Now that Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted, it’s time for a media reckoning of sorts.
Of course, if you’re holding your breath for an actual media reckoning, you’re well past looking like Violet Beauregarde.
That’s because the same media will die before ever holding themselves accountable for pushing a false narrative. Even if they are willing to eventually own up to a narrative being false, what they won’t do is admit to their own role in perpetuating it.
So congratulations to CNN’s Brian Stelter — Mr. Reliable Sources himself — for even entertaining the notion that the media royally effed up the Kyle Rittenhouse narrative, thus allowing him to pretend that he and his network were ever above it all:
"Parts of the media dropped the ball on covering this case from the start."
Here's what @DavidAFrench said on today's Reliable about coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse case pic.twitter.com/ACC8DLeK5t
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 21, 2021
Good on French for at least pointing out on CNN that outlets like CNN allowed themselves to be swept up in their own preferred narrative whether than in the facts. While we’re not exactly fans of much of French’s offerings over the past few years, it is nice to hear him hold a mirror up to the media, even if his wrists are pathetically limp.
What’s far less impressive is that all of that seems genuinely lost on Brian Stelter, who doesn’t appear to be capable of putting two and two together. The media have been dropping their balls for years now. It’s coming from inside the house, Brian.
How is your show called “reliable sources”? You are just now learning that the videos were public from day one?
— Allison Sebastiani (@allisonsebast) November 21, 2021
Oh, it’s David French on the cable news show that pushed the Steele Dossier amongst other falsities. https://t.co/QWQrXvgBht
— kaitlin believes taiwan is a country (@thefactualprep) November 22, 2021
Curious to hear which parts of the media covered it well. https://t.co/rQ3o1w1WND
— Foster (@foster_type) November 22, 2021
He's talking about you, dummy.
The amount of backtracking being done by CNN as the facts caught up to their false narrative is stunning. https://t.co/iYMnO6Otm9
— Rekieta Media (@RekietaMedia) November 22, 2021
"Dropped the ball" implies that was accidental.
You guys were in lockstep announcing conclusions from the start. https://t.co/bNhpRHEjG4
— Passably Affable (@tbrusletten) November 22, 2021
To say the mainstream media ‘dropped the ball’ is simply dishonest. They knew exactly the narrative they were pushing and it backfired on them.
— Milt Bossch (@mbossch14) November 21, 2021
Well, one thing’s for sure: when it comes to cleaning up their messes, outlets like CNN have their work cut out for them.
That moment when CNN gets a call from the Rittenhouse Lawyers and they have back peddle the lies they told… https://t.co/GMxv3uaidi
— Cris A. Tucks (@CrisTucks) November 22, 2021
Scared of law suits https://t.co/4DcJ8ae6bu
— Barbara Wentzel (@BarbaraWentzel4) November 22, 2021
They must be getting real worried about a defamation suit…. https://t.co/xYQ07FpTa0
— Red Pillar (@AmericaLioness) November 22, 2021
CNN in full lawsuit damage control: https://t.co/F6u4noMuOx
— Right Now with Jim Daws (@RightNowJimDaws) November 22, 2021
We would be, too, if we were them.
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