Richard Miniter is CEO of Zenger.News
It’s time to take stock of the media.
On Monday, the White House called off bombastic revelations about a direct pipeline from DC insiders to Twitter social media censors.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the report “old news” and a “distraction”.
That’s easy to say when mainstream reporters don’t ask new questions. But there is much to investigate once they have done their job.
These are the same journalists who shrugged off the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020, admitted just a few months ago it was a mistake, and are now turning a blind eye to yet another scandal that is – none other than – Hunters relates to laptops.
It’s always Groundhog Day with these guys, except they never have the Bill Murray epiphany at the end of the movie.
Last week, Elon Musk opened up the secret Twitter archives where executives debated what to do with the New York Post story on the “laptop from hell.” Even more shocking, the emails show Twitter banning tweets and accounts at the behest of well-connected politicians working for the now incumbent President of the United States.
Fascinating, isn’t it?
On Monday, the White House called off bombastic revelations about a direct pipeline from DC insiders to Twitter social media censors.
Well, ABC, CBS, and NBC News each gave the story less than 15 seconds of airtime on their weekend prime-time shows.
Large US newspapers spared only a few centimeters of columns.
And instead of offering further investigation, these media outlets have had the gall to deny that this is news and to attack their fellow journalists for covering it in the first place.
Whatever that is, it’s not journalism.
Ever since Musk shared the damning documents with award-winning journalist Matt Taibbi, the reporter has been in the spotlight.
At least 27 journalists from major news outlets amassed, and some said Taibbi does “communications” for “the richest man in the world.”
There is no evidence Taibbi was paid by Musk. More importantly, journalists are constantly getting stories from the rich and the connected.
Is the media just mad that Taibbi beat them to the big story? Or does their reaction reveal something worse: that they didn’t want to make this public because it didn’t fit their agenda?
“Look what’s happening, frankly it’s not healthy, it’s not going to do anything for a single American to improve their life,” Jean-Pierre said Monday.
Not healthy for who?
For the corrupt political and big tech establishment that believes in the Democratic cause?
The New York Times admittedly cast a shadow over Taibbi’s Twitter account for disliking the people who read his work: “Once a major voice on the political left, Mr. Taibbi rose to fame by portraying himself as an untainted truth-teller.”
“But his commentary on former President Donald J. Trump differed from the views of many Democrats — for example, he was skeptical of claims of collusion between Russia and Mr. Trump’s campaign — and his fan base has shifted.”
Forgiveness? Wouldn’t skepticism about Russian agreements be a badge of honour? Eventually it turned out to be a hoax.
But the New York Times doesn’t care, they think Matt Taibbi is “polarized” and his witness is a suspect.
Reporters should look at facts and evidence, including from unpopular sources. And here we see the mainstream media playbook.
Discard the story. Shrink the journalist and move on. They ticked the box, they “checked” it. But reporters uncover and reveal. Deny and cover up PR flacks.
These are the same journalists who shrugged off the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020, admitted just a few months ago it was a mistake, and are now turning a blind eye to yet another scandal that is – none other than – Hunters relates to laptops.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the media has biased news.
When the New York Post reported Hunter Biden’s laptop story in October 2020, the media unanimously reported that the laptop was likely “Russian misinformation.”
This untruth was fueled by the suspicious opinions of dozens of former US intelligence officials. There was no evidence of that at the time. And there is no evidence of that now.
After the attack on the source ended, the lapdog media went on to say the story was not news. Government-funded NPR infamously said it didn’t think it was important. Other outlets said the same thing.
By March 2022, the same news outlets finally confirmed that the laptop is authentic. In October 2022, The Washington Post reported that Hunter could be charged with tax crimes, likely with evidence recovered from the laptop.
The entire media establishment, including those at Twitter, admit they screwed up.
And finally, after more than two years, Musk’s email dump reveals the inner workings of an epic failure – but again – the media establishment is undeterred.
Well, here’s something to examine.
The “Twitter files” show that Democratic Party officials had many of their former colleagues in top jobs at Twitter.
One of Twitter’s top attorneys is James Baker, who was the FBI’s top attorney when James Comey’s FBI investigated President Donald J. Trump’s alleged ties to Moscow.
Baker was also the key FBI contact for Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussman when he made false claims that the Trump White House was secretly communicating with the Kremlin.
Baker, who now safely has a six-figure job at Twitter, backed Twitter’s ban on the New York Post and its Hunter Biden laptop story, doing exactly what the DNC and the Biden campaign wanted.
One of Twitter’s top attorneys is James Baker (above), who was the FBI’s top attorney when James Comey’s FBI investigated President Donald J. Trump’s alleged ties to Moscow.
Baker’s role is certainly worth a closer look.
Why did the social media giant hire the political lawyer? How would he or his former peers personally benefit from a Biden win in 2020? Has this influenced his legal analysis for Twitter?
But the big media don’t ask these questions. Even now. They don’t want to know. They’re like lifeguards who enjoy the high chair but don’t want to get wet while swimming to save a life.
Musk focused on media accountability when he told podcaster Clayton Morris, “Well, I think these people should look in the mirror and ask themselves why they’re cheating. Why have they deceived the American public? And rather than trying to blame Matt Taibbi, they take some responsibility themselves for not being honest with the American public.
Twitter ensured its own corruption by hiring these DC life workers who were more loyal to their causes than their employer. That shows the story of Taibbi. And Musk is sanitizing Twitter by bringing all of this to light.
Let’s hope he reveals more.
After all, democracy dies in the dark.