves are again in the news cycle. As a quick refresher, the Consumer Product Safety Commission mentioned the danger of these stoves, the press eagerly reported the news, then after mockery ensued, the same press claimed that conservatives made it into a culture war conspiracy. 

Now we get another announcement – from Bloomberg, which delivered the initial news item – that another agency is in on the hype. Now it is the US Energy Department groaning about ovens that have been in use for centuries. Stay tuned, as by this weekend, we should hear back about how those nutty Republicans are creating a hysteria out of nothing. Yes, again. 

Gas Stoves Back Under Scrutiny With New US Limits Proposed – Bloomberg

Gas stoves are coming under fresh scrutiny as a second federal agency has now stepped into the political firestorm with a proposal for new regulations for the appliances https://t.co/7nh6eIxsQ9

— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) February 2, 2023