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Media Fluffers Come Out for Newsom

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Dec 01, 2023
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12.01.23

Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT

Last night, Governors Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom staged their debate…for some reason, and it was mostly as arduous as expected. Newsom spent the entire debate not answering direct questions and denying proven evidence provided on screen. In one instance, he made the farcical claim that more people were leaving Florida for his state, and even said the fact-check of this detail would be “fun.”

He was right — about the fun part. The fact is, more people left California for the Sunshine State. But now here is PolitiFact riding in to declare that despite the numbers, Newsom was actually “Mostly Correct.” How? By importing fractured measurements, that’s how:

The slight trend of more Floridians moving to California, per capita, than the other way around has been the trend for decades, experts said.

By using this per capita dodge they attempt to explain “technically” the rate of those leaving is higher. Well, then by this estimate, the rate of those arriving from California should also be higher, and, therefore, Newsom is, in fact, incorrect.

Legalized Press-titution – POLITICO

  • If this were from anyone in another profession, it would be deeply inappropriate. As such, this is generally inappropriate.

Over at Politico, they delivered one post-mortem of the debate by turning to a body language expert to assess how the two governors managed themselves last night. To say this is uncomfortable to read is an understatement:

Newsom’s pearly whites were the perfect contrast. Throughout the night, when DeSantis went on the attack, Newsom blunted his blows with that charming smile. He has a broad, genuine smile — a true Duchenne smile, which involves the zygomaticus major muscle pulling toward the orbicularis oculi. That smile is perceived as more genuine, authentic and therefore trustworthy at a subconscious level.

Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • Apparently, beating up on a child is too much fun to resist.

All week the shameful display from Deadspin writer Carron Phillips going after a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan over his incorrect accusation of racist attire has been something to behold.

Despite being leveled with the facts of a child not wearing blackface and not being racist toward Native Americans as he is one himself, two other sports writers felt the need to join in on the attack of the child. A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports and Kevin Blackistone from ESPN’s “Around The Horn” felt the need to reach out to the Chumash Tribe and get a statement, where it says they do not endorse the wearing of Indian headgear.

Reporting on the Mirror – DAILY CALLER

  • So, the thing he said a couple of years ago was just proven accurate?

We suppose this is BREAKING news…? The Daily Beast reports that Tucker Carlson has been found to be disassociated from his founding news outlet, The Daily Caller. This sounds like a major development, except for the details.

Tax documents show that Carlson is no longer officially attached to the site – as of last year. This, seems underwhelming:

Neil Patel, who has been on the board with Carlson from the get-go, told The Daily Beast in a statement that Carlson was too “busy” for his five-hour-a-week board position and had termed out. That sounds a lot like Carlson’s self-professed status with the organization nearly three years ago, when Carlson first announced that he would be leaving The Daily Caller and selling his stake in the website.

First Amendment Strike Force – POYNTER

One of the enduring complaints the press has regarding Donald Trump is that he represents a constant threat to press freedoms. We constantly heard this in the four years he was in the White House — that is to say, they were free to say this for all four of his years.

Of course, very little is heard of Joe Biden’s threats to free speech, constant calls from the press (such as Oliver Darcy of CNN) to cancel other outlets, or Media Matters targeting Elon Musk and Twitter with advertiser boycotts. Those threats are threatening…somehow. Now, we begin to hear this same complaint emerging about Trump, and Poynter is just the latest.

It probably does not need to be noted, but it is cute how Poynter is making its claim to a constitutional right to the free press, while ignoring Trump’s First Amendment right to say what they disapprove of him saying.

"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.