Friday, December 20, 2019
Headlines for Dec. 20, 2019
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Dec. 20, 2019
*Comey says there was 'real sloppiness' in Carter Page FISA warrants
From “mistakes” and “errors” and now to just “sloppiness”. All great substitutes for “committed felonies” by fabricating and suppressing evidence. The headline is important because the article only says that “exculpatory evidence about Page was omitted”, and omits that evidence was actually fabricated. I guess that was just “sloppiness” on the part of CNN.
*On a Momentous Day in America, Many Averted Their Gaze
Maybe that’s because it wasn’t as momentous as you think, NYT. Because I guarantee that on *actually* momentous days, no one is “averting their gaze”.
Related: the incessant repetition (front-page headline in the NYT) that Trump was “the third President to face removal”. A formulation which completely omits Richard Nixon, the one President who was actually removed by the impeachment process, even if he was technically not impeached.
*Joe Biden 'healthy, vigorous' and 'fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency': Doctor's report
If the duties of the Presidency consist of doing pushups. No word on his mental state.
Is Pete Buttigieg Just Too Young to Be President?
Classic straw man article. No one accuses Buttigieg of being too young to be President. They accuse him of being too inexperienced to be President (aside from also criticizing his actual policies of course). By the way, Tulsi Gabbard, who is just 9 months older than Buttigieg (in a month they’ll both be 38), isn’t mentioned in this article (no surprise there), and of the many negative articles about her in the Times and elsewhere, I’ve me er once seen anyone raise the “too young” question.
*Buttigieg’s foreign policy might be the key to his success
He has a foreign policy?
*If Nancy Pelosi ran for president, she'd beat Trump
By David Gergen. LOL.
*First China-Made Aircraft Carrier Enters Active Service
Subhead: President Xi Jinping oversees commissioning ceremony of ‘Shandong’ at naval base on edge of contested South China Sea
Where was this base? On Hainan Island, which has been part of China for 2000 years. Saying it’s on “the edge of contested South China Sea” is like saying “Edinburgh is on the edge of the North Sea”. Incidentally you can draw a straight line across the Pacific from Hainan to San Francisco, so I guess SF is also “on the edge of the contested South China Sea” as well.
*China’s Curing Cancer Faster and Cheaper Than Anywhere Else
Oh no!
Friday, December 13, 2019
Headlines for Dec. 13, 2019
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Dec. 13, 2019
*General election 2019: Ads are 'indecent, dishonest and untruthful'
1st paragraph: “The Coalition for Reform in Political Advertising says at least 31 campaigns from across the party spectrum have been indecent, dishonest or untruthful.”
16th paragraph: “88% (5,952) of the Tory party's most widely promoted ads either featured claims which had been flagged…as not correct or not entirely correct.”
Lib Dems criticized claiming ”it was the only party that could beat either Labour, the Conservatives or the SNP "in seats like yours"”
“for Labour, it said that it could not find any misleading claims in ads run over the period. However, it noted that the party's supporters were more likely to share unpaid-for electioneering posts than those of its rivals. It said one of these contained leader Jeremy Corbyn's disputed claim that a Tory-negotiated trade deal with the US could cost the NHS up to £500m a week by driving up the cost of medicines.”
*Socialist Jeremy Corbyn to step down as leader of Labour Party after defeat in U.K. election
All other references to Corbyn in NBC News headlines are like "Labour leader Corbyn", but now that he lost, and they want to tar socialism, it's "socialist Jeremy Corbyn".
Boris Johnson breaks tradition by dodging interview with BBC’s top Rottweiler, Andrew Neil
I guess “hard-hitting interviewer” would highlight the inadequacies of American interviewers too much.
*The Doves Were Right. I Was Wrong.
(by Conor Friedersdorf)
Original headline, which was rather quickly changed, was much more accurate: "Anti-war Protesters Were Right About Afghanistan." The new one about "doves" is either misleading or downright wrong. Both "doves" and "hawks" supported the invasion of Afghanistan; only radicals and anti-imperialists opposed it.
The American Health Care Industry Is Killing People
The health care system does sometimes kill people (A lot of them in fact: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html “According to a recent study by Johns Hopkins, more than 250,000 people in the United States die every year because of medical mistakes, making it the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer.”), but that’s not what this mis-titled article is about. It’s about the health INSURANCE industry, which is a cancerous growth on top of the health care system. It needs to be cut out. The health insurance industry would like you to keep calling it the health care industry so it sounds like it’s a system that actually cares for people (in both senses of the word). Don’t make that mistake. They don’t care (again, in both senses of the word). They care for PROFIT.
