This was the year American journalism came roaring back, America's journalists reported (again and again and again). With a new president in office and a whiff of scandal in the air, reporters raced to their battle stations and began pummeling the president, seemingly certain he'd soon be frog-marched into federal prison and they would be celebrated with Pulitzers.
The only problem is that their biggest scoops … were almost always wrong. Over the course of the last year, reporters breathlessly accused Trump of committing impeachable acts, lending assistance to mass shootings, sowing racial discord, and even outright treason. Meanwhile, when Hillary returned to the fray, she was feted with flattery, humorous viral videos, and chardonnay. And that's just a taste.
Trying to choose the 10 lowest moments was no easy task, but we think the montage above captures the spirit of 2017 in all of its unholy glory.
Without further ado, here are our 10 most mortifying media moments of 2017:
10 ‐ It's Our Job to Tell You What to Think. During a February broadcast of "Morning Joe," co-host Mika Brzezinski chastised Trump for telling Americans to be skeptical of the press, worrying Americans may trust him over her media colleagues. "He could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think. And that, that is our job."
9 ‐ ABC Botches Biggest Story of Year. Shortly after Michael Flynn was indicted for lying to the FBI, ABC's Brian Ross broke what appeared to be a massive scoop: that during the campaign, Trump instructed him to coordinate with Russia. This led to reporters giddily anticipating the apparently inevitable downfall of Trump, which no one highlighted better than Joy Behar, who literally shouted "Yes!" after delivering Ross's "scoop." The only problem is the story was completely wrong; it was then President Elect Trump who had given these (very normal) instructions, just as President Elect Obama had reached out to Iran during his own transition. Ross was subsequently suspended for the "serious error."
8 ‐ Late-Night Leftism. When Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy sponsored a health-care reform bill that would have given states more flexibility to operate health-care exchanges, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel abandoned comedy altogether and instead used his show to rally his audience against the bill. After turning "Jimmy Kimmel Tonight" into a platform for nauseating left-wing sermonizing, he was dubbed "America's Conscience" by his colleagues in the media.
7 ‐ Hillary, Our Hero. After spending months hunting for an opportunity to expose a Trump scandal, Hillary published her book on the 2016 race ("What Happened") and went on a whirlwind publicity tour, where reporters treated the scandal-scarred former First Lady to chardonnay, flattery & panda videos.
6 ‐ ‘Reporting' as an Excuse for Venting. All too often in 2017, "reporting" on the Trump Administration became synonymous with "venting." Mika Brzezinksi, for example, used the opportunity of reporting on a Trump tweet to say (all in one sentence) that the president has no morals, is a bully, acts like a bigot, is racist, and is a sexual harasser. The New York Time's Tom Friedman, commenting on a torrent of news from the Trump Administration, said that "from a journalism perspective" Trump is like a "brain eating disease." Former reporter Mark Halperin said the election of Trump was a "more cataclysmic event" than 9/11.
5 ‐ Let's Impeach Trump Already! After President Trump fired FBI director James Comey, the media appeared certain he'd just committed his first impeachable offense. Almost without fail, Democratic guests appearing on TV in May were expected to announce when they would initiate impeachment proceedings against the president.
4 ‐ Vegas Scapegoating. When an atrocity of inexplicable scale struck Las Vegas, Americans demanded answers. When those were slow in coming, the media turned their sights on Republicans, blaming gun rights for the tragedy. (Note: They did the same thing after the mass shooting in Texas.)
3 ‐ Abandoning Any Sense of Perspective. After Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged accepting a meeting a sketchy Russian lawyer who said she had dirt on Hillary Clinton, reporters and others in the media jumped the rhetorical shark, calling it a case of "treason." Yet months later it was reported the Clinton campaign solicited anti-Trump gossip from Kremlin agents (via their intermediary, Fusion GPS), an arguably far worse ethical lapse, and these same talking heads were curiously quiet. https://grabien.com/file.php?id=277165
2 ‐ Emoting as Reporting. Just weeks into the Trump Administration, MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski was struggling. The emotional toll was already too much; after Trump had tweeted that the Trump Tower had been wiretapped, she could no longer take it, telling viewers it was OK to be scared. "We're all really nervous, too," she emoted.
