As we flip the calendar, it is customary to look back at the prior year before wadding it up and properly tossing it into the non-recyclables bin (because there is so much we do not want circulating once again). Here at "Riffed From The Headlines," it has been a year of compiling the worst and misbegotten in the media landscape – and, wow – has it been a truckload of distemper and malpractice from the news environment! So much so, in fact, that we can deliver the (dis)honors seen in the press in stages, awarding the malpractice with a column-specific honorarium dubbed – "The Heckler Awards." In this first installation, we will recognize the trends seen across the media spectrum, the ill-thought narratives, and other currents seen not just from a reporter or a solitary source but the ethics-challenged actions shared by numerous news outlets. So, let us get into it! Here are the disturbing trends in media last year.
The Broken Breaking News Award
The Israel-Hamas War will feature prominently in this division, as expected, and perhaps there was no worse example than the errant reporting of Israel bombing a hospital in Gaza, killing 500 people in a nighttime blast. Only Israel didn't, the bomb wasn't, and the deaths were not. The blast derived from inside Gaza, it was an errant rocket meant for Israel, and the hospital, it turned out, was not even directly hit.
This did not stop numerous major news outlets running with the initial storyline, pimped out to them via the Hamas authority.
The amount of major news outlets who completely butchered their credibility with this errant accusation that Israel “bombed” a hospital is both pathetic, and unsurprising.
— Brad Slager: Flips On The Highbeams In Fog Of War (@MartiniShark) October 18, 2023
The @NYTimes was not alone, but possibly the worst example.
1/ pic.twitter.com/pUuDV7MgBP
The majors, the news syndicates, and international outlets were in concert delivering these false reports, leading to international ramifications such as protests and even at least one meeting between Jordan and President Biden being canceled. Tellingly, no journalism source was concerned about this rampant use of misinformation; worse still, they did not learn from this shameful display.
Just days later, reports of another Israeli non-bombing came out – this time concerning a church housing Palestinians seeking shelter. The reports of it collapsing and taking hundreds of lives were dispelled when, the next morning, the building was shown to still be standing.
The Logistics in Linguistics Award
As the conflict between the countries unfolded, we saw a trend across the news agencies; there was a hesitation to call the violence exacted on the Israeli citizens as "terrorism" by news outlets. This was said to be a loaded phrase that implied a level of culpability that the press strove to avoid if they were to be listened to. This, despite the fact the State Department categorizes Hamas as a terror group, Joe Biden refers to them as terrorists, and their activities define the term.
Yet, news outlets have been perfectly willing to call anything they oppose "terrorism." The GOP is uncautiously labeled, as is Donald Trump, of course. Other subjects affiliated with the war were freely labeled with this supposed forbidden term. When an Arab man shot Swedish soccer fans in Brussels, the BBC contradicted its stance and called it an act of terrorism. It was with amazing obliviousness that at the very same time outlets shied from calling Hamas terrorists, they were perfectly comfortable repeating the charge in reference to Jim Jordan.
On Eve of Speaker Vote, Ilhan Omar Repeats Claim Jim Jordan Is a 'Terrorist' https://t.co/scyxdnU5VE
— Rex_Tudor_Coup (@iamgnurr) October 17, 2023
The Fluid Outrage Toward Antisemitism Award
One would imagine a topic like antisemitism is a rather easy one on which to remain consistent. Most would say it is always something to oppose. Yet in the press, which was very fond of leveling the accusation toward the likes of Donald Trump, Republicans, or conservatives in general, this became a difficult item to condemn once actual acts of antisemitic violence erupted.
When a synagogue president was murdered at her home, the press instantly declared it was no hate crime – long before the authorities had a suspect. When a man in Texas was constructing bombs to target Jewish neighbors, it was reported he was looking to attack "individuals of particular religious faiths." When a Jewish man protesting on behalf of Israel was assaulted by a pro-Palestinian protestor and died from the injuries, the instance was downplayed as "died at a protest," and the man backing the Palestinians was lightly considered.
Focus on a Word for a Narrative Award
Calling Trump a Nazi or Hitler is no new occurrence, but in recent months, the effort has been ramped up to a fever pitch. This all stemmed mostly from a Veterans Day speech where Trump invoked the word "vermin," and collectively, the press acted like rats jumping ONTO a ship. This was all because it was determined that Hitler also had used this same word, and so…well, that was enough.
Notably, nearly every report echoed the same language, that Trump had labeled his "opponents" as vermin. It was repeated, constantly, by nearly all outlets in a uniform fashion.
