OPINION
Premium

Disney Corp. Seems Baffled on Where to Draw the Line Regarding Anti-Semitism

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Feb 02, 2022
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.

02.02.22

Both Kinds of Standards – THE VIEW

  • So…alluding to wartime propaganda is WORSE than erasing the Jewish race???

Yes, yes - Whoopie Goldberg said something harsh and insensitive. Frankly, it is impossible to get worked up over anything that may emanate from the indolent brain factory that is the daytime gabfest known as "The View." Expecting nuance thinking from that gaggle is like tossing raw chicken into an alligator enclosure and expecting table manners.

But what is interesting is the stance of the network. Whoopie has been issued a two-week suspension to think about what she did, but while she is cooling in the sin bin, what needs to be looked at is the fractured standards. Recently, actress Gina Carano was excoriated when she likened silencing methods on social media to propaganda techniques seen in Hitler's republic. This was said to be an unforgivable equivalency, as there is no tolerance for making any comparisons to what the Jewish people experienced at the hands of the Nazis.

Carano was dismissed from the show "The Mandalorian," even though she did not minimize or even insult the Jews in her comments. And if Nazi allusions were a deal-breaker, why was co-star Pablo Pascal permitted to remain after making GOP-Nazi comparisons? But Disney fired her, which makes the Goldberg decision all the more ridiculous as the company owns the ABC Network where Whoopie said her ignorant rant live on the air, not in a Twitter post. To say the messaging here is mixed defines the term "understatement." 

Legalized Press-titution – CNN

  • Well – the network almost went two months without a major scandal…

The shocking yet-at-the-same-time-understandable news came out today that the head of CNN, Jeffrey Zucker, will be stepping down from his ivory corner office immediately as a result of a sexual relationship within the company. I have covered how the new parent company of the network, Warner-Discovery, would possibly see fit to remove Chris Cuomo due to violations of company standards, and following his departure, the career of CEO Jeffrey Zucker would next be in the balance. 

Zucker has overseen his network spiral in the ratings, play host to controversial figures like Cuomo and Jeffrey Toobin, and run a number of stories throughout the year which were ridiculously false. His handling of the Cuomo fiasco itself would be grounds for career assessment. Warner-Discovery may be relieved to have reason to dispatch Zucker now, and they can embark on a complete rebuild of the network in a strained effort to regain a foothold in the cable news arena.

Reporting on the Mirror – MSNBC

  • Curious to learn exactly who it is saying there is a need for MORE "Morning Joe."

The departure of Brian Williams from the 11 pm time period left a hole in the MSNBC schedule, so some quick spackling is in order. Stephanie Ruhle is moving from the 9 am show she has hosted, taking her impacted economics coverage to late night. This meant that her morning hour would next need to be filled, so the network took the path of least resistance and announced that "Morning Joe" would expand to yet another hour. 

This means the sunshine broadcast will be occupying about 20% of MSNBC's entire daytime schedule during the weekdays. 

Presentation Paradox – THE LATE SHOW

  • See, lying about the man is acceptable because he is a Republican.

Following the trend of the late-night comics delivering monologues that are less funny intros than they are Ted Talks, Stephen Colbert tried to get a slam in against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. After some neutered Nazis put on a pathetic demonstration in Orlando, gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried challenged DeSantis to condemn the gathering in a desperately cheap political stunt. In a speech soon after, the governor slammed the weak attempt to affiliate him with the Nazis, calling out the smear before calling the gathered Nazis jackasses. He also pointed out the anti-Semitic legislation he has passed and has been crafting.

Wait, what's that?! Yes, he has signed past legislation addressing anti-Semitism, something she knows directly – she was in attendance for the signing of one such bill. 

Colbert, of course, could not gin up anger if he showed DeSantis decrying the protest, so he took the easy way out in the name of mirth – he clipped that part off his video display, so he could then accuse DeSantis of being incapable of condemning Nazis. We have to assume when he gets called out on this garbage move, Stephen will revert to clown-nose-on mode and explain that he is just a comedian. 

First Amendment Strike Force – CNN

  • Now, if Joe Rogan could just alter his entire content, then maybe he will find a pathway to success.

With most in the media complex seen being in a snit over Joe Rogan, it was only a matter of time for CNN's entertainment critic to weigh in on the matter. For the record, Brian Lowrey is not pleased with Joe, either. Giving his take for the "Reliable Sources" newsletter, Lowrey has some advice for Rogan – that is, he was offering guidance for the man with the most successful podcast to be found.

- "Rogan gives the impression that he still sees the show as a forum for him to riff on topics, as if he were BS-ing with his friends, which is doubtless a part of his appeal. But that fails to acknowledge that the podcast has grown into something bigger, the kind of mass-appeal enterprise that carries with it greater responsibilities. While Rogan wants to fall back on, 'Hey, I'm just asking questions,' his critics are saying that with a bigger audience comes certain obligations..."

This cuts to both a dose of obliviousness, and it tips the hand of what has the press so enraged about Rogan. He has built himself a wildly successful empire – the first thing he needs to do is move away from all of the elements that made him a success, according to Lowry.

Body Checking the Fact Checkers – REUTERS

It has become rather clear that the majority of those in the media are rather displeased with the show of activist might that is the Canadian convoy protest. The journalists who have applauded the #Resistance for years and applauded the BLM protests/skirmishes/riots are suddenly displeased to see a protest involving drivers parking their trucks. 

A sign of this comes from Reuters, which saw a trend on social media that claimed the animated show "The Simpsons" predicted the uprising North of the Border. No, understand now, some devious person actually edited together from two different shows, so this is actually not an accurate prediction. It also is not a serious fact-check, and ultimately, it amounts to accomplishing very little.