05.25.23
Both Kinds of Standards – VARIOUS MEDIA
- We sense a shift in The Force.
Ron DeSantis declared his candidacy last night, and the press declared there is something possibly worse to be afflicted with than Trump Derangement Syndrome. The Florida governor has the press spinning out of control after he made his announcement not in the press but on Twitter. Get this; the people who have called him a fascist for years and declared Florida to be a terrorist state are actually surprised he will not speak with them. Huh, what gives?!
Also acting a bit off-kilter is his GOP opponent, Donald Trump. Sure, we expect him to lash out at DeSantis and deliver unhinged commentary. But Trump listing off the various criticisms in the press last night brings up a revealing paradox.
Notice anything?
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) May 25, 2023
The man who despises the media complex and calls them 'fake news" is now touting them.
The news outlets that called to censor Trump and said his words were an imminent threat are now retweeting and interviewing him. https://t.co/VjB4hu0DBa
Anti-Social Media – VANITY FAIR
- There must be a reason, Michael. There just MUST be!
As we mentioned, many in the press have been extremely bothered that DeSantis not only stepped away from making his official announcement with the conventional media but chose to do so with the accursed Elon Musk. Particularly bothered was Michael Calderone of Vanity Fair.
DeSantis is so far staying in a right-wing media bubble: https://t.co/1ekWyGTwdu
— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) May 25, 2023
DeSantis is not concerned with what the collective press complex might say about him, considering what they have said already. We mean, if he doesn't speak with the media, are they going to start – umm – continuing to disparage his character?
To help Michael out on what could be at play here, we will need to reach all the way back to…uh, this week, at his own outlet.
What pic.twitter.com/8j7tO3Kmgt
— Hooch (@CompanyHooch) May 24, 2023
Presentation Paradox – THE VIEW
- Opinionator, heal thyself.
As a rule, we generally avoid anything concerning the rapid hens on the daytime gabfest "The View." Seriously, nothing said on that show needs to be addressed. Their stunted social opinions are not even low-hanging fruit; it is fruit that has burst on the ground and is beginning to ferment.
The resident alleged conservative on the show posted some wisdom about DeSantis not using the press and, in so doing, made a completely ignorant display of this. We could discuss how Biden hid from any challenging press as he campaigned and even hid out entirely for stretches. But instead, we only note that as she lectures how DeSantis is supposed to face those he disagrees with – she turned off the comments function on her post.
People running for President need to be able to talk to & meet w/unfriendly audiences. Hiding out in Right wing media is a recipe for failure but also a disservice to voters.
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) May 25, 2023
If you’re running to be POTUS for all Americans, u need to be able to talk to people you disagree with.
Hoax & Change – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- And if every news outlet jumped off a bridge…?
To open things, recall how much Fox News is dumped on by other outlets for not being "real" news and delivering false information. Well, most of those delivering that gripe are locked in a cycle of lies regarding the state of Florida banning books. We have all heard it, but here is the truth without any nuance: no books have been banned. Period.
This is perfectly exemplified in a story scorching across the media complex this week regarding a Miami school that removed the book featuring the poem that was read at Joe Biden's inauguration, along with some other selected titles. A parent complained, the school buckled, and the books were removed right away, goes the story repeated constantly.
But it is just that – a story. Numerous news outlets all ran the "banned" narrative, but the fact – which countless journalists were incapable of investigating – was that the school literally moved the books to another area. Nestled deep in the original story from the Miami Herald was this revealing nugget:
The four other titles were deemed 'better suited' or 'more appropriate' for middle school students, despite acknowledging that at least one book, The ABCs of Black History, was written for ages 5 and up. The books would be kept in the middle school section of the media center, the review concluded.
Soooooo…these "banned" books were simply placed in a different section…of the very same library where they are available for anyone to check out.
Anatomy of a Media Hoax - The Desire for Book Bans Leads to Rampant Lies In the Press https://t.co/iscLqoZl7S
— RedState (@RedState) May 25, 2023
Presentation Paradox – ASSOCIATED PRESS
While tough to find the worst example of the above book ban lies, the AP might well have delivered the example that typifies the problem. Not only is it pushing the lie that has been debunked thoroughly, but in the body of the very column they disqualify their own headline:
The poem and books are still available in the media center for middle school-aged children, Ana Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade school district, said in a statement.
A poem by Amanda Gorman that was written for President Joe Biden's inauguration was banned by a Florida school after one parent's complaint.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 25, 2023
Gorman vowed to fight back. https://t.co/7IqJv3lzs1
Prose & Contradictions – AXIOS
In what was probably meant to be a hit piece on Governor DeSantis, Axios comes out with a scathing report that the newly signed illegal immigration law is causing a number of illegals to leave the state.
It is not clear why a law designed to address illegal activity and is performing as expected is looked at negatively, but here we are.
Some undocumented immigrants who came to Florida are now leaving because of a new law recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that places restrictions on their livelihoods.https://t.co/qrAdDXIIiF
— Axios (@axios) May 24, 2023
"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature covering the nation's deeply flawed aspects of journalism, where Brad Slager looks to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.