Report on F.B.I. Russia Inquiry Finds Serious Errors but Debunks Anti-Trump Plot
FBI was justified in opening Trump campaign probe, but case plagued by ‘serious failures,’ inspector general finds
CNN in an article headlined “7 new things we learned from the Horowitz report” https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/09/politics/horowitz-reports-new-things/index.html says “The FBI badly bungling its application to surveil Carter Page”.
“A chart in the report listed dozens of significant inaccuracies, omissions or assertions that investigators failed to back up in supporting documents in the four applications. To make the case that Mr. Page was probably a foreign agent, they relied on historical information about his contacts with Russians before 2016 and claims about his 2016 interactions with Russians that came from the Steele dossier.
“Among the problems: The F.B.I. never told the Justice Department, which thus never told the court that granted permission for the wiretaps, that Mr. Page had for years been providing information to the C.I.A. about his prior contacts with Russian officials — including an encounter cited in the application as a reason to be suspicious of him. That might have made his history less suspicious.”
“Mr. Clinesmith altered the email so that it stated that Mr. Page was “not a source,” contributing to the Justice Department’s failure to discuss his relationship with the C.I.A. in a renewal application.”
The things that happened, along with an FBI lawyer fabricating evidence, do not constitute “mistakes” or “errors” as the NYT and WaPo headlines would have it.
They are deliberate perversions of justice. Criminal conduct. The ends (trying to destroy the odious Trump) do not justify the means. All the more so because the motivation for trying to destroy Trump wasn’t his *actual* odious policies. No, it was one of his few reasonable policies—expressing a desire for good relations with Russia (something which his predecessors had also expressed a desire for). Imagine what the FBI could (and would!) do if an actual progressive was in sight of the Oval Office. There are indeed dangers to democracy. But they don’t originate in Russia, but right at home in Washington, DC.
*France’s worst strike in decades enters a second day
Why is the word “worst” in the headline? To bias the reader, of course. Why not “best”? Or just neutral words like “biggest” or “most significant”?
*Four died in a shootout with police after a UPS truck was hijacked. Could it have been avoided?
Believe it or not, they are asking that question seriously.
*Why Warren’s Drop In the Polls Is Good News for Her
Hard to explain the “logic” of this piece. Example: “she has an opportunity to show in vivid and visceral ways that she is the real deal rather than a passing novelty.”
*Biden warns that Boris Johnson's victory shows dangers of parties leaning too far left
The Labour loss was by all serious loss a Brexit loss, not a "too far left" loss. But the establishment (media and politicians) will use it as a club to beat the left; Biden is just the first to start swinging.
Monday, December 09, 2019
Pelosi knew…and kept quiet…and Americans and Iraqis died
The most significant political development today was not, as you may think, the release of the Inspector General’s report on the FBI investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia, although that will dominate the news. Nor was it even a blockbuster story in today’s Washington Post in which they reveal the Afghanistan equivalent of the Pentagon Papers, showing that generals and politicians have been systematically lying to the public about the progress of that war since practically the day it started. Significant, sure, but hardly surprising.
No, the most significant development today came in a question from a student at Johns Hopkins University to Pelosi at a CNN Town Hall. The question was about impeachment, but in answering it, Pelosi reveals that, as the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, she heard all the information about “WMD in Iraq” that was kept secret from us. And what she says is that she (and by extension, the other members of the “inner circle” of Congress who got the same briefings) *knew* that George Bush was lying about WMD in Iraq. She and the others knew, and did nothing, and kept their mouths shut while millions of us were in the streets trying to stop that war. They kept their mouths shut while establishment media gushed over Colin Powell’s lying performance at the U.N. Keeping their position in the “establishment” by keeping quiet about what they knew was more important to them than the lives of American soldiers, 4424 of whom would die and tens of thousands more be seriously injured in a war they could have stopped just by telling the truth. Definitely more important to them than the lives of Iraqis, hundreds of thousands and probably more than a million of whom would die and are still dying as a direct result of that illegal invasion.
And that significant development? I doubt very much you’re going to hear about it on the news tonight or read about it tomorrow. Except right here.
