Then, hilariously, CNN’s crack hostess announced, “Today Donald Trump will travel to Georgia, where he will comment on the controversy regarding the FBI’s seizure of voting records in Fulton County and meet with state officials. More on this from [some woman] who is one the scene.” The reporter on the scene appeared on camera and said, “Actually, the President was here yesterday and the meeting took place then.”
Over the next few minutes, we were told that in 2020 the President had “asked officials to find more votes in Georgia” after the election and still insists that “the 2020 election was rigged… which is false.” The first statement was described deceitfully, implying Trump asking that votes be manufactured, when the tapes of the conversation with Georgia’s governor make it clear that Trump was convinced that Fulton County officials had hidden, destroyed or failed to count GOP votes. The allegation that the 2020 election was “rigged” has not been proved false, and I believe is self-evidently true. It is also true that Trump’s claim that he “won” in 2020 is factually wrong.
At this point, I moved over to “Morning Joe,” where they were yammering about the Epstein files. Joe Scarborough read two long pieces from The New York Times in 2019 about some GOP donor who turned up in the files ( in which regarding whom there is no evidence of criminal conduct except that Republicans mentioned in the files are presumed guilty by association). A Republican Senator who had received large contributions from this billionaire had opposed having him testify before Congress as part of the Democrats’ witch hunt designed to smear Republicans. Sayeth Joe: “There are two justice systems, one for Republicans and one for Democrats.”
I should have switched channels after that head-exploding comment. Appealing to the Times as an authority, when the paper has no credibility whatsoever? Making that fatuous statement knowing how Hillary Clinton ducked accountability for illegal handling of classified documents while Donald Trump’s home was raided by the FBI, and President Biden was spared the prosecution being prepared for Trump because he was “confused”?
But I didn’t switch until Joe’s guest said, “I know of nothing that has ever captured the public’s imagination like the Epstein tapes.” Imagination is right!
Then I finally switched in disgust to Fox—at least it was keeping the “Fox and Friends” hacks off-screen (and protecting me from sofa-envy)—which was wasting more time telling us of non-developments in the Missing Today Show Host’s Mother Mystery. It then shifted to King Charles’ brother being arrested, not for molesting girls in Epstein’s stable but for passing state secrets illegally (During this entire period BBC American was obsessing about Andrew’s arrest, so I didn’t bother to seek refuge there) and the build-up of U.S. forces near Iran—genuine news Americans need to know about at last. That report didn’t last long, though, and was interrupted as Fox News shifted to the President’s remarks at the start of the first meeting of his “Board of Peace” without noting that this juxtaposition—threatening war while promoting peace—was ironic at best.
CNN and Fox News covered Trump’s remarks live. MSNOW wasn’t about to put that evil fascist bastard’s face on the screen, so “Morning Joe” kept ranting about Epstein.
I couldn’t stand any more, and retreated to my office to write this post.
Ethics Alarms 
“CNN’s spin was that this is a scary cult.”
And CNN could not possibly have timed this report to combat the public’s increasing realization that influential Muslims who’ve benefited from our unique system of government are using their platforms to promote their own brand of theocracy. But, no, no…it’s the Christians who are wrong.
Jack,
I am somewhat envious of being able to glean information from the news while attending to other business. If I have something on as background noise, I usually either tune out the background noise while working, or neglect my work while listening to the “background” noise. The only exception is if the task I’m addressing is pretty thoughtless (peeling potatoes, washing dishes, running a few miles). I think my wife is pretty good at handling both a task and background noise together, but then, she says the research says women are generally better than men at multitasking.
In general, I can no longer stand to listen to news. The talking heads are so tedious, not to mention mendacious (as noted in the post), that I feel I’m wasting my time. Reading the chyron is about as much as I can handle. But even written news is getting tedious. I now take any article whose title is a question as fluff demagoguery, as well as any article that begins with “You’ll never guess who…” or contains a reference to a Republican “destroying” a Democrat’s arguments. Sadly, that excludes about a third of Instapundit’s entries…
I guess the question is, if you can’t report the news if you’re not in business, and you can’t be in business without those attention-grabbing (false advertising) headlines, are the only ethical options to close up shop or plunge into the attention-grabbing fluff? Is the option of just providing outstanding news coverage really that unprofitable?
“I now take any article whose title is a question as fluff demagoguery, as well as any article that begins with “You’ll never guess who…” or contains a reference to a Republican “destroying” a Democrat’s arguments. Sadly, that excludes about a third of Instapundit’s entries…”
Ditto. But they’re just copying the left-leaning headlines that babbled about how some Left-Wing talking head or pol “expertly” or “perfectly” handled/answered/schooled/ bashed Trump or another conservative.
Sayeth Joe: “There are two justice systems, one for Republicans and one for Democrats.”
Well, that has been true — Republicans are prosecuted and Democrats are not. I’m sure that’s what Joe meant.
Laws are for little people and Republicans?