Last week we told you about CNN’s Jim Acosta smearing Kayleigh McEnany with an out-of-context quote from her press conference on Thursday while CNN’s Jake Tapper pushed back, noting the full context.
Well yesterday morning Chuck Todd aired the same out-of-context clip during Meet The Press. I’ve got it cued up for you to where Todd begins with a clip of Trump and then to McEnany:
Jonathan Turley blasted Todd for airing this, especially when it was days after the press conference and there was no excuse:
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley blasted NBC News’ Chuck Todd for airing an out-of-context clip of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, saying his decision was even more egregious than a similar move by CNN’s Jim Acosta.
“If an ill-considered tweet is a venial sin for Acosta at CNN, this is a mortal sin for Todd at NBC. This was no careless tweet, but an airing made long after the false account was flagged during the CNN controversy,” Turley wrote.
Turley also called Todd out on Twitter after it happened:
Chuck Todd just played (twice) the misleading quote of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying "The science should not stand in the way of this." Todd is continuing to use this false narrative on Meet the Press despite the correction at CNN. https://t.co/423hv28VAZ
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 19, 2020
…Todd is fully aware that the McEnany said the exact opposite of what his edited clip suggests.The quote was McEnany referring to a scientific study and, right after the line quoted, she said “The science is very clear on this” and later added “The science is on our side here.”
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 19, 2020
…Todd played this clip and then immediately interviewed Dr. Francis Collins on whether the public can trust the "watered down" and manipulated facts offered by the White House.That would be far more compelling as a criticism if you did not just play a knowingly misleading clip.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 19, 2020
This clip is days old so NBC was fully aware that it created a false image of McEnany's statement. Yet, it was decided not to let the actual facts stand in the way of a false narrative. Todd took a statement on a scientific study and made it sound like a dismissal of all science.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 19, 2020
Turley ends by noting that Todd is no longer informing the public, but ‘indoctrinating the public’:
…Many disagree with the White House, but they still want to receive an accurate account of what is being said and done in Washington. Instead, they are given news tailored to fit a narrative. There comes a point where you are no longer informing but indoctrinating the public.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 19, 2020
I can’t argue with that at all. I know Turley is still a Democrat, but I do like how his eyes have been opened in the era of Trump to the blatant media bias and fake news the right has been talking about for years.