1 ‐ Reporters Treat Obama to One Final Slobberfest. In President Obama's final appearance before the White House press corps, reporters used the opportunity to … shower him with praise, adulation, and hagiography. These sycophantic reporters were seemingly competing to see who could offer Obama the most effusive praise. That honor may have gone to The Blade's Chris Johnson, who itemized to the president what he felt were his greatest accomplishments -- before inviting him to bash Trump. Or the LA Times' Christi Parsons, who begged the president to call her (while pointing at her phone), and telling him it's been "an honor" covering his administration. Her actual question? How he was going to explain the election of Trump to his children.
Honorable Mentions:
‐ Of course no synopsis of 2017's mortifying media moments would be complete without mentioning the many reporters who were felled by sexual misconduct. Stories about how Matt Lauer used his office as a secret sex chamber, or Charlie Rose's predilection for parading naked in front of young female producers, or Mark Halperin praying on interns, were indeed mortifying.
‐ When tragedy struck Texas in the form of Hurricane Harvey, many in the media politicized the tragedy, assigning blame on Republicans and other critics on the global warming theory.
‐ As President Obama was finishing his second term, he began insisting he was leaving without a single scandal marring his legacy. The media, picking up on this effort at posterity puffery, was only too happy to oblige, likewise insisting he was leaving office unblemished.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance ||
12/20/2017 06:41 ||
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#1
Very hard to read this list without a gag reflex or two kicking in.
I am a normal person with normal rational processes and if I can become physically ill at this stuff, what does the rest of fly over country think of the media?
[Guardian] Tina Charles knows what success looks like on the basketball court. She was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft, was named the league’s Rookie of the Year that year and won the MVP award in 2012. In 2017 the 28-year-old finished second in the MVP voting after averaging 19.7 points and 9.4 rebounds and leading the New York Liberty to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Tina also has a big passion off the court: saving people who are stricken with sudden cardiac arrest. She became interested in the cause after reading about a high school basketball player who passed away from it in 2013. "I just wanted to do something," she says.
In 2013, Tina started Hopey’s Heart Foundation, which provides grants for schools and community centers to buy automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Fast access to these devices can increase the chances of survival after sudden cardiac arrest by up to 40%. Tina has donated her entire WNBA salary to the cause the past two years.
To date, Hopey’s Heart Foundation has donated AEDs to nearly 300 institutions across the US. This year, the first life was saved using a defibrillator donated by the foundation. Emphasis added
#1
Once I was truly on top of an man's sudden cardiac arrest & so was able to defibrillate him within 5 or 10 seconds of his loss of consciousness. He revived immediately and said, "Thanks, Doc!"
[Al Jazeera] A military court in Cairo has sentenced an Egyptian army colonel to six years in prison after he announced his plans to run for president next year, according to his lawyer and local media.
Ahmed Konsowa was given the jail term on Tuesday for "stating political opinions contrary to the requirements of military order", his lawyer, Asad Haykal, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
The colonel was called in for interrogation and handed a 15-day detention order after announcing late last month in a 22-minute video his intention to run against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Following his detention, Haykal told local media that the charges against Konsowa included violating military code and publishing a video in which he espoused political views.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2017 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Paleostinian billionaire Sabih al-Masri, Jordan's most influential businessman, arrived back in Amman on Tuesday, a family source said, after his release from detention in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... linked to a crackdown on the rich and powerful there.
Masri, chairman of Amman-based Arab Bank, Jordan's largest lender, was detained last week hours before he was planning to leave after chairing meetings of Saudi companies he owns, sources said.
Masri, a Saudi citizen, said from his home in Riyadh on Sunday after his release that the Saudi authorities had accorded him "all respect". The authorities have not commented on his detention. Jordanian authorities privately said King Abdullah intervened to secure his release.
Official Ukrainian sources claimed that on Monday rebel rocket artillery hit a Ukrainian held location in northern Donetsk, damaging more than 100 buildings and wounding eight civilians, according to Russian language news accounts.
Official rebel media denied the reports.
