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Mike Johnson Guilty for a Civil War Ancestor

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Oct 30, 2023
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10.30.23

Legalized Press-titution – THE NEW YORK TIMES

One of the prevailing realities that the Palestinian-sympathetic media have been avoiding is that in claiming that the residents in Gaza are suffering or that they are effectively in an "open-air prison," the journos have to overlook that Hamas has been neglecting these same people in favor of fueling their hate campaign against Israel. Well, The New York Times has finally gotten around to acknowledging this misplaced priority set with Hamas…sort of.

Writers Matthew Rosenberg and Maria Abi-Habib do manage to address "As supplies of virtually every basic human necessity dwindle in Gaza, one group in the besieged enclave remains well-stocked: Hamas." But then, it is as if there is a severe case of reality-denying taking place at the paper regarding the terrorist group. After finally echoing what many proper-thinking folks have been saying – that Hamas will let their people suffer in order to attack the Jews – they go on to excuse Hamas with this bizarre assessment of the situation.

Yet with Gazans facing a humanitarian catastrophe, Hamas’s stockpiles raise questions about what responsibility, if any, it has to the civilian population.

"If any." This abject refusal to admit elected leaders have a responsibility to their citizens might best explain the stunted mindset at The New York Times.

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(If any… seriously…)

Pre-Written Field Reports – ASSOCIATED PRESS

Having learned absolutely nothing at all about the foibles of relying on Hamas-fed war data, the AP comes out with more death toll figures from a solitary source:

The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll among Palestinians passed 8,000, mostly women and minors, as Israeli tanks and infantry pursued what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “second stage” in the war.

Honestly, by this point, the numbers have become so meaningless that it is a mystery why they are even being reported on, as fewer people take the press at their word.

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – THE ATLANTIC

Remember in the 1860s, when The Atlantic ran advertisements for snake oil? It needs to improve significantly to achieve those heights of publishing once again.

In this latest impotent hit job of a Republican, newly christened House Speaker Mike Johnson is positioned as someone in need to reconcile his sin of questioning the results of the 2020 election. This is held up as a proper process, given that he had an ancestor who served in the Confederate Army, and at the time, there was a bill to require southern soldiers to sign an Ironclad Oath, pledging loyalty to the healed nation.

As idiotic as it is to hold Johnson to a standard from 150 years, it is even dumber that it is suggested Johnson's signing onto an amicus brief legally filed with the courts amounts to the same level of insurrection as fighting in the Confederate Army.

Anti-Social Media – THE Everett HERALD

In reporting on a hotly contested sheriff's race in Snohomish County, The Everett Herald has clearly taken sides. The incumbent is Sheriff Adam Fortnoy, and he is described as "His tough-on-crime message has catered to a conservative base." Also, his "constitutional leanings" are said to be controversial. There is a notable difference in the approach to his challenger, Susana Johnson. 

"Johnson is a career cop, too. She is more measured." Johnson also points out how Fortnoy's "coziness" with constitutional standards has damaged public trust. Uh-huh. Small matter, we suppose, that the code of ethics for the Snohomish Sheriff's Department begins with the pledge to uphold the Constitution.

Stealth Story Evolution – ASSOCIATED PRESS

  • It was a mostly peaceful genocidal lynch mob!

More disturbing news and images of the tide of anti-Semitism sweeping the globe emerged. This weekend, we saw the disturbing news that a mob descended on a Russian airport when word got out that a plane landed with Jewish passengers. 

The desire to exact violence based on nothing more than the fact the passengers were Jewish was looked at by the AP as little more than your garden variety "protest."

It took a fair dose of shaming by many before it went and altered its report and headline, all without attributions, of course.

"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage of 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.