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Left-Wing Media Finally Writes About Hunter Biden's Activities

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jun 15, 2021
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This is Townhall's daily VIP feature, where we will focus coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in the mainstream media.

06.15.21 (Update)

Pulitzer Prize Nominations – LOS ANGELES TIMES

There are a number of arguments made in the debate to legalize marijuana, but it is near impossible to have the discussion and not have it mentioned that the government would rake in a ton of tax revenue. That is unless it is the government of California. 

In possibly the first time ever recorded, the legalized pot industry in California needs to have a $100 million bailout. Nearly a quarter of that, $22 million, is just for Los Angeles. It will be worth watching if the state ever legalizes gambling; it could be the first time the odds do not favor the house.

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Reporting on the Mirror – WASHINGTON POST

  • Maggie Haberman's book deal already sounds like it is off the mark.

The "Reliable Sources" newsletter broke the news that Haberman just signed a deal to write a new book, one that involves her stature in the journalism landscape.

- "Washington Post media columnist and former NYT public editor Margaret Sullivan has struck a deal to write 'Fear or Favor: Notes From America's News Breakdown' for St. Martin's Press. The book is billed as 'a rare insider's perspective on two of the biggest newspapers in the country and America's growing, democracy-threatening mistrust of the press.'"

One has to wonder if the distrust in our media is such a threat to our democracy, why does the press work so hard to give us reasons not to trust them?!

Stealth Story Evolution – WASHINGTON POST

You had to know that if Ms. Rubin would wade out into the waters concerning Critical Race Theory, she would end up face-down in the muck after a couple of steps. Here she attempts to paint Republican opponents as a group of white extremists afraid of losing their grip on the nation. She invokes the ridiculed 1619 Project without a single critique, and claims, as her headline blares, it is all because "Republicans Are Afraid of History."

Small matter that we spent a majority of last year watching people tearing down historical statues and monuments – out of misplaced anger and fear – who were decidedly NOT Republicans.

News Avoidance Syndrome – DAILY BEAST

  • This seems similar to something about ants and stampeding elephants…

As we mentioned earlier today, the press is rather interested in not reporting on the salacious aspects of Hunter Biden's affairs. (Hey look, he's selling art for hundreds of thousands of dollars!) At Fox News today, Jimmy Failla from Fox Across America, was discussing the media giving a pass to Chuck Schumer and Hunter Biden over normally offensive comments...much like we did here, in one of this country's top-10,000 media critical columns (see below). Failla mentioned that it seems like "Hunter tweets like he is getting paid by the slur," all the while the press looks for other things to cover.

Then, as if all too eager to prove his point, Justin Baragona of The Daily Beast jumped in – some would even say, he pounced – with a massive correction; Hunter does not have a Twitter account!

Yes, Failla meant to say "texts," instead of "tweets," but Baragona had all he needed to make the two-handed dunk on a Play School backyard basketball net, and – more importantly – to not discuss the hateful comments made by Biden's child. 

Gilded Reframe – CNN

It began with Olivia Beavers noting something GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Fox News. "I will promise you this: If we are fortunate enough to have the majority, Omar would not be serving on Foreign Affairs [Committee] or anybody that has an anti-semitic, anti-American view." This led to a response from CNN's Manu Raju, taking a break from his daily badgering of Joe Manchin.

While most would nod at this, Raju sounds genuinely surprised. Or, appalled. Possibly both. Well...the main reason it will be cited, Manu, is that when the GOP enacts such a move it will surely result in screeching from the press – so referencing this time when the Dems acted in exactly the same fashion will be required to quell the outrage.

06.15.21 (Original)

Stealth Story Evolution – FOX NEWS

You knew it was bound to happen in some fashion. The curiosity was how it would be deployed. Chris Wallace seems to have come up with the plotline, based on how many in the media have suddenly found it acceptable to report on something from Fox News. Wallace interviewed Mike Pompeo, and in discussing the Wuhan Lab leak story becoming valid once again, Wallace came up with the ideal deflection.

- "I want to again go back to your administration and the record there. President Trump and his team, including you, had almost a year after COVID-19 first came on the scene to really press Beijing on what the origins were when the evidence was much fresher. But what did President Trump and his administration, including the secretary of state, do to press China harder to get the evidence on where the COVID-19 virus came from?"