Friday, December 06, 2019
Headlines for Dec. 6, 2019
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Dec. 6, 2019
*AMLO is Mexico’s strongest president in decades. Some say he’s too strong.
The article starts with references to unnamed “critics” and “detractors”. Not until the 23rd paragraph (!) do we find out who “some” are — the “national director of the opposition National Action Party” and then, in para. 30, the “head of the Mexican Council of International Affairs” (whatever that is).
*Tear gas returns to Hong Kong as police disperse authorized protest
The Art of Writing Misleading Headlines 101: In the 7th paragraph you learn that the marchers were not only not on the authorized route, but were throwing bricks at police.
‘Nonlethal weapons’ fired at protesters in Hong Kong, Chile and Iraq are having very dangerous — even deadly — effects
WaPo lumps Hong Kong in with Chile & Iraq, where dozens (Chile) & hundreds (Iraq) have died. Remarkably, the article says 2 have died in HK, without noting who or how—1 protester who fell from a parking garage & a man hit on the head with a protester brick. And of course no mention of the bricks, Molotov cocktails, & flaming arrows being deployed by the “non-violent” “protesters” in Hong Kong, just the water cannons cops are using, which “have the potential of causing serious injury and even death.” Yes, but they haven’t, so apparently that “potential” isn’t very great. They do cite two protesters in Hong Kong that have lost an eye to rubber bullets. That compares to **200** in Chile, where all evidence points to this being a deliberate tactic. Dozens of “Yellow Vest” protesters in France have also lost eyes to rubber bullets, but that goes unmentioned in this article.
*Venezuela’s Kids Are Dying. Are We Responsible?
Subhead: Our well-meaning sanctions may be inflicting pain on the wrong people.
Time for a periodic reminder about the 1960 State Department memo promoting sanctions on Cuba (https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499 ), which described its aim as “to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.” There are no “well-meaning sanctions”; sanctions are always meant to make people suffer. But also worth noting, this op-ed article actually breaks the NYT’s silence on the fact that sanctions are killing Venezuelans, but still fails to mention the CEPR study which put a number on those deaths — 40,000 (and that was months ago).
*How Huawei Lost the Heart of the Chinese Public
“In the most recent quarter, Huawei’s smartphone sales in China grew 66 percent from a year earlier”…but some people on Twitter are upset by its treatment of one employee, so “Huawei Lost the Heart of the Chinese Public”? Note: this is not a comment about the specific case, about which I know nothing. It’s a comment on this hyperbolic, unsupported headline.
*Can hanging out with Tulsi Gabbard fans help us understand what her deal is?
WaPo wants to know what Tulsi Gabbard’s “deal” is. But RT and Sputnik, who half the time run articles favorable to her (and equal amounts unfavorable), and who have a fraction of WaPo’s reach, are the ones with their thumb on the scale. In case you thought only the NYT was going to go off on Gabbard wearing a white pantsuit; now the WaPo joins in! “she has come across in debates as if she were a leader beamed in from an apocalyptic future (or the Divergent series) with her all-white pantsuit, her streak of white hair and her unique manner of delivering answers in an affectless monotone straight into the camera”
Surprising headline of the week:
*Frozen II isn’t just a cartoon. It’s a brilliant critique of imperialism
Yes, this is a serious article, with discussions not only of imperialism but also climate change and reparations.
Charges of Ukrainian Meddling? A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Says
A perfect demonstration of how just one word can turn a news article into propaganda. “The revelations demonstrate Russia’s persistence in trying to sow discord among its adversaries”. These are not “revelations”, they are “assertions”. Claims. Accusations.
*Bernie Sanders’s Loyal Voters Could Keep Him in Race for Months
Who knows, they might even get him elected in 2020 if Obama keeps his mouth shut.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Headlines for Nov. 22, 2019
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Nov. 22, 2019
From the NYT, the paper that brought us “What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?” and “Tulsi Gabbard Thinks We’re Doomed”, comes the latest gem:
*Tulsi Gabbard’s White Pantsuit Isn’t Winning
Really NYT? All your other smears against Tulsi Gabbard aren’t succeeding? And no, this isn’t just a silly (and sexist) fashion article about not wearing white after Labor Day or whatever. No, this is quite serious. From the article:
“Gabbard herself doesn’t seem particularly interested in connecting with the suffragists, but rather is using her white suits to tap into another tradition, latent in the public memory: the mythical white knight, riding in to save us all from yet another “regime change war.””