Meanwhile, official rebel media said that a massive Ukrainian artillery attack hit Pervomaisk, Kalinovo and Stakhanov in northern rebel held areas of Lugansk.
According to a news account posted in lb.ua, rebel rocket artillery began firing from near Zaistevo, northeast to Novolugansk at around 1700 hrs Monday, Moscow time. The attack damaged a power station, gas lines and residential structures.
Novolugansk is on the west side of the main road leading from Bakhmut (formerly Artemovsk) to rebel held Debaltsevo, part of an area known as the Svetlodarsk arc.
According to a statement released Monday by Donetsk ministry of defense spokesman Colonel Eduard Basurin, Ukrainian forces, specifically the artillery detachments of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Mechanized Rifle Brigade and the 128th Separate Mountain Rifle Brigade, hit Novolugansk with rocket artillery originating from Ukrainian held areas north of Zaistevo/Gorlovka.
Both Ukrainian units had sent troops to capture a pair of villages just north of Zaistevo, in Gladosovo and Travnevoye, a few weeks ago.
The statement said that rebel troops are close to, but not in Novolugansk, so it is possible the artillery fire was directed at rebel troops but fell short. If so, it would not be the first time in this three year old war that Ukrainian artillery units have fired shorts.
Use of rocket artillery has been forbidden since the middle of 2015, when both sides agreed to withdraw all large bore weapons from the front line. That said, the rocket artillery platform most commonly used by both sides, the 122mm BM-21 has a range out to 45 kilometers, depending on the type of munitions used.
Both sides from time to time have accused the other of firing rocket artillery, but its reported use is not constant.
Reports compiled and presented through the website of Russian retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, novorosinform.org, said that the Ukrainian artillery attack on Pervomaisk, Stakhanov and Kalinovo began at around 2030 hrs Monday night and lasted about 20 minutes. The weapons used included 82mm and 120mm mortars including mines.
Damaged structures in Stakhanov included five story and eight story residential buildings, with residents complaining about damage to the roofs and gas lines in the area. Power was temporarily knocked out.
According to official rebel accounts in Lugansk, three unidentified individuals were wounded in Stakhanov and one in Pervomaisk
In Kalinovo, reports say three civilians were wounded in the attack, and a water filtration plant was damaged and put out of operation. Power was temporarily knocked out from that attack as well.
Reports from Donetsk say that Ukrainian artillery hit residential areas of Gorlovka, wounding one unidentified female, and damaging residential structures. A video posted on the website of Gorlovka Pravda showed two areas where Ukrainian shells hit, one of them said to be from a 152mm howitzer. Gas lines were damaged from the shrapnel as well.
A separate report from novorosinform.org said that a new artillery attack on Gorlovka was recorded Tuesday afternoon. A separate attack that damaged two residential buildings was recorded in Dokuchaevsk, which is south of Donetsk city.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraine by clicking here and here
Kinda stoopid as a WMD attack could/should be responded to by nukes, and I wonder how successfully it would withstand impact...
[DailyMail] North Korea is conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles, it has been reported.
Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence, that North Korea was conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Asahi report said the U.S. government was aware of the tests, which were meant to ascertain whether the anthrax bacteria could survive the high temperatures that occur during warheads re-entry from space.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/20/2017 08:55 ||
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#1
Wonder where they could have come up with such a concept ?
#4
Since the US Postal Service is ALREADY subsidizing home delivery of uninspected parcels of whatever WMDs China chooses to send to the USA (on a massive scale, think of fentantyl and carfentanyl WMDs, already killing 1000s of Americans), ICBM delivery is a waste of effort.
[Wash Times] The Keystone XL oil pipeline suffered yet another setback Tuesday as Nebraska regulators rejected calls to reconsider the project’s route through their state.
In a unanimous 5-to-0 decision, Nebraska’s Public Service Commission (PSC) shot down a request from TransCanada, the company proposing the $8 billion project, to change the pipeline’s approved path.
The PSC last month green-lighted a route through Nebraska but not the one TransCanada preferred, fueling speculation the company could pull the plug on the entire proposal.
