Translating the Headlines

As you may remember, my local paper, the Baltimore Sun, was purchased by the owner of Sinclair Broadcasting, a powerful conservative network of local TV affiliates. The change in editorial stance was noticeable and immediate. While they still run some stories from their sister newspapers like the LA Times and NY Times, there are more and more articles credited to the Sinclair National Desk and Fox 45 (our local Fox News outlet.) These latter two almost always support the Republican company line, although it’s not always obvious.

As I read my daily paper, I’ve been taking some snapshots of the headlines and stories to dissect later. And here we are.

This is a “Sun Investigation” story, which is their favorite way to stir up trouble for political opponents. In this case, they’re working as a shill for Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan, who they will doubtlessly endorse come November. So we have a first page, above-the-fold story about how fees and taxes have risen in the face of budget deficits that apparently “loom.”

Then, in a story directly under that, there is an article about how Candidate Hogan is attacking fees and taxes. Do you possibly think these two stories are related? Of course, even without noting that the same writer published both stories.  

Fox “News” has been doing this for years… their talking heads start yammering about some ridiculous point and then their news guys get on there and say, “People are talking about this ridiculous point…”

I don’t mind when news outlets do investigative journalism. But I do mind when they only investigate one side. For example, there is a newer dirt-flinging story about how Hogan’s opponent, Angela Alsobrooks, claimed some tax credits she shouldn’t have. The paper touts the story as dirty pool, she says it was a mistake that’s been fixed, and now it’s fodder for Hogan attack ads.

I’m just wondering when they’re going to examine Larry Hogan’s financial dealings. OK, I’m not wondering. I know they won’t because they are no longer independent journalists, they’re mouthpieces for the Republican Party.

Here’s a story credited to Fox 45:

It’s basically a nothing-burger. There were two minor incidents involving voting drop boxes from elections gone by, neither of which resulted in a security lapse, so they weren’t mentioned in a summary report. The headline makes it look like a security breach, but the story explains the details that far fewer people will read. This goes to the Republican dogma on how anything but direct voting is a scandal. They continue to claim that it’s really all about election security but every once in a while, someone forgets and says the quiet part out loud:

Just remember, when you’re faced with someone going on with great sincerity about how it should be no big deal to have proof of eligibility to vote, that Republicans also go to extreme lengths to control what constitutes that proof and only use items that are the hardest for their opponents to obtain. (Driver’s Licenses, in. WIC cards, out.) It’s not at all about security, it’s 100% about vote suppression.

Look what they’re doing in Georgia:

The Republican legislature is requiring that all votes be recounted by hand. That means opening the sealed boxes and having teams of people handling the ballots, which in that very act, adds more opportunities for error. And that’s what they want! They are lighting the fire and then screaming about why the fire hasn’t put out yet. They want as much doubt as possible introduced so that when TFG loses, they can claim foul play. And they only need enough doubt to get a case to SCOTUS, where the fix will be in.

Onward, here’s a dishonest cartoon:

President Biden supports killing a merger that would have a Japanese steel company purchase US Steel, and keep it in American hands. Isn’t that the kind of “Buy American” shit Republicans love to trumpet? But when a Democrat puts his money where his mouth is on the subject, they turn on a dime to slam him for it. Republicans have no principles other than criticizing whatever their opponents do.

Here’s another one where Republican bias leaks in:

Their opening line is “Thirty-five percent of college graduates regret their college major.” Couldn’t it as well read “Sixty-five percent of college graduates are happy with their college major?” But no, the Sinclair story wants to skew it negatively because they dislike higher education (or really, any education but trade schools.) Republicans leap at every chance to interfere with public education, from banning books to forcing the inclusion of religious doctrine in place of facts. They want a population smart enough to fix their cars, boats, and mansions, but not smart enough to see through the Republican platform of screwing the average citizen to benefit the wealthy.

Like with their stance against student loan forgiveness, which they always portray as people running out on their debts, rather than being the victims of unscrupulous financial institutions that the Bush Republicans empowered to fleece their customers. 

Perhaps Sinclair should hire some better-educated staff, then maybe they would be less likely to become a public embarrassment.

“Hey guys, we gotsa fire the editer and get a nother one hoo knows werds n stuff…”

It looks like we’ve moved into the Post Pet-Eating Era with the recent reports that it was all a big misunderstanding.

The person who first reported the story on Facebook said she lied.

JD Vance admits he created false stories, but he’s allowed because… (it’s never wrong with a Republican does it.)

I’m just glad that I got to see this cartoon to put a lid on the whole thing.

(If you know, you know.)

 

Director’s DVD Commentary: I also had a Sinclair story to show Republican dislike for electric cars and an editorial written by the Sun’s minority-share owner about how awful it is if someone goes outside and smells pot, but I cut them for brevity’s sake. Thank you for suffering along with me this long.