Day: 5/6/2021

Jen Psaki Targeted in a Phony Fox News ‘Controversy’ About Biden and the Press

Posted by on May 6, 2021 at 4:50 pm. 1 Comments :

Poor Fox News. The stridently right-wing network, and Republican Party they shill for, have been having an extraordinarily difficult time finding mud to throw at President Joe Biden. Consequently, they have resorted to laughably fantastical tales of Biden plotting to eliminate meat, or phantom links on the White House website, or Vice-President Kamala Harris profiting on her books being distributed to migrant children.

Fox News, Jen Psaki

Or Dr. Suess, or Mr. Potato Head, or Snow White, or any of a dozen other ludicrous trivialities. The easily debunked book “scandal” inspired CNN’s Jim Acosta to label Fox News a “Bullshit factory.” Which is something most Americans had already concluded about Fox “News.” As a result, they wouldn’t be surprised by a new story by Fox that deliberately mischaracterizes remarks made by Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki.

The headline of the piece on Fox’s website reads: “Jen Psaki admits Biden taking impromptu reporter questions is ‘not something we recommend’” The framing in that sentence relies on the word “admits” to imply something that was previously done in secret, but has now been revealed. The problem is that Fox’s framing is typically dishonest and devoid of relevant context.

The sentence fragments that Fox obsessed over referred to Biden taking spontaneous questions from the press. Psaki was quoted as saying “that is not something we recommend. […] In fact, a lot of times we say ‘Don’t take questions,'” To Fox News that was an “admission” that Biden was incapable of handling media inquiries. Of course, he has done so quite often with a measure of clarity, accuracy, and honesty, that Donald Trump could never get close to.

Psaki also added that, despite their advice, Biden would take questions anyway because he’s “going to do what he wants to do because he’s the president.” That should have silenced Fox’s scandalizing, as it affirms that Biden is definitely not afraid of the press.

CNN provided more context to this matter in an article noting that Psaki was being interviewed by David Axelrod for his CNN podcast “The Axe Files.” A segment of that interview shows Psaki elaborating on why taking spontaneous questions wasn’t recommended. It had nothing to do with ability, but everything to do with a rational, communications driven strategy:

“You’re never gonna satisfy the White House press corps and their desires for access, and I think there have been mistakes made in the past of trying to do that. If you do a press conference every other week, or once a week, that doesn’t satisfy them, they’re going to push for more, that’s their job. What we’ve tried to do, which has also been maddening I know for the press corps at times, is kind of not get pulled in by distractions.

“He likes the press corps and likes that back and forth and that engagement. But what we’ve tried to do in general, in thinking about how we use his time, is really think about what the public cares about, right? The public cares about the pandemic, the economy.”

In other words, the Biden press team is focused on serving the public. That’s a massive departure from Trump and his press team who were focused on satisfying his voracious ego with undeserved bragging, infantile insults, and flagrant lies. Public service is something that Trump and company could never aspire to – or even comprehend. And the difference between Trump’s narcissism and Biden’s compassion is both refreshing and beneficial to the nation.

NOTE: Twitter recently suspended the News Corpse account after 11 years without giving a reason. So if anyone wants to tweet articles from my website, please feel free to do so often and repeatedly. Also, Be sure to visit and follow News Corpse on Instagram. Thanks for your support.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News Gets Exclusive Access to Voter Suppression Bill Signing By Florida Governor

Posted by on May 6, 2021 at 12:30 pm. 2 Comments :

In what can only be described as a submission to state TV politics, Florida governor Ron DeSantis held a bill signing ceremony where he denied access to every media organization – except for Fox News. Even the local station that was designated as the pool representative was refused entry.

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis

This is the sort of journalistic atrocity that would be expected in a third world dictatorship or a Donald Trump administration. As the Tampa Bay Times reported…

“When Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill this morning to change the future of mail-in voting in Florida, the only television cameras allowed to capture the moment belonged to Fox News.

“Outside, reporters and videographers from local news outlet were told the ceremonial bill signing was an ‘exclusive’ for Fox & Friends, the conservative network’s morning show. DeSantis confirmed as much later in the day.”

This was a public event paid for by taxpayers. But DeSantis turned it into a totalitarian style propaganda affair covered only by approved state media. It assured that the only people who would be able to see this farce were Fox News viewers who, ironically, would be the primary beneficiaries of a bill that suppressed voting by low income and minority voters. Anyone who didn’t have cable, or who chose to watch actual news networks, were shut out. And to make matters worse, the whole idea was DeSantis’ alone. In a statement to the Tampa Bay Times, Fox News said that…

“Fox never asked for the special treatment. In a statement to the Tampa Bay Times, the network said, ‘FOX & Friends did not request or mandate that the May 6th event and interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis be exclusive to FOX News Media entities.'”

The bill itself is another initiative to make voting more difficult, similar to bills passed in Georgia and Texas. DeSantis held up a placard detailing what he said the bill would accomplish, including common Republican strawman issues like enforcing voter ID, banning ballot harvesting, prohibiting mass mailing of ballots, increasing election transparency, and prohibiting private money from running elections. None of these activities were identified as having caused any problems in any past election.

RELATED: The Republican (and Fox News) Agenda for 2021: Less Voting, More Guns

What DeSantis left out was that the bill also provided for restricting mail-in ballot drop boxes, making it harder to vote by mail, forcing people to request mail-in ballots every two years, criminalizing giving food or water to voters in line, and expanding partisan challenges to vote counting.

When asked why he restricted news coverage to Fox News, DeSantis dodged the question, saying only that it was “a wonderful bill signing […] on Fox and Friends and we were happy to give them the exclusive on that.” But granting exclusive coverage to a public event is a brazen assault on democracy. And it only confirms that DeSantis was afraid of the broader Florida population finding out just how deceitful and despicable he and the Republican Party are.

NOTE: Twitter recently suspended the News Corpse account after 11 years without giving a reason. So if anyone wants to tweet articles from my website, please feel free to do so often and repeatedly. Also, Be sure to visit and follow News Corpse on Instagram. Thanks for your support.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.