06.14.23
First Amendment Strike Force – MSNBC
- Announcing their need to mold the narrative in real time.
After spending the overwhelming majority of their coverage on Tuesday strictly on Trump, that night he was delivering a post-arraignment speech in Bedminster, New Jersey, and MSNBC turned Orwellian. Rachel Maddow cut in to announce that they will not be running Trump's comments on the chance that they predict he would deliver lies.
.@Maddow on why @MSNBC isn't airing Trump's speech:
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 14, 2023
"We are here to bring you the news. It hurts our ability to do that if we live broadcast what we fully expect in advance to be a litany of lies and false accusations, no matter who says them." pic.twitter.com/LmirC8GUuc
Yes, there is irony in MSNBC declaring they will not broadcast lies on the air. The amazing part is the admission that the network would not permit content to go over the air without their having the chance to sanitize the words to their own approval.
Lending support to this practice was Eric Deggans of National Public Radio. Not only did he back the wrong-think practice, but his approach was insulting by suggesting they need to conduct this filtering of words in order to shield the audience, who would be incapable of surviving exposure to the words of an unapproved individual.
News outlets should always be careful about airing the speech of subjects who have consistently trafficked in untruths and misinformation. Doesn't mean you don't eventually report on their words. Does mean that you don't present their words live and unfiltered to your audience. https://t.co/fcoaKCGHcV
— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) June 14, 2023
Presentation Paradox – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Blaming Trump for their obsession with Trump.
In the aftermath of Trump's indictment on Tuesday, the press was in full-bore blanket coverage. One of the amusing side notes is that given no cameras were permitted in the courthouse, the media were hungry for content to run on the air. Trump, following his entering of a Not-Guilty plea, stopped at a local Cuban restaurant and staged what many considered to be a campaign stop.
It was with some amusement that members of the journalist set were complaining about Trump receiving coverage.
MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace made similar comments on her show while calling for the video feed of Trump's cafe visit to be taken down.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) June 13, 2023
"That's the picture over your brilliant words, we don't need to see that anymore, we know where he is. " pic.twitter.com/iYFmr0QFLt
With more obliviousness, there was Jen Psaki complaining that Trump intentionally made the restaurant stop to get camera time. It seems perfectly quaint that she looks at the man as the source of blame and not the obsessive journalism force that stampeded to the Cuban eatery to cover his tour stop.
This….he planned the visit to the cafe knowing it would be the only time this afternoon he would be on camera. He had his spokesperson/lawyer make a whacky statement because he knew there would be appetite for words. He is managing this like a former creator of reality TV… https://t.co/rnMtfrgvMv
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) June 13, 2023
DNC PR Firm – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Using data to prove the unhealthy addiction.
All of the condescension and elitist posturing from the press is completely unwound when you see the numbers showing how they simply cannot help themselves. If this man is so contemptible and unworthy of our attention as they claim, then they would not spend such copious amounts of time covering him.
The gang over at Newsbusters is great at cataloging the amounts of coverage certain stories receive from news outlets, and this past week has been a sheer embarrassment for the industry. Last Thursday, news broke of President Biden and bribery evidence with Burisma coming to light, and on the same day, Trump's indictment news was also announced. Looking at the coverage, you can say Newsbusters noted a discrepancy.
Have you heard about the Biden Burisma bribery scandal?
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) June 13, 2023
Probably not, since it's received ZERO seconds of coverage from @ABC, @CBSNews and @NBCNews, compared to the 291 minutes they've spent on the Trump indictment. https://t.co/xxbcxZ2ACq
Then on Tuesday, they compiled all of the time spent on Trump's Miami misanthropy. Any member of the press corps complaining that the former president had any traction needs to shut up directly, and immediately, considering they were incapable of shutting up about the man. Collectively on CNN and MSNBC, over 27 hours of coverage was generated from 5 am to midnight. The story with the second highest media attention (the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia) was granted just over nine minutes.
CNN and MSNBC spent 95% of Tuesday obsessing over Donald Trump instead of the issues Americans actually care about. https://t.co/92O692mOYt
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) June 14, 2023
Anti-Social Media (Pt.1) – FOX NEWS
- Maybe the anger is over Biden being successful at this effort?
Following Tuesday's drama, there were competing speeches, with Trump talking at a podium in New Jersey and President Jose Biden delivering an address at the White House. There has been much wailing from the left and in media circles because while Biden was speaking, Fox News put up this chyron.
Fox refers to Biden as "wannabe dictator." pic.twitter.com/aXXxw5YaAP
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 14, 2023
It is rather precious to see the fainting couch histrionics from the industry that has been busy describing Governor Ron DeSantis as a "fascist," spent years calling Trump "Hitler," and countless years tossing out charges that Republicans are "Nazis."
Anti-Social Media (Pt. 2) – PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE
- Providing a cigarette warning label on your news coverage.
Meanwhile – at almost the same time – PBS provided their own very slanted and biased on-screen graphic, and curiously, there is no outrage to be heard from the collective crybabies. Just sit back and appreciate the razor-sharp laser-honed double-standard as they can allege Trump is delivering dangerous lies which could inspire violence, and not a peep of complaints are to be found in the realm of our media experts.
Just look over their Context warning and recall no such label was ever affixed to President Biden's infamous Red Speech in Philadelphia, where he declared fascism to rule the Republican Party.
This is what PBS posted on their chyron during Trumps speech! Ridiculous and offensive! pic.twitter.com/seqPnOUeGJ
— Lucinda Lowe (@lucindalowe) June 14, 2023
Pathological Media Amnesia – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Generations of firm opposition to a policy are wiped away when used against the man they despise.
We are very happy to have the return of thread-master Drew Holden, from a lengthy medical leave. Drew delivers a trademark takedown in a thread displaying the convenient about-face the press has made in relation to The Espionage Act. For years, the press has mostly stood in opposition to this statute, more so in recent years when it had been employed by the previous president.
Yet today, many members of the media are hailing this, as it is being applied to Donald Trump in regard to the documents charges he is facing.
And they REALLY hated it when Trump started using it.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) June 13, 2023
Don’t take my word for it. Here’s @NPR explaining the law in 2017. pic.twitter.com/i0dZeQeALW
Legalized Press-titution – THE BULWARK
You just have to laugh when you see the gang that used to call themselves the warriors preserving conservatism over at The Bulwark exposing their true Democratic Party colors. The Tru Cons™ turned over their platform to the decided un-conservative Senator Chris Murphy to propose his latest statist agenda item.
He sees a problem in the country with people feeling disconnected from others, but not to worry, he has come up with a solution – we'll pass federal laws to fix it! Frankly, if people these days need anything, it is to become MORE isolated from governmental intrusion in our lives. His policy proposal even carries that whiff of nebulous language used to shield oppressive overreach; "a national strategy to combat isolation and promote connectedness."
I'm looking forward to the day I receive my draft notice to announce I have been enlisted to serve for two years in the Meals On Wheels battalion.
I believe loneliness is one of America's great modern social and political problems.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 12, 2023
And so I'm drafting legislation right now to establish a national strategy to combat isolation and promote connectedness. Stay tuned for more details.https://t.co/rp5nJxxm5m
"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation, where Brad Slager looks to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.