The catch? Few cited his complete comment. He was not referring to simply any political opposition in that manner; Trump was specifically calling out those who oppose this country, such as fascists. So essentially, the press is saying Trump is like Hitler for calling Nazis vermin.
Denying the Very Items You Have Been Demanding Award
If there could be a tagline affixed to the media complex for 2023, it would probably have to be "There's no evidence." It became a Vaudeville level of a comedy routine that each time the House GOP investigation came out with new proof of connectivity between Joe Biden and the sketchy monetary activities of his recidivist son, the press had to trot out that phrase as if it worked as a verbal version of a Magic Eraser.
What is at play here is that prior investigations into Hunter's activities had been slow-rolled by a sympathetic DOJ, leading to "years of investigations have delivered no proof" type of commentary. But once the GOP took the House and led a serious investigation, it has delivered a steady stream of proof Joe is up to his hips in Hunter's grift. What is most pathetic is that each time evidence emerged to contradict Joe's claims, the goalposts were moved, and a "new" declaration of "There's no evidence" came out.
So, despite years of denials, now we know he DID discuss business with Hunter, he DID talk directly with his business associates, he DID receive payments from Hunter's shell companies, he DID have his name on payment slips made out to him…but somehow, "There's no evidence" persists.
Insisting Something Not Happening Is Happening Award
Perhaps the most widespread falsehood seen from the media complex that claims to detest misinformation was about the state of Florida banning books. This was such a reflexive method of reporting that it rivals and maybe even surpasses the prior Florida lie of the "Don't Say Gay Bill." The limiting of access to offensive material for age appropriateness is not a ban, and is disproven with an easy example: Movies with adult content get graded as Rated R to prevent children from exposure to that content – this does not mean the movie has been banned.
Making this all the more amusing is how excitedly the press detailed when retailers, a bookmobile, or even a music artist offered up these allegedly "banned" books to the masses.
The Demonizing the Deified Award
Flashback briefly to a few years ago when the term "whistleblower" carried all manner of beatific prose. We were told by reporters how saintly these people were and that any thought of reprisals or inconvenience on their lives would be tantamount to committing an original sin.
Then Joe Biden became president.
Now, anyone coming forward with inside details of corruption is targeted BY that same media. IRS agents spilling the tea are up for criticism. When Hunter Biden wanted to sue the IRS over whistleblower revelations, the media essentially slapped him on the back in support. The FBI whistleblowers? Well, they cannot be trusted because they violated Bureau rules…against becoming a whistleblower. Even when journalists Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger testified to Congress regarding the internal Twitter files, the media sat back as Democrats attacked them and slandered their reputations as journalists.
The Intolerant Creating Allies Award
You might have been operating under the belief that the Islamic faith has long opposed homosexuality for centuries. Nope.
It was the Republicans, not the scriptures, that steered Muslims to this position, so says Jen Psaki…and Newsweek, and Muslim Wajahat Ali. What is happening here is that the Republicans – who for years have been demonized as Islamophobic – are said to be courting and influencing the religion they supposedly hate because there are elements in the teachings of Islam that the press considers to be intolerant. However, they have long voiced defensive support of Muslims, so when they are displaying behavior the media consider to be unseemly, the blame needs to be shifted.
So now, the GOP, which supposedly hates Muslims, wants Muslims, and Muslims have been told they are now supposedly under the sway of the people they have been told not to listen to, and all of this is supposed to make sense, according to the press.
Finished my Friday prayer at my local mosque where the imam prayed we would be saved from "the LGBTQ in our homes." Democrats are underestimating how pervasive GOP CRT & trans fear messaging/ propaganda has taken hold in religious communities & suburbs. You can't ignore it 1/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 18, 2023
The Crayola Box of White Intolerance Award
The media is entrenched with the belief that all shooters of any sort are automatically white/NRA/White Supremacist/homophobic/Republicans. (Circle any that apply.) If the shooter is found quickly to be a member of a minority class, easy enough solution – you do not report on it. But occasionally, when the press rushes out with the immediate claims by rote, they become undone by new facts unraveling the narrative. Or…do they?
An emerging solution to this vexing problem is that now it is possible to declare that the newly discovered minority member is still a white supremacist!
An Indian American who had a plot to ram the White House with a U-Haul truck? White Supremacist! When Tyre Nichols died from injuries sustained during a traffic stop, the immediate accusation of white police hatred being the cause was dispelled when the five officers involved were all black, but CNN's Van Jones attempted cleanup. It was still white supremacy that caused them to act violently.
Even when Asian Americans won a case against Affirmative Action, which probably negatively impacted them, it was said they were put up to this by…well, you can guess.