OPINION
Premium

Jonah Goldberg Quit Fox News Over Supposed Dysfunction, Now He's Embracing the Chaos

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Feb 07, 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.

02.07.22

Presentation Paradox – THE DISPATCH

It was allegedly huge news in the media when Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes announced they were leaving Fox News on the basis of principles. 

- "We sincerely believe that all people of good will and good judgment—regardless of their ideological or partisan commitments—can agree that a cavalier and even contemptuous attitude toward facts, truth-seeking, and truth-telling, lies at the heart of so much that plagues our country." 

Recommended

Trump Reacts to Iran's Massive Ballistic Missile Attack Katie Pavlich
This Antony Blinken Op-Ed Dropped at the Wrong Time Matt Vespa

The peacocking move was chuckled at by many at the time, as they pretended to be adhering to a higher standard of propriety than seen from Fox. Those chuckles will now become outright laughter, as Jonah has just landed a new gig.

Reporting on the Mirror – CNN

In a tearful epilogue to the Jeff Zucker departure, Don Lemon made a number of exaggerated claims regarding his deposed former boss. He credited Zucker with putting him on the air, calling himself "the only anchor of color in primetime on cable news." That has to be news to Joy Reid over at MSNBC. Next, Lemon claimed Zucker made CNN "relevant again" and alleged that he left the network a "very good blueprint going forward." This is the same network that has languished a distant third in the cable ratings for years and currently has lost over 80% of its ratings over the past year. He also has overseen a number of scandals, in just the past few months, including numerous sexual assault accusations, one of which involves Don Lemon himself. 

But the best line had to be this one, which Lemon said in full emotional fervor. We have to call this accurate. Considering his affair, it seems what he did at his network is also what he did to the country.

Anti-Social Media – WASHINGTON POST

Margaret Sullivan recently had a friend of hers who passed away. It normally would be the kind of announcement that would garner sympathy, except Maggie does not seem to be in mourning over the death, seeing as how she saw fit to use his passing as a means of trashing Joe Rogan. 

Is this really where the minds of our media complex have gone to these days, that a death of a dear friend is something that can be glibly politicized? She readily admits that she has no knowledge at all her friend ever listened to Rogan, let alone could have been influenced in any fashion, but she was perfectly comfortable using his tragedy to score a political hit.

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – CNN

And we thought they hated collusion. As we covered here on Friday, CNN correspondent Jamie Gangel let it slip that she, and her network, had a direct pipeline inside the January 6 Commission, with Jeff Zucker's firing leading to many members of Congress expressing their disappointment they had lost an ally. Now, right on cue, CNN comes out with another landmark report from inside the commission, and – well, it is pretty underwhelming.

Hailed as an "EXCLUSIVE," this latest reveals that the newly obtained White House logs show that Rep. Jim Jordan spoke on the phone with Donald Trump a couple of times on January 6! One of those calls took place in the morning! Before he went to the House floor! This is huge news!

Why you may ask? Well, that is hard to say. CNN does nothing as far as telling us what was said on those calls. They fail to explain any significance of these calls. They also do not detail why this is even news, given Jordan in the past has already made it public he spoke with the president that day. 

Pounce of Prevention – WASHINGTON POST

Stacey Abrams has been roundly ridiculed over her now-deleted elitist photo she put out where she is surrounded by dozens of students in masks, as she was free to remain maskless and beaming for the cameras. And, as we always come to expect, the problem was not her violating mask lectures. It was those dastardly Republicans pouncing on…her violating the mask mandates.

Low Octane Gas Lighting – MSNBC

  • We keep missing out on all this lynching going on.

With some reports filtering down that Joy Reid's persistent imbalance on camera (and her ratings) could be leading to her being removed from her time slot, the hostess appears to have hit upon a new game plan. When you have been shown to be a relatively unhinged commentator, maybe the best remedy is to have on guests who are more outlandish, and thereby, you will appear to be saner, by comparison.

News Avoidance Syndrome – THE NEW YORK TIMES

In D.C., there is an ongoing story with the restaurant The Big Board willingly defying the heavily restrictive mask/vaccine/passport ordinance placed on businesses in the city by Mayor Muriel Bowser. A handful of Republicans from the Hill have attended the restaurant in support of the owners, and The New York Times sees this as a serious problem. 

You will find very little in the way of criticism of Bowser's mandate, but these dastardly politicians willing to help business owners defy…other politicians are seen as the real problem. Also left out is the detail that on the other side of the Potomac, Virginia restaurants are welcoming all patrons without the restrictions.