07.25.23
Gilded Reframe – ROLLING STONE
- When the silencing attempts fail this significantly, revisionism is inevitable.
To date, the once-esteemed music magazine has at least ten articles covering Jason Aldean's controversial single "Try That In A Small Town," none of which are supportive of the song in any fashion. As a sign of just how disappointed Rolling Stone has become in the unintended popularity of Aldean's release, there was a subtle dig at the fact that the singer fell just short of the top of the pop music chart.
Conservative fans did their best to push Jason Aldean’s controversial “Try That in a Small Town” to Number One on the charts, but they just missed, as Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven” prevailed. https://t.co/z3RfGwSjt4
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 24, 2023
To really get a sense of how angry this outlet has become, this entry declared that after the magazine, other outlets, and countless social media accounts worked to cancel Jason Aldean and the song (including getting it yanked from airplay on the CMT Channel), the success of the single has led to their claiming that cancel culture is not, in fact, a real thing.
Regardless of where “Small Town” landed on the chart, the track has become yet another dog whistle for conservatives, who have bemoaned the critiques as examples of so-called cancel culture. https://t.co/YNzUXMo5n8
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 24, 2023
Pulitzer Prize Nomination – CBS NEWS
Recommended
In a piece that defies common understanding, at CBS News, we see Li Cohen deliver a piece that leads to a few questions: How did this pitch get accepted, edited, and ultimately published in a news outlet claiming it is to be taken seriously?!
The motion picture "Barbie" was a smash hit in theaters this past weekend, and that means, of course, someone in the press had to see this as an opportunity to parlay that popularity into a political lecture. But, how to do so…?
Not to worry, Cohen managed to find a way. Simply explain to us how Barbie's Malibu dream home is endangered due to global warming and rising sea levels. It makes perfect sense!
Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse would need to be redesigned to survive as California gets even warmer. Here's how. https://t.co/MYVTSeH7qU
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 24, 2023
News Avoidance Syndrome – BLOOMBERG
- Okay, so we are to understand the "Barbie" movie is a bigger story than all the other problems with this administration?
During today's White House press briefing, we watched as a stunted exchange took place that simply made any lingering respect for the press dissipate just a little bit more.
Look, we are sure that with numerous looming problems with President Biden and the administration, Karine Jean-Pierre is grateful to discuss anything but those numerous looming problems. That said, is it the job of the gathered journalists to relieve her of that strife? Here we get Akayla Gardner of Bloomberg asking KJP if she managed to get out this weekend to see the "Barbie" movie.
"Did you see Barbie or Oppenheimer this weekend?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 24, 2023
KJP: "I did not. I knew I was gonna get that question!" pic.twitter.com/wUJwFYxzIU
Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT
As the press is consumed with raging at the state of Florida over lies concerning its new school policy teaching slavery, PolitiFact rides up in order to instill this as a valid media outrage. Kamala Harris has weighed in on the topic, and this was the springboard for the truth detractors, using her speeches to verify things. Only problem: In the process, they managed to expose the complete sham.
The new school standards issued were in a 200+ page report, with hundreds of modules and far more revisions within each that detail slavery's history in full detail. But when Kamala cited one solitary sentence that she says is objectionable, the outlet declared her claim of teaching that slavery was beneficial to blacks as Mostly True.
Politifact ‘Verifies' Kamala Harris on Slamming Florida’s Slavery Course and Manages to Prove It Is All a Partisan Fraud https://t.co/0TvoUXUnVx
— RedState (@RedState) July 25, 2023
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- If the media say it is so, then it cannot be a lie.
The stampede of media outlets repeating this canard about Florida schools teaching that slavery was beneficial is remarkably obtuse. Washington Post, ABC News, Politico, NPR, The Daily Beast, Tampa Bay Times, and CBS Mornings are just a short list of those who eagerly repeated this nonsense without the barest amount of research.
There is growing controversy over Florida’s new education standards that call for middle schoolers to be taught that some enslaved people actually benefitted from slavery, after Gov. DeSantis signed the “Stop Woke Act” last year. https://t.co/hFjMmWbkVI pic.twitter.com/tFbwbWOBn6
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 24, 2023
Presentation Paradox – THE BULWARK
- Say, gang, do you really think parroting Donald Trump is the look you are going for here?
In yet another post slamming Ron DeSantis, the group of completely-genuine-don't-you-dare-suggest-otherwise conservatives at The Bulwark have belched out yet another hit piece on the Florida governor. Trying to get people to buy into your claims or even read your screed is unlikely to happen when you attempt to lure them in with this listing of completely merit-free attacks on the man that has nothing to do with policy.
Making this all the more surreal is that the outlet that has spent years declaring Trump to be the largest direct threat to our democracy would lower itself to his septic language of personal attacks in order to insult DeSantis; in other words, stooping to Trump's infantile levels in order to help his cause in this election.
Is the pudding fingers guy in the white boots with the annoying voice who seems to sulk when he’s in groups and dismiss randos really the one you want in close contact with voters on a daily basis"? https://t.co/ObMoqvWys2
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) July 24, 2023
"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage of 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.