“they are the white of avenging angels and flaming swords, of somewhat combative righteousness (also cult leaders). And that kind of association…sets someone apart, rather than joining others together. It has connotations of the fringe, rather than the center.”
Compare to this article, by the same author, in 2016:
*Why Hillary Wore White
“In her white suit, with her white crew neck underneath, Mrs. Clinton looked supremely unflappable: perfectly tailored and in control. Not a hair out of place (but some hair nicely waved). The kind of person who could carry the nuclear codes with aplomb. That suit, quietly yet clearly, made reference to history, specifically the history of the women’s movement.”
*Russian web trolls boo Biden, often boost Gabbard, report finds
[An article written by who else but Ken Dilanian?] “Mentions of Gabbard, a Hawaii congresswoman, by English-language Russian propaganda outlets [Sputnik and RT] were 46 percent favorable and 44 percent unfavorable.” Really? That's how they "boost" her? Well, I guess it beats the 99% unfavorable (and general lack of coverage) in the US corporate media.
*Americans Steal Kremlin’s Playbook, for Clicks and Profit
A) Clickbait was hardly a Russian invention, and hardly invented in 2016.
B) If you read the article, the headline really should be “American steals Macedonian playbook”, and there’s no evidence the Macedonians stole that “playbook” from the IRA.
“Among Mr. LaCorte’s network was one writer who helped peddle a conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton had ties to a pedophile ring.” That, of course, is Pizzagate, which was basically the origin of the term “fake news”, which, as this article makes clear, originated with Macedonian teenagers out to make money, not with “the Kremlin”.
*25 times Trump was soft on Russia
Of the 25 times, 19 are things Trump has said, not done, e.g., "Trump has repeatedly praised Putin". And most are like this: "Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia". Except the only evidence he did so is a Washington Post anonymously sourced story, not a Trump tweet, and it never happened. By the way, that WaPo story was headlined "Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York", as if the action was in progress and pretty much a fait accompli.
To contrast with the CNN article, Caitlin Johnstone has written an article entitled 25 times Trump was dangerously hawkish on Russia, filled with things that the U.S. *actually did*.
*At Odds With Labour, Britain’s Jews Are Feeling Politically Homeless
The headline doesn’t say “some British Jews”, just “Britain’s Jews”, which implies that all British Jews, or at least the vast majority, are abandoning Labour. You might expect an actual poll to back that up, but all you get are a handful of anecdotal examples. A story trying to make the news instead of reporting it.
Bolivia’s crisis turns deadly again as 5 killed in clash
Compare headline to the lede: “Bolivia’s political crisis turned deadly after security forces opened fire on supporters of Evo Morales in a central town, killing at least five people.” THAT IS NOT A “CLASH”, IT’S A MASSACRE. And if anyone thinks “massacre” is too strong a word, I remind you that one of the most famous “massacres” of the American Revolution, the Boston Massacre, involved the death of…five people. The essence of a massacre isn’t the number of people killed, it’s the one-sided nature of the event. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the famous mob murder in Chicago, also involved “only” seven victims. But, like Boston and like Bolivia, it was a one-sided “clash”.
Mainland Chinese Soldiers Take to Hong Kong Streets for First Time During Protests
Ooh, scary! The war has started, right? Not quite. “mainland Chinese soldiers in black shorts and olive drab T-shirts jogged out of a barracks here to clear streets of bricks, metal bars and other debris left by demonstrators.”
‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims
Just like last week, here we have a quote with no attribution or context. It was said by China’s President Xi, but he was talking about the “struggle against terrorism”, not Muslims in general.
Hong Kong police move on university campus, threaten live rounds, retreat before growing flames
The students are shooting arrows, hurling molotov cocktails, and throwing bricks, all of which are deadly weapons, but the police *threatening* live rounds is what makes the headline.
Esper: ‘We’re not the ones looking for a Cold War’ with China
First sentence: The Chinese government is undermining the international system and trying to alter it through coercion and malign influence, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper [said].
New U.S. Policy, Same Old Bind for Israeli Settlers and Palestinians
Subhead: Israeli and Palestinian residents of the West Bank say the new American stance toward settlement does nothing to change their fundamental insecurity.
Unbelievable false equivalence between the problems of illegal Israeli settlers and Palestinians. Weirdly, the original headline (still shown in the thumbnail), was much better: US Reversal on Settlements Shows Pro-Israel Bias, Palestinians Say
