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Both Kinds of Standards – ABC NEWS
See, they are professionals, and this could not be helped, unlike that other time.
On ABC World News Tonight, David Muir was on the receiving end of some technical foibles, unable to throw to his man in the field, and he had to scramble and have his weather girl bail him out before things were corrected.
Nobody in media circles is throwing harsh criticism today.
This is a departure from what was seen just weeks ago, when Tony Dokoupil experienced the same problem on his debut on The CBS Evening News, which was held up by many as an example that Bari Weiss could not do her job.
WAIT: I was told this kind of technical snafu was only the kind of thing that happens to supposed amateurs like Bari Weiss and Tony Dokoupil at the 'CBS Evening News,' NOT the top-rated ABC's 'World News Tonight' with David Muir! pic.twitter.com/PC0vgNrn9N
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 28, 2026
Reporting on the Mirror – CBS NEWS
Well, clearing the decks is certainly one way to get the mutiny under control.
At NPR, David Folkenflik has collected several anonymous voices from inside CBS News willing to feed him details about what operations are like under Bari Weiss. The new head of the news division has been saying she encourages internal discussions on operations, and wants external revelations kept to a minimum, yet so many inside CBS are rushing to compliant journalists to get their opposition into print.
(Sidenote: When Uri Berliner went public, he did so after he tried to discuss NPR issues inside the building, and turned to Weiss and her outlet when he was rebuffed by management. He was then scorched by those at NPR for going public and not keeping the issues in-house.)
These sources tell Dave that Weiss has announced a series of job cuts in the newsroom, but these are not layoffs. At the same time, she announced the hiring of more than a dozen new correspondents in various categories. So, cleaning out the trouble elements may be in play.
CBS Update: I'm told that CBS News employees are being offered buyouts. More details as they come.
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) January 28, 2026
(This from two people inside the newsroom who spoke on condition they not be named as they were not authorized to speak about internal matters.)
Stealth Story Evolution – MS NOW
All of that visual labor, only to be tossed aside…
Yesterday, we covered how Nicolle Wallace was brazen enough to carp about the administration delivering visual deceptions, WHILE her production posted an AI-altered photo of Alex Pretti.
It seems they got the message that they were guilty of the very accusation they were making. Now, the playback of that segment from the Deadline: White House episode no longer has the deceptively edited picture of Pretti.
Wow. Sometime this afternoon @MSNOWNews edited this video to remove the AI-edited photo of Alex Pretti that they’d originally included. https://t.co/jisV2NUxJ6
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) January 28, 2026
Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT
Maybe your supportive evidence undercuts your rating, ya think?
So the viscounts of verite at PolitiFact are at it again. President Trump earned his latest FALSE rating from the gang, and in what has been their trademarked fashion, they do so while proving him correct.
The president referred to the protesters as "professional insurrectionists" and "professional troublemakers," which has been labeled as plainly inaccurate.
President Donald Trump and his allies have said anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota are paid. Evidence shows a large volunteer protest movement in the Twin Cities.https://t.co/KKfUqDAjqM
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) January 27, 2026
Then, they managed to make the very point for the president.
“Although it’s common for professional community organizers to be involved in protests, reporting by multiple news outlets, statements from people on the ground and experts’ observations show thousands of Minnesotans have been voluntarily protesting.”
And…
“Experts in social and political movements told us the majority of protesters aren’t paid, but it’s a common talking point aimed at dismissing the legitimacy of grassroots activism.”
And…
“Some professional community organizers are involved in the protests but evidence shows a large volunteer protest movement in the Twin Cities.”
It feels odd to point out the obvious, but if "professional" organizers are involved, that undercuts the premise of this being grassroots activism. But what they are leaning on here is that the majority of protestors are not paid, when the quote from the president never says all protestors are paid.
The Signal protest account that was exposed showed the level of funding behind the Minnesota protests. Journalist Jeremy Lee Quinn describes just one of the facets of professional backing seen in the streets of Minneapolis.
This is common in the Twin Cities. All the community blocks are highly organized. When I went to try to talk to the grandfather who was taken out by ICE in his underwear and a robe, I was a approached by a similarly orange-capped woman who wanted to know who I was and who I… https://t.co/Tt1fUf83J7
— Jeremy Lee Quinn (@jeremyreporter) January 25, 2026
Gilded Reframe – THE TIMES UK
Who needs to research when you are a columnist?!
Over in Britain, columnist Giles Coren thought he was making a grand and impactful pronouncement that he was refraining from taking his family to our country for travel due to safety concerns. Beyond delivering a severe dose of apathy-inducing journalism, he was roundly exposed as being lax in his claims.
After he told Karol Markowicz that Britain is "The safest place on Earth," he was informed about the high incidence rate of rapes in London. Then, after doubting the veracity of that statistic, he looked it up (finally) and learned it was accurate.
It is always precious to see a journalist learning about journalism in real time.
How are we ever supposed to leave this site? https://t.co/M8FnYY9LKG pic.twitter.com/XmNNLmOtOv
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) January 27, 2026