And, just that easy, the problem has been offset in the minds of the press. Look for this to become the new approach to the story in the days ahead.

Glossary Over Things – WASHINGTON POST

The next phase of the attempt to pass off the blame for not covering the Wuhan virus story is to alter its interpretation. Aaron Blake at WaPo makes the strained effort in his coverage of Wallace's revelation. It has now been dubbed as "The rehabilitation of the coronavirus lab leak theory."

Blue-Anon – CNN

Continuing the practice of CNN viewers knowing more about Qanon than actual Qanon followers, the anti-conspiracy network just reported on a new FBI report that states that devotees of the conspiracy group will turn violent any day now. Because...uh...because nothing has happened...?

Not new intel, but an unclassified report that was released theorizes (ahem) that because so many of the predicted events by Q have not come to pass, the followers will now certainly turn violent. Alex Marquardt delivers the less-than-gripping details, citing the followers are in a state of distemper because things...did not happen, like President Trump being installed as president in March. What the galaxy brains at CNN avoid here is that there was predicted violence to take place then. Recall, Congress shut down over the promise of violence – and not only was there none to report, nobody even showed up.

They say that Q followers "will begin to believe they can no longer trust The Plan, referenced in Q posts," and that this lack of direction will not have them disillusioned with Q but convert them into "digital soldiers" who will engage in violence. This means they are selling the idea that a lack of direction from Q will be regarded as marching orders to engage in violence. This, their chyron states is a Scary Warning.

Any day now, the CNN Store will be selling branded rolls of tin foil.

News Avoidance Syndrome – ARTNET NEWS

Despite a growing list of Hunter Biden stories the press will not cover – his questionable careers, his laptop emails, his father's involvement in grifting, his use of the N-word, etc. – we finally do get some coverage of the troubled Biden youth. Hunter is striving to become a notable artist! This is something he has been working at for years. He has been doing quite a few other things for years, but there has not been the same level of interest in the press.

Both Kinds of Standards – POLITICO

Chuck Schumer was discovered to have recently been on a podcast, and he did something that is normally unforgivable. But since he is an important Democrat, the press managed to find a way to forgive him. During the show Schumer, "inartfully" used the R-word (that would be the once non-toxic word "retarded") in reference to a New York housing program. 

While most others would be banished as social pariahs over this usage by the contemporary cancel culture standards, Politico managed to excuse away this infraction. Because he apologized, Schumer is in the clear now for using the phrase that is "outdated" and "outmoded."

First Amendment Strike Force – CNN

  • In defending MSNBC, Brian Stelter manages to forget about himself.

A growing response in recent days has been for those watching the news to declare there is little difference between Fox News and MSNBC, save for the fact they are opposite sides of the political spectrum. Well, this assessment did not sit well at all with CNN's Brian Stelter.

He tried to rise up in defense of MSNBC, where he has made numerous appearances recently to hawk the paperback version of his book. After all, lowering them to the level of Fox might lower his book sales! Stelter insists that MSNBC is set apart because Rachel Maddow and others adore the struggling local news outlets.

The problem? Stelter has been a regular critic of Sinclair Broadcasting, which operates the most local affiliates in the country. And while he attempts to sell Sinclair as a variation of the Fox News model, they run stations across all the broadcasters, with their stations running ABC, CBS, NBC, and Univision totaling over 100. Sorry, Brian, tough to swallow your romanticizing of the locals when you have been sharpening those knives for some time.

DNC PR Firm – WASHINGTON POST

It used to be tradition that on foreign visits, the press would have a "leave it at the beach" approach to coverage of the president, meaning they would not air out domestic issues on the international stage. But when you have a doddering president repeatedly embarrassing himself to a worldwide audience, the journalists are dutifully giving Joe Biden softballs to swat from the podium. 

Anne Gearan of WaPo got the first prepared question to the president, and she teed it up for him to scorch the Republicans because, why on earth would there be a need to ask him anything about his interactions with Vlad Putin or his approach to China, a country that drew attention with caustic comments about the G7 Summit?!

Just to see how choreographed this whole affair was, watch the opening moments of this presser. As Biden closes his remarks, he begins by calling out who he will take a question from, but he does not randomly choose. Biden is working off of his approved list and calls out Anne Gearan by name, then as he finally looks up, he searches for her, only coming into eye contact once she stands to ask her prepared question.