Does anyone remember the delightful video of Donald Trump, pre-presidency, body slamming wrestling honcho Vice McMahon during a wrestling match? It was obviously staged, and was primarily notable because it was posted with a CNN logo applied superimposed over the head of the person Trump slammed.
Outraged at the thought crime–some people cannot take a joke–CNN threated to “dox”—reveal the name of—the person responsible for daring to make fun of one of the very pillars of democracy: CNN. I took CNN to task in CNN: The Most Thuggish Name In News, back in July of 2017.
David Harsanyi at Reason was equally unimpressed and reported CNN did not take this cruelly calculated attack on Democracy itself laying down:
CNN is not publishing ‘HanA**holeSolo’s’ name because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again,’ said a CNN piece. Should HanA**holeSolo ever revert to his nefarious meme-making ways, ‘CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change.
Hmm. To paraphrase Hal 9000 from 2001,this is puzzling. An essential ministry of democracy shouldn’t need to threaten a citizen for making a bit of harmless fun of them, but CNN felt compelled, as Harsanyi notes:
This is a threat. There is simply no other way for an open-minded person to comprehend the meaning of the line. I’ve read thousands of news stories and written a bunch of them, and I can’t think of a single instance of a similar disclaimer. CNN has absolved the man of his sins—for now. I guess if HanA**holeSolo does anything it deems ugly, the network reserves the right to put him in ‘danger’?
This is the sort of thing that tends to make people think the media, as President Trump—how they hate those two words—said, enemies of the people. It’s a point I made in Trump Drank Water: Act Accordingly, which was the story of how the media went berserk over Mr. Trump taking a few drinks of water during a speech. I wrote:
These are the same people that can’t imagine why normal Americans don’t trust the Media.They think any criticism of their Leftist political advocacy masquerading as news is a threat to the First Amendment, the very foundations of Liberty. Media talking heads declare anyone that does not only buy everything they say, but fails to praise them as the saviors of mankind, dangerous to the Republic. It’s as though they imagine the media–they–are the true, bestguardians and epitome of the republic.
They’re still mired in self-righteous delusion:
Brian Stelter is a CNN reporter and talking head. It would seem that many readers think the infection about which he speaks refers to the media, though Stelter is obviously not nearly that self-aware.
Several commenters held up what, to the MSM, is like a cross to vampires: facts: 
Others recognized that much of what the contemporary media does is supporting their sacred narratives:
Another displayed uncommon common sense, which is an uncommon commodity these days:
And I particularly liked “Sister Honey’s” accurate comment: 
And we’re back to doxing:
Enemies of the people or upright, honorable guardians of democracy? I report, you decide.
Oh, and take the link to my earlier article. Brian Stelter was whining about that one too.
CNN and the other MSMs of their ilk practice one of the most insidious forms of lying. That is the lie of omission. The saying if a tree falls in the woods and no one was there did it make a sound comes to mind.
For the average working person their life is some version of go to work, go home, fix diner, having the TV on in the background, get ready for bed. They get most of their news listening or just barely watching what’s on TV. Therefore, most people really don’t know how much they don’t know.
My work schedule for many years prohibited me from watching the evening or nightly news. Therefore, I have relied on alternate sources for quite some time. My routine has been to read as I call them the “daily’s” online in the morning and go from there. It affords me the opportunity to cover more information in less time.
I was on vacation some years ago and was working one evening in my library and had the TV on in the other room. It had probably been several years since I had seen the evening news on TV. When the news came on that evening I was amazed at what was said, how it was said, and just as important not said. For one must remember that I had already digested what had occurred that day. It was a revelation for me. After that news cast I understood why so many people are less than informed about what is happening in the world. I have had the opportunity to see the mainstream news every so often since and it has only gotten worse. And make no mistake about it, it is intentional.
Add in the dumbing down of the electorate is it any wonder we are having the problems that we have.
Stopped listening to the paid propaganda of the left about 15 years ago. I have a series of sites like this one I go to for truth. Daily hour forecast at Weather Channel on the net is all I pay attention too.
In the early 80’s, when I was responding to events that made the news, this is how I would explain how the news works. A man stops for 2 beers after work and heads home in his sub-compact car. While he is stopped for a red light, a Baptist minister, driving his 3/4 ton conversion van on the way to give a talk to a MADD meeting, is flipping through his speech notes and rear ends the guy. The sub-compact car is driven into the intersection where it strikes a school bus, injuring some students. The headline on the news reports would read: car runs red light and strikes bus injuring students, alcohol involved. The deception is that while every word in the headline is true, the impression it plants is a lie. Yes, alcohol was involved but had nothing to do with the accident. It has long been a matter of wording to alter perceptions, not to deliver truth with clarity.
Dear Occasional Thinker:
Good analogy!