TransCanada filed formal motions asking the PSC to amend its permit and approve its preferred route, but Nebraska officials refused.
"The commission finds the motion for reconsideration should be denied," the panel wrote in its decision.
The move seems to end the approval process in the state and leaves TransCanada with a decision of whether to scrap the project or move forward with the less-than-favorable path.
#2
Just a few crumbs, m'lord.
And a couple seats on various commissions.
And some set-asides for the, uh, community.
And a bag of cash. Large bills, non-sequential, please.
#3
I see the WashTimes is pulling the same crap PJ Media does with the stupid 'Load More' button at the bottom of the page, which gave me... two extra words. Annoying as all get-out.
What I wanted to know - how much of a difference between the two routes in miles? In other words, is this a really big deal or just more media sensationalism & exaggeration?
#6
Thanks, B. Two questions not answered in the article
1) Is there something special about Sand Hills? Maybe.
2) Do they drop the whole project or take what they can get and get on with it? Either way that pipeline goes they're still gonna make money, aren't they?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/20/2017 17:24 Comments ||
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#7
Usually pipeline royalties to the landowner are a one-time, so many dollars per foot of pipe.
#8
It's a good idea not to go through the sandhills for many many reasons.
1) There are not many damn roads in the sandhills and it pretty hard to maintain anything in them.
2) You could screw up the nation's largest and most ag important aquifer really easily with a spill in that sand.
3) The land is very fragile.
4) It would actually be easier and safer to build and maintain on the approved route.
#5
In Churchill's 1899 book ‘The River War', about Britain's 19th Century war in Sudan, he included a passage condemning Islam that says: “No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith."
He commented at length regarding the fiendish Mohammadan in 'River Wars' but this short sentence captures the gist. My Emphasis added.
[Expressen] Sweden's need for welfare increases faster than our revenues.
Then the Minister of Finance, Magdalena Andersson (S), raises the height of retirement age.
"Looking at those who start working at 30, there should be opportunities to work longer than 65," says Magdalena Andersson to Dina Pengar.
Sweden's population is increasing at a furious pace, and this development means significantly increased costs to deal with.
This is the case in Sweden's Local Authorities and County Council (SKL) in the "Economy Report" presented on Tuesday .
"From 2018, we expect the need for welfare to grow significantly faster than tax revenues," says Annika Wallenskog, chief economist at SKL.
In the report, SKL is alerting that a series of measures are needed to block the gap between costs and revenues, which risk raising 59 billion by 2021.
The rapid population growth as a result of the large refugee reception Gee, I wonder if only the Gov't of Sweden is noticing this correlation?
last year and a "a" meaning "their"
childbirth approaching historically high levels puts pressure on municipalities and county councils. Google Translate or a DNA-linked affinity for little meatballs required.
#4
IIRC the 65 age was first employed by Bismark's Germany. The consideration was that most of the population died by then so the tax pension system would not suffer much allowing the collected horde to be spent on the army other priorities.
[The Hill] White House legislative director Marc Short said Wednesday that President Trump could possibly sign Republicans' sweeping tax code overhaul while he's vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago estate for the holidays.
Asked by MSNBC's Hallie Jackson in an interview if Trump would sign the bill at his club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Short said it was within the realm of possibility, but would ultimately depend on when the president actually receives the legislation from Congress.
"Typically a bill this size takes several days for Congress to enroll and send to us, so we don't know when we're going to receive it," he said. "So that's going to be a factor in exactly the date that he does it."
"So it's a possibility that it'll happen in that week between Christmas and New Years?" Jackson asked, referring to the time period when Trump is expected to be at Mar-a-Lago.
#5
I watched the announcement on the local ABC affiliate. Stephanopoulos didn't even try to conceal his disappointment.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/20/2017 17:28 Comments ||
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#6
Give Ivanka credit. She spearheaded this effort and got more done on 3 months in the middle of all the noise than ponticating politicians have done in 30 years. It is the Trump family way.
[DAWN] The Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. High Court on Monday disposed of a woman’s petition, which claimed a man, who had invoked the tribal ghag custom against her in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... when she was two only, was creating hurdles to her marriage.
