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When a Reporter Knows Joe Manchin's Intentions Better Than...Joe Manchin

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Oct 21, 2021
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage on the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.

10.21.21

Artisanal-Crafted Narratives – MOTHER JONES

There was some hot news flying around D.C. yesterday when David Corn delivered an exclusive – Joe Manchin is pondering leaving the Democratic Party over the tumult from this year. Except, the story was blasted apart that same afternoon, by Manchin. 

When faced with this resounding denial from the senator, Corn was initially dismayed, "For some reason, his press secretary decided not to tell me that prior to publication." Then, he decided to double-down on his contention. He stated that Manchin knows this is not a rumor, and then Corn cut a video that lays out the entire plan for his exit strategy. This is all entirely based on...who knows. Corn provides no sources, nor anything concrete. But take his word about what Manchin is primed to do, over the words – and letters – of Manchin himself. 

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DNC PR Firm – CNN

  • Oliver Darcy scolds the media over bad numbers but fails to check the math at CNN.

At first blush, there is a tinge of excitement; Did Oliver Darcy really become critical about the professionalism in the press?! Well, yes he did, but let's not get too giddy over a change of tactics from the media observer. He did so at the bidding of the Biden Administration, not out of some level of professional growth.

The issue was an entry in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter that Ollie took over editing duties for last night. He was calling out the way USA Today was reporting on the walkouts seen by the state employees in Washington, in response to Governor Inslee's vaccine mandate. In doing the bidding of the White House, Darcy quotes Ben Wakana from the WH Covid Response Team, noting that it was 3% of the workers who are leaving and that the real story should be that 97% have complied.

- "Wakana is right, and it is bizarre that at this juncture some major news outlets are still missing the obvious framing on these stories..."

Funny, because at the very same time, Darcy's own network is engaged in the very same bizarre framing of a story. In their coverage of the Dave Chapelle protests being seen at Netflix, CNN covered the story in the exact same fashion as the USA Today gripe. 

In a report on the planned protest at Netflix headquarters, CNN gave this assessment: "Hundreds of Netflix employees and supporters are expected to take part in a demonstration on Wednesday…"

Now, for the uncomfortable math. Netflix has over 12,000 employees, which means that you are looking at a percentage that is directly in line with that in the alleged imbalance report on the Washington employees. Then, to make Ollie and his network look even more ridiculous, the turnout at the protest was meager. 

Low Octane Gas Lighting – VARIETY

  • The paper that covers fictional entertainment struggles with factual video.

Variety covered the protest at Netflix and it is rather clear which side they chose. A group of counter-protesters arrived at the lot to support Dave Chappelle. In one exchange, a man holding a sign that read "We Like Dave" had it taken from him, broken in half, and then the protestors immediately began yelling that the man left holding a stick had a weapon. Yes, it was that ridiculous. 

The man, YouTube personality Vito Gesualdi, never became confrontational and was not even aggressive. Variety, however, tried to paint him as an instigator of violence. Don't believe your lying eyes, he was dangerous! 

Anti-Social Media – ABC NEWS

  • Your Marie Antoinette moment, as durable goods are stuck in the ports.

With the mounting issue of goods being delayed because the Biden administration has gummed up the supply routes, from the ports to the airlines and the trucking industry, many are wondering when we will come out of it. Not to worry, because Ginger Zee, "Good Morning America" weather girl (oh, sorry - "Chief Meteorologist") is here to lend advice on how we can cope. 

- "What can shoppers do? Reduce consumption. Our obsession with multiple gifts (especially for kids) is beyond what’s necessary. Support local, shop small & less."

Yea, sorry – this is a tough lesson to swallow from a pampered media fixture who lives a rather opulent lifestyle. 

Good work, Ginger, the White House appreciates your efforts on behalf of the administration. As a sign of gratitude, they will be sending you a nice gift basket...uh, sometime soon, once all the items arrive to fill it. 

Matching Media Memorandum – WUSA 9 NEWS

  • Why resort to facts when the narrative spin is right there in your inbox?! 

As the race for the governor's office in Virginia continues to tighten, it is clear the Democrats are getting nervous-slash-desperate. One of the latest attempts to wound Glenn Youngkin, the GOP challenger to floundering Terry McAuliffe, is to say his declaring that George Soros is funding people who want to pass radical plans on our schools is tantamount to antisemitism. This is a traditional deflection from the Democrats, that pointing at a donation ledger is a hate crime. 

Local reporter Bruce Leshan got in on the act, parroting this ridiculous talking point. 

This lame use of unattributed pushback is tired. To use his own parlance, readers might question whether Bruce is an actual journalist. If he really wanted to counter Youngkin, he could do the research and come up with the conflicting facts. Unless – he did the research but came to learn that Soros does in fact fund these efforts, which means he has to resort to the Democrat accusations. 

Prose & Contradiction – THE NEW YORK TIMES

You would think that an innocuous story about olive oil would not lead to problems for the paper of record, and yet they managed to make a mess of things right out of the gate. When it comes to the Middle East, especially the contested territories, The Times continues to struggle with who to support on a cartographical basis. 

In trying to determine if a particular olive oil is in fact the best in the world, the paper had a harder time determining where the origin is situated. The village Rameh, the focus of the article, is said to be in Palestine in the sub-header and the opening paragraph, while the byline and the caption of the header photo say "Rameh, Israel."

Oh, considering this region, I'm certain both sides will be satisfied to have been noticed.