The Townhall 50: Tabulating the Worst in Journalism in 2023 – #30-#11
Brad Slager
Jan 11, 2024
Townhall Media
We have reached that time here at "Riffed From The Headlines" to compile our list of the journalists who distinguished themselves over the past year with their departure from journalism ethics, repugnant reportorial displays, soporific punditry, and just plain bad performances throughout the year.
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See the Townhall 50 entries of #31-#50 here.
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First, we had to compile examples. Then, measure things based on performance, influence, bias, reach, and work other factors into a complex formula to rank accordingly. It was laborious, but – unlike many on this list – we took the time to research and explore the topics. So, to continue with things – here is the secondary list as we make our way through the chart of 50 notable names from 2023.
30. Jake Tapper – Probably one of the more frustrating individuals because there was a time he was seen as being close to even-handed, but Trump damaged the ethos. Still today, he has flashes of that professionalism; he was firm on the Israeli attack and was appropriately direct about the White House cocaine incident. But then he lapses into that familiar CNN partisanship. A prime example of this conflict was in his reporting on Claudine Gay; he acknowledged her plagiarism was a problem, but he ridiculed the "right-wing" sources and suggested they were in the wrong – as he was there reporting on the story they broke. Despite his pledge against hosting election deniers, Jake hosted Stacey Abrams. While interviewing a Facebook whistleblower, he was pushing social media to censor people. He opposed the SCOTUS decision on a business turning down a gay wedding job. With the late Senator Diane Feinstein in poor health, Jake was pushing hard on Senator Dick Durbin to replace her.
29. John Avlon – His smarmy delivery is bad enough, but his pomposity while delivering his trademarked flawed "Reality Check" segments compounds the errors. He tried to dispel the charge Democrats back abortion up to birth by saying the procedure is extremely rare. (Okay, John, but they still support it.) Following a report on the surge in crime in Oakland, he fretted the GOP could benefit – "you are breeding reactionary forces politically." The best example of how his "Reality" is skewed, he claimed Fox News was obsessed with Hunter Biden, with 2,200 reports on him over a three-year period. The gang at NewsBusters found CNN reported on Donald Trump Jr. hundreds of times more in that same period, while not being charged with multiple federal crimes.
https://townhall.com/columnists/bradslager/2024/01/11/the-townhall-50-tabulating-the-worst-in-journalism-in-2023-30-11-n2633520