A bench consisting of Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim observed that though the law prohibiting ghag had not been extended to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), the custom was against the fundamental rights of an individual enshrined in the Constitution.
It added that as petitioner Amina lived in Swabi district, she should approach the relevant cop shoppe to register a case against the people concerned.
It observed that the local police were bound by the law to provide protection to the petitioner and register her complaint against the people threatening her.
Ghag is an old custom prevalent in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Under it, a man makes a declaration in a locality that a particular girl is engaged to him and nobody else should seek her hand for marriage.
In 2013, the then provincial government had enacted the KP Elimination of the Custom of Ghag Act 2013 on the directives of the high court and declared it an offence.
Javed Ali Asghar, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client belonged to Bajaur Agency and lived in Shah Mansoor Town of Swabi.
He said when the petitioner was two, one of the respondents, Mohammad Sher, had proposed her for his son but her father, Saleem Jan, had put forward an excuse that he wanted to first complete education of his children.
The lawyer added that in 2005, Mohammad Sher again started insistence on his earlier proposal of his client’s engagement with his son, Iftikhar.
He added that the petitioner’s father turned down that proposal and that Iftikhar and Mohammad Sher then announced that the petitioner would only become the wife of Iftikhar and they would not allow anyone else to marry her.
The counsel stated that while Iftikhar had already married in 2007 and was now having four children, but he has still been obstructing marriage of the petitioner and also threatening her of dire consequences.
He said the petitioner was now around 26 and wanted her marriage of her own free will.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2017 00:00 ||
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For What it's Worth Department. Regardless, HAT TIP to gCaptain.
The United States has proposed that the United Nations Security Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from North Korea, according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The vessels are accused of "conducting illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels or illegally transporting North Korean coal to other countries for exports," the United States said in its proposal.
If none of the 15 members of the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee object to the ships being designated by Thursday afternoon, the U.S. proposal will be approved.
Countries are required to ban blacklisted ships from entering their ports. Four ships were designated for carrying coal from North Korea by the council’s North Korea sanctions committee in October.
North Korea is under a U.N. arms embargo and the Security Council has banned trade in exports such as coal, textiles, seafood, iron and other minerals to choke funding for Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs.
In September, the council put a cap of 2 million barrels a year on refined petroleum products exports to North Korea.
The ships proposed to be blacklisted are: Xin Sheng Hai (flag unknown); Hong-Kong-flagged Lighthouse Winmore; Togo-flagged Yu Yuan; Panama-flagged Glory Hope 1 (also known as Orient Shenyu), Kai Xiang, and Billions No. 18; and North Korean-flagged Ul Ji Bong 6, Rung Ra 2, Rye Song Gang 1, and Sam Jong 2.
Reclusive North Korea has boasted of developing a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching the mainland United States in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and international condemnation.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged North Korea to carry out a "sustained cessation" of weapons testing to allow the two countries to hold talks. He did not specify how long the lull should last.
North Korea conducted missile tests at a steady pace since April, then paused in September after firing a rocket that passed over Japan’s Hokkaido island. But it renewed tests in November when it fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, which flew higher and further than previous tests.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/20/2017 12:45 ||
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#1
NORK not ORK. My Bad.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/20/2017 12:50 Comments ||
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[DailyMail] Incredible images reveal a futuristic vision inspired by Polynesian traditions for the world's first floating nation planned for the Pacific Ocean by 2020
The radical plans, bankrolled by PayPal founder Peter Thiel, will see a floating nation built in the Pacific Ocean
Hotels, homes, offices and restaurants, and more will be built by 2020 by the nonprofit Seasteading Institute
Concept images take inspiration from the rich Polynesian culture, in particular from traditional navigation
The shape of the construction is based on a fish hook, an ancestral tool that symbolises the demigod Maui
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Al Jazeera] A military court in Cairo has sentenced an Egyptian army colonel to six years in prison after he announced his plans to run for president next year, according to his lawyer and local media. 
Wonder where they could have come up with such a concept ? 
[Wash Times] The Keystone XL oil pipeline suffered yet another setback Tuesday as Nebraska regulators rejected calls to reconsider the project’s route through their state.
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
