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Pride Flag Follies, and Jen Psaki Bemoans a Lack of Trump Riots

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jun 15, 2023
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

06.15.23

Stealth Story Evolution – FOX NEWS

Following the Pride event on the White House lawn, where the LGBT𝜋 Pride flag was hung, Fox News had a headline that read, "White House flew controversial new transgender flag that promotes grooming and pedophilia, say critics." This angered White House Deputy Press Secretary and Senior Communications Adviser Andrew Bates, who challenged the news outlet and testily showed email exchanges with reporter Kerry Byrne.

As a result, Fox News altered their headline and changed some copy without attribution given to the changes. (Frankly, all they had to do was use the same dodge seen from many in the press, as they get away with lying by saying, "What critics say is the 'Don't Say Gay Law.'")

Low Octane Gas Lighting – MEDIAITE

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  • Funny thing, if you are so upset with media lies, why lie about it?

Over at Mediaite, their notably leftist writer Tommy Christopher covered the flag kerfuffle, and while clearly taking the side of Andrew Bates, he included a nugget supplied by Media Matters. That den of grieves found a Fox catalog honoring Pride month, and deep in the publication is a small picture of the network logo adorned with the same flag the article had taken exception to in the copy. However, this was less of the "gotcha" they thought they had, as it was not the logo for the Fox News Channel but instead the Fox broadcast network.

You might want to say this is being particular, except Christopher stated definitively this was from the news channel:

Bates followed up Thursday morning by calling Fox out publicly for bashing the White House over a flag that Fox News has literally used in their own logo.

Low Octane Gas Lighting – MSNBC

  • "We were not wrong; he is just a failure at what we thought would happen."

Jen Psaki appeared on the brand-new show "Ana Cabrera Reports" to discuss the Trump indictment because they had yet to fill a full 48 hours of coverage of that event. Ana coaxed a response from Jen about the fact that there was a disappointing lack of violent drama on the streets of Miami on Tuesday:

What is interesting and a good sign, I would say, is I would say, is that even though he has called for his supporters, called for people to come protest even violently, he, they did not show up outside of the Florida courthouse. We saw something similar in New York. That is an indication of, kind of some issues with his political power.

This is deflective wishcasting, after the press has been exposed by days of promises this would be a mob scene fiasco, and mostly it was filled with members of the media.

News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • Where is that Jim Acosta concern for his safety?!

Remember when a president lashing out at the media was called an attack on First Amendment rights and a threat to our democracy? Well, the press forgot that fainting couch talking point, as President Biden was just asked about news reports about the Ukraine connection and bribery, and he was having none of it. 

DNC PR Firm – MSNBC

  • So, that was not an accident.

We covered recently how Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell let it slip that they were admitting how the indictment was a purely political move, one being enacted to get Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race. Well, you would think this blatant partisan stance getting spoken on the air would have the esteemed hostess checking herself to be sure not to reveal this position once again.

Yet, there was Maddow, appearing with Joy Reid, and she was once again revealing this position.

Pulitzer Prize Nomination – THE GUARDIAN

If you ever need a break from the negative, downtrodden news, there is always a good tonic to be found over at The Guardian. While the outlet is known for putting out their share of daft opinion pieces from a surreal vantage, our favorite at the British outlet is Adrian Chiles. He comes across as a benign chaos merchant, a guy who can craft columns that are an equal mix of quotidian banality and absolute mind-melding obtuseness, often at the same time.

Some of the recent favorites from this master:

  • I Have One Question For Delivery Drivers – Do You Need To Use My Toilet?
  • At Easter I had a Fall. The Wild Garlic Smelled Lovely, But I Did Not Want To Die There
  • I Recently Saw Something In A Petrol Station Toilet Southbound On The M1 That I Can Never Unsee

And one that remains a personal favorite:

  • I Thought It Was Weird To Have A Favorite Spoon. Then I Realized I Wasn't Alone…

In his recent masterwork, Chiles takes on the issue of drinking and addresses it in such a pure level of obliviousness you have to appreciate the magnificence. He takes issue with one of those regular reports that tout the merits of drinking in moderation – but Adrian will have none of it!

He goes on to deride the news item, telling his readers to dispense with taking such reports seriously. Grand work; a newsman telling news consumers to disregard what they see in the news.

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