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Sexist Sports, Hateful History, and Racist Word Games

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Dec 19, 2023
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12.19.23

Reporting on the Mirror – NIEMAN LABS

Each year, the gang at Nieman Labs turns to whom they refer to as "The smartest people in journalism" to get impressions on what is expected in the industry in the coming new year. To give you an idea of who they consider to be esteemed thinkers, this list includes Oliver Darcy, Ben Collins, and Brian Stelter.

Also included, laughably, is none other than the Washington Post's own shallow-end mind, Philip Bump. He begins his piece on how "The media must do better at defending itself" by stating, "No one knows what to do." He then, unsurprisingly, goes on to declare that he knows what to do. Basically, it entails spending time defending the honor of their industry rather than – dare one suggest – doing their jobs better. 

He also addresses those who, like this column, engage in the practice of journalism criticism, and Phil adroitly manages to avoid the central problems of his industry:

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There are people who make careers on picking out imprecise or incomplete headlines or ledes and harrumphing about them as they promote their newsletters. This has its place, sure, but the problem with becoming a complaint salesman is that you always need to gin up new complaints, fair or not. 

He wants us to assume that it is nitpicking on imprecise details when it is pointed out there is rampant bias and deeply irresponsible activity, such as when so many outlets fraudulently reported Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza.

Reporting on the Mirror – WASHINGTON POST

  • While ignoring the cause, here is the effect.

As if on cue, Mr. Bump's cohort at WaPo, Paul Farhi, comes up with some dire figures for the news industry. We would like to say that this kind of data would motivate those folks to positive change, but we are very dubious. The descending trend in public trust, traffic, revenue, and viability has been taking place for years, and those like Phil Bump just continue to operate with their preferred status quo.

Anti-Social Media – WASHINGTON POST

Providing a shining example of the type of content people are growing increasingly tired of being inundated with, we recently saw the 250th Anniversary of The Boston Tea Party. And – right on cue – we had to have a journalist looking to make a name for himself by dumping all over the proceedings. Theodore Johnson not only managed to forward the idea that this historical moment was an act of "terrorism," he also complained colonists would "commit seditious conspiracy and destroy private property. The riotous mob trespassed on three ships and destroyed goods worth nearly $2 million in today's money — all because they didn't want to obey a duly passed law."

And as if this all was not bad enough, by dressing as Indians, these rebels were being racist "in the same tradition that would lead to blackfaced minstrel shows decades later."

Glossary Over Things – NBC NEWS

In a story about female athletes suing so as not to be forced to compete against trans individuals, NBC News exposes its desperate need to virtue signal instead of relying on facts and science. While describing the issue, the outlet addresses the transgender marathoners but then refers to the female competitors as "cisgender runners."

The idiocy of this desire to diminish the females is that there is the description that the athletes are all competing in "girls high school sports."

Race to the Bottom – THE NEW YORKER

Consider all the times you might have heard from journalists about the sad state of our divided nation.

Now, bear that thought in mind as you learn from The New Yorker that crossword puzzles are racist toward immigrants. Because – as we all know – the readership of The New Yorker is comprised of a large dose of immigrants.

Demo-lition Project – CNN

  • Good thing they got rid of this to make room for the ignored Chris Wallace show.

It was with amusement that back in the day when Fox News announced it would debut the chat-comedy show "Gutfeld!" CNN's then-media critic Brian Stelter lamented it was another step by the network away from legitimate journalism. At the very same time, CNN was broadcasting "Searching For Italy," a food program hosted by actor Stanley Tucci. 

After two seasons, the show was canceled last year, and now Tucci has placed what is basically the same format, but this time entitled "Tucci – The Heart Of Italy," as he is appearing on the National Geographic channel. What is notable is that while at CNN, Tucci's program was a ratings hit on the weekends, as well as garnering two primetime Emmy Awards.

Yes…why would a sinking network want something that successful on its airwaves?

"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.