Our weekly feature examines the news from the past seven days to determine which news outlet consistently fails to uphold journalistic standards. Through our strict measurement process, we highlight news organizations that have strayed the furthest from these standards.
As we dive into the holiday season, the news is filled with gloomy stories and mishaps. This week saw a close competition between two networks that made significant mistakes. With a lot happening in the media, there is no shortage of criticism to go around, so let’s find out which outlet fared the worst.
THE CONTENDERS
NEW YORK TIMES – The New York Times reluctantly acknowledged that Biden is not in good shape. Bret Stephens decided to drop his Never-Trumper stance after nine years. Reporter Annie Karni made an unusual claim that individuals posting on Bluesky are trying to communicate a message. In a podcast featuring columnists, they suggested that one can understand conservatism by watching “Yellowstone.”
MSNBC – Joe Scarborough tries saying Trump has no mandate because he only won Wisconsin by one percent. Jen Psaki was complaining that voters were threatening politicians with primaries if they did not vote properly, as if this was wrong. With ratings plunging we learned Stephanie Ruhle and Joy Reid are hit with salary cuts. Chris Hayes blamed Elon Musk and Republicans for the funding of cancer children being cut from the budget bill when the truth was Chuck Schumer had been sitting on the House bill since March.
ABC NEWS – The big story was that the network settled a $15 million defamation suit with Trump, angering many in the press. Then we learned why they buckled – George Stephanopoulos was told repeatedly before airtime not to call Trump a “rapist,” but he went ahead with the charge anyway. In response, George Stephanopoulos quit Xitter in a huff.
WINNER
CNN –
This week CNN edged out ABC on sheer volume. The big story of late last week was correspondent Clarissa Ward helping to spring a prisoner from a Syrian jail. The big story this week was that she actually ended up freeing an oppressive lieutenant from Assad’s deposed regime. The network had to admit that this story blew up in their faces.
Elsewhere we had Jim Acosta getting sour that ABC News settled its defamation suit with Trump, ignorant that there was sound reasoning for the decision. Daniel Dale woke up from a four-year hibernation to deliver fact-checking once again. (On Trump, not Biden, natch.)
Brian Stelter tried to paint Fox as extreme for touting the now-exposed FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, the small problem being that CNN had also reported on Smirnov being a valid witness. Dick Durbin showed that CNN bringing up salary arguments is a bad idea in light of the disappearing ratings at the network.
