Wednesday Morning Rant

The amount of damage to anything loosely definable as "truth" that has been brought about by the American (and beyond) news media cannot be overstated. News coverage is, at absolute best, disingenuous as a baseline. Whether it's deceptive framing or outright direct lies, the news media are remarkably consistent in their prevarications. It's been a while since they told the truth even by accident. As with all things on the left, they are also shot through with projection.

One of the news media's favorite complaints and criticisms of dissenters is invariably "deceptive editing" or accusations that something was "taken out of context." Whether you did it or not, you will be accused of it. When they do it, you're expected not to have the poor taste to mention it. Those paragons of objectivity over at CNN just provided us with a prime example (clips via Not The Bee):

OMG watch this clip.

CNN selectively cuts part of the Elon/Trump conversation about nuclear energy last night to make it seem like they were saying that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were no big deal.

They are so dishonest! pic.twitter.com/z2ma1zJ6dJ

— MAZE (@mazemoore) August 13, 2024

So what's the problem? There they are, cracking wise about Hiroshima. Clearly, these are bad people and not "presidential." In fact, Trump is clearly dangerous. Dana Bash said so, and provided the receipts, right? No, of course not. It's the American news media. Of course it isn't right. Even if CNN weren't brazenly guilty of everything it accuses :: spins wheel :: James O'Keefe of, it's still pretty damn weak sauce - but that is beside the point.

The actual discussion was not about nuclear war, but about nuclear power. Specifically, nuclear power's safety record and the much more manageable than expected after-effects of the major atomic disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the resurrection of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombings:

pic.twitter.com/xDxV8RjgzS

— Davy Jones (@itsNTBmedia) August 13, 2024

Is this "deceptive editing?" Yeah, it probably qualifies. Is it "out of context?" Definitely. CNN literally stripped out the preceding context, snagged 15 seconds from the wind-down and presented it as the entire story. It doesn't get more "out of context" than that. And it's funny because it's not like there was nothing CNN could have used in that interview. Trump didn't sound great and his speech was a bit slurry. Other outlets are running with that because substantially, the interview was pretty good. Not CNN, though. They're "above the fray" or somesuch and just went straight to the direct lies. Unfortunately for CNN, however, the interview is out there and anyone who cares to can go watch it.

Even CNN knows it. As Ace wrote yesterday (old threads, warnings, etc.), CNN's asserted objectivity is now treated as a "laugh line" even on brain-dead late night talk shows where the audience overlap is likely quite significant. But we shouldn't pick on CNN too much. After all, CNN isn't special. CNN is just one of many in the vast, undistinguished, undifferentiated morass of the American press.

When it comes to the press, it's always just lies and projection. If there is any upside whatsoever to social media, it's that this basic truth is now easier to spot and harder to ignore.

posted by Joe Mannix at 11:00 AM

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