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PolitiFact Discovers Authorized Protesters

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Apr 05, 2023
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

04.05.23

Anti-Social Media – CNN

The ongoing plight of Don Lemon at CNN continues, and quixotically, the network is showing signs of permitting this. We have covered at length his issues and problems in the past months since being moved to mornings, but inactivity on the part of the management is taking a more curious turn.

Variety has come out with a scathing report on Lemon’s history of misogynistic behavior over the years. Going back to 2008, Variety details that Lemon had been exhibiting much of the same antagonism toward his cohosts and co-workers, acting aggressively and behaving as an entitled star. "'As fast as you could make a rule, Don would bend it,' says one senior executive at the time."

One sign of his privilege is that most of the people Variety spoke with on the receiving end of his aggression are no longer at the network, as he endures. Following the release of this exposé, somewhat surprisingly, CNN came out with a defense of Lemon in almost dismissive fashion.

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Think about what this means. The concept of "believe all women" has been completely chucked. The network that constantly relies upon anonymous sources is discrediting this story because of the same. More than that, this was a far more substantial set of accusations and more recent than Brett Kavanaugh faced, and CNN at the time ran full speed exploring those farcical claims. 

Lemon warranting this level of protection is a bothersome revelation.

Race to the Bottom – MSNBC

  • I do not think journalists want this as the new legal coverage standard.

Another line may have been crossed that journalism will come to regret. In covering the Trump legal wranglings, Andrea Mitchell hosted a panel where she offered up an interpretation of the recent events that may become problematic.

As Trump and his team defend against charges, they have called into question DA Alvin Bragg’s motives, and yesterday some concerning questions of the judge and his family supporting the Biden administration were raised. Mitchell, in looking at the way Trump has been defending himself, came to a lazy but bothersome conclusion; this could be a result of racism.

Not only does this concern travel in one direction (the DA or judge acting in a political fashion, for instance), but saying criticism of legal authorities who are a minority could be rooted in racism will now whiplash back on the press. Today, and going forward, we are permitted to confidently declare that any criticism they level at Justice Clarence Thomas is the result of racism.

Presentation Paradox – NBC NEWS

  • The press is not wrong; the Trump fans are failing!

After weeks of the press promising there would be mobs of crazed people in Manhattan for the Trump indictment, it actually happened. Only, it was the press acting like the crazed mob. Adding to the imbalanced behavior was Ben Collins. Coming fresh off of his recent foray where he rushed to see the violent protests a couple of weeks ago, only to be met with a throng of journalists, Ben once again showed up in town and was ridiculing the lack of Trump protestors.

Understand – he is not admitting the reporters promising a riot were 100% incorrect; it is that the Trump people failed to arrive in their opposition. In the liberal enclave of New York City.

Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT

  • Apparently, there is such a thing as "Authorized Protesters" on a State House floor.

Last week, we covered how a local reporter had to reclassify the mob of trans rights protestors who flooded into the Tennessee state capitol. Apparently, this “Transurrection” was about these folks getting mad that people noticed the Nashville shooter was a trans individual. Or some such. 

Well, when Laura Ingraham covered this, she stated that the protestors had stormed onto the House floor to protest with a bullhorn. PolitiFact stormed in themselves, in a manner, to declare her statement was entirely FALSE.

How? Well…it turned out that a few House members took up the cause of the protesters, and they had been at the lectern. And were protesting. And were using the bullhorn:

The video clip Ingraham played did not show unauthorized protesters on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives. It showed Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, holding a megaphone and a "protect kids not guns" sign, flanked by state Reps. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, and Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville. The three lawmakers took over the lectern on the House floor and led chants echoed by the protesters gathered in the galleries, which are open to the public.    

So they…protested but were not protesters. This is what you are going with as your “correction”?

News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS

Following the win by LSU in the women’s college basketball final, Dr. First Lady Mrs. Jill Biden suggested that along with inviting the winners, the losing Iowa Hawkeyes team should also arrive in the name of fairness, warmth, and participation trophy grandiosity. Well…this liberal-minded acceptance was not greeted warmly by LSU players, it seems:

Reese responded to Biden’s comments calling them 'A JOKE' on Monday, and in a comment on an Instagram post…the recently crowned NCAA champion said: 'WE NOT COMING. period.'

This is, by all appearances, a major fumble by Dr. Jill, but good luck finding any critical words about this in the press – about the sternest comment found was declaring her suggestion was "getting mixed reactions."