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CBS Removes Trans Mandates From Its Reporting; NY Times Accuses War Crimes With Planes It Has Not Seen

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jan 14, 2026
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

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Glossary Over Things – CBS NEWS

  • Resorting on science as opposed to activist group-think terminology is controversial.

Last week, we here at RFTH mentioned how the CBS News division had some internal roiling over the proper way to report on trans issues. What was revealed at the time was that the network had been relying on a guide put out by the Transgender Journalists Association, instructing on the use of approved terms when covering trans issues.

News has now emerged that the network is doing away with the use of the TJA style book.

Legalized Press-titution – NBC NEWS

  • The precious act of a news reader lecturing SCOTUS justices on how to rule.

The Supreme Court is weighing a monumental case right now regarding the laws covering transgender individuals in women’s sports. Considering the magnitude of this case, it is surprising how few news outlets are covering it. After what was seen from NBC’s Laura Jarrett, this might be a good thing.

In her segment on the court case, Jarrett made no effort to hide her bias, as she had comments on the way the conservative justices were approaching this case improperly.

PresentationParadox – THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • Once again, very definitive charges, absent definitive evidence.

The Times has many in the press industry excited with the newest round of accusations that administration officials are guilty of war crimes involving the missions carried out off the coast of Venezuela. This time, it is a case of the military committing perfidy, in that U.S. war planes were not properly identified as such, and instead were made to appear like a non-threatening aircraft to fool drug runners. 

This standard normally dictates that vehicles of war cannot be identified as a Red Cross plane, for instance, or as a commercial airliner. At The Times, no fewer than half a dozen reporters are used to suggest this violation took place, and experts are brought in to condemn the use. One small problem: In the course of its report, we get the notification that while accusing this illegal aircraft usage, they are unable to even ascertain what type of aircraft they are referring to, and cannot detail what this illegal appearance resembled.

Stealth Story Evolution – NBC NEWS

  • After reporting from Minneapolis, they needed to eliminate that accurate information.

On the NBC Nightly News, correspondent Maggie Vespa reported on the immigration raids continuing. She covered the numerous violent criminals being picked up, and she detailed how those citizens in the streets opposing and blocking ICE efforts have been organized and mobilized.

The next morning, however, Vespa was seen in a similar report, but many of those narrative-busting elements had been minimized or removed entirely.

Both Kinds of Standards – CNN

  • When things were far worse, we were so much better off!

We do not want to suggest that CNN had a favorable approach to any of Biden’s failures. 

Instead, we’ll show you.

Reporting on the Mirror – POLITICO

  • This almost sounds like a positive round of layoffs.

At Politico, they have announced layoffs, but the manner in which it is presented is that this is being done as…a sign of health. Less than a dozen in the newsroom are affected, and the purpose of the cuts, according to their editor, is to look forward; they have “a strong sense of who they are,” it seems.