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CNN Makes Putin's Censorship Effort Even Easier

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Mar 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.

03.07.22

First Amendment Strike Force – CNN

  • Making Putin's censorship effort even easier.

As Russia's authoritarian continues to become globally ostracized while rebuilding the Ottoman Empire, CNN is possibly missing the point. One of Vlad Putin's efforts to maintain control at home is to clamp down entirely on the media. He has shuttered many social platforms, he has clamped down on financial news sites to shield the reasons for the economic duress from sanctions, and a new censorship law has forbidden most news outlets from reporting on the Ukraine invasion, with harsh punishments for any that describe the incursion as a war. 

CNN is actually aiding the effort by announcing they are cutting off broadcasts in Russia as a result of the invasion, but probably more due to threats of imprisonment of reporters who violate the new decree. This looks like it is actually aiding Putin in his effort to squelch information, and it looks more impotent when you see that the BBC has at least sent out a guide on how to possibly circumnavigate the news shutdown in Russia. 

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Anti-Social Media – NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

  • When a journalist claims to know more about a government than the government officials themselves.

At the Daily News, David Goldiner wrote about Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis rejecting (his word) the idea of the state divesting from Russian business interests. He was corrected on the matter by Christina Pushaw, which led to the pair having a squabble on Twitter over the specifics. 

The revealing amusement is that Goldiner, after being told the matter is still being worked out because of numerous details, declared his position settled upon DeSantis "rejecting" the idea because he has not yet finalized the deal. It is even funnier when Goldiner states authoritatively that Pushaw is 100% wrong on the matter, despite being the governor's spokesperson and knowing the matter intimately. She also pointed out how Goldiner never contacted the governor's office regarding the issue.

Pathological Media Amnesia – MSNBC

  • So rape allegations are acceptable, but asking for educational test results is crossing a line.

When it came to the announcement that Joe Biden was nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, Tucker Carlson decided to do a bit of trolling on the matter, and Joy Reid bit. She came out to announce that Tucker was her "Absolute Worst" selection, in her segment lifted from the also-imbalanced deposed nighttime pundit Keith Olbermann.

That Reid fell right into Carlson's trap is hilarious because her claim is that now – after Brett Kavanaugh's high school yearbook notations about beer were claimed to invalidate his selection – it is improper to delve into high school test scores (a slightly more valid scholastic record of note) because of the race of the individual. 

Prose & Contradiction – NBC

  • "Listen to my lecture, just ignore the contradictions."

For days now, the media has been in hair-on-fire mode regarding Ron DeSantis telling high schoolers they did not have to wear a mask. The media see outrage despite a week where numerous states were dropping mask mandates, infection rates were plunging by 90% in a week, and even at the State of the Union address, no one wore masks. 

Joining in on the outrage was late night un-funny man Seth Meyers to lecture the governor on mask propriety – despite being even less of a doctor himself than Jill Biden. Seth even undermined his own condemnation by abrasively listing off a number of masks that were said to be extremely effective and then tossing in a fraudulent model as a joke. The clown nose off/on while delivering a lecture just makes him all the more impotent on the topic.

Matching Media Memorandum – THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

In Florida, the legislature is considering a school curriculum bill that will give parents the right to determine if certain aspects of the curriculum may be deemed too sexually inappropriate for grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Giving parents control over what their children are taught is seen as threatening to many in the press.

Joining the multiple outlets mischaracterizing this with the name applied by activists, the Hollywood Reporter goes after the Disney corporation for remaining silent on the alleged "Don't Say Gay Bill."

This is becoming a common tactic in the state; Ron DeSantis has also been recently demonized over not saying something in hysterical opposition to Nazis and that being used as proof of support. Now, Disney has not made a comment on this bill that writer Kim Masters fraudulently describes, which is held up as proof of…something.

Anti-Social Media – THE DAILY NEXUS - UC Santa Barabara

At the University of California, Santa Barbara, the editorial team has made an announcement about what they will permit to be printed in the op-ed section. They strive to be all-inclusive and give voice to all manner of opinions and topics – so in order to do that, they will ban certain voices in the name of being inclusive.

- "In order to truly cultivate a space for comfortable and safe dialogue, it is imperative that we prioritize diversity not just in content but in who is writing said content. As editors, our individual experiences limit our critical lens and, therefore, our published content. Consequently, diversifying the voices contributing to our section is imperative in widening the scope of our coverage.

When articles are repeatedly given consideration despite their potential to directly or indirectly alienate communities in the name of free speech, we fail as a section and a publication as a whole. Pieces that directly infringe on the safety or sense of security of any individual or group do not have a place in our section."

Self-parody is realized when you are so focused on diversity that you cannot abide by having a diversity of thought.