Extra! January/February 2021 Soundbites

Missed Story: Latino Voting Surge Boosted Biden

A common theme in post-election coverage was how well Donald Trump did with people of color, particularly Latinos. “How Democrats Missed Trump’s Appeal to Latino Voters” was one New York Times story (11/9/20); another (11/16/20) read, “Liberals Envisioned a Multiracial Coalition. Voters of Color Had Other Ideas.”

While exit polls showed slightly higher rates of Latino and Black voting for Trump in 2020 compared to 2016, these stories tended to gloss over the fact that people of color still voted overwhelmingly against Trump (Extra!, 12/20). What’s more, as Democracy Now!‘s Juan González (11/11/20) pointed out, the real story of 2020 “is that in an election which saw historic turnout, people of color—and especially Latinos—had an unprecedented increase in voting.” Since the Latino vote grew so much over the past four years—as much as 63%—even a slightly smaller majority for Democrats translated into a lot more votes: Roughly 6 million more Latinos voted for Clinton over Trump, whereas 10 million more picked Biden.

Questions About Corporate Ties Brought, but Not Necessarily Asked

New York Times reporters Kenneth Vogel and Eric Lipton, assigned to the money and politics beat, reported on November 28 that “Biden Aides’ Ties to Consulting and Investment Firms Pose Ethics Test.” The article focused on WestExec, a corporate consulting firm co-founded by Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken; numerous staffers of the firm are involved in the Biden transition, “bring[ing] with them questions about whether they might favor or give special access to the companies they had worked with in the private sector.”

But just because they bring those questions doesn’t mean they’ll be asked in the Times‘ day-to-day coverage of the transition (FAIR.org, 12/8/20). When Blinken’s nomination was announced, the Times story (11/22/20) not only mentioned “his extensive foreign policy credentials” but also that he “plays in a band” and “has a tight group of close friends from his days as a student at Harvard.” But there was no room to mention, apparently, that the prospective cabinet secretary launched a consulting firm with close ties to the military/industrial complex.

NYT Article Dissents From Message of Headline

“More Than Others, Trump Judges Show Penchant for Dissent” was the headline in the New York Times print edition (12/17/20) over a story that didn’t say that at all. Instead, the piece reported research by the Times that showed that compared to other presidents’ picks, Trump-appointed judges were least likely to dissent to opinions written by colleagues from the same party, and most likely to dissent to opinions from the opposite party. The online headline, “As Trump Leaves the White House, His Imprint on the Judiciary Deepens,” was at least not deceptive, but “Trump Judges Show Most Partisan Pattern of Dissents” would have told readers what the story was actually about.

CNBC on What to Do With Half to a Third of the Money You Need to Avoid Eviction

“Second Stimulus Checks May Be on the Way,” read a CNBC headline (12/17/20). “Here’s What Advisors Say You Should Do With the Money.” “Start by whittling down high-interest debt and bulking up your emergency and retirement savings,” was one bullet-pointed piece of advice offered by Lorie Konish. “The reported sum of $600 per individual might not sound like much, but can have lasting effects if used wisely, advisors say.” It’s true that it doesn’t sound like much—it sounds like less than 1% of the median household income. But if you’re one of the 20 million renters in the US who owe approximately $1,250–$1,700 apiece in back rent, according to the National Council of State Housing Agencies (9/25/20), good luck with bulking up your retirement savings.

It’s Different Because It’s Them

The BBC on December 8 ran the headline “Covid-19 Vaccine: First Person Receives Pfizer Jab in UK,” accompanying a story that quoted the “UK grandmother…who turns 91 next week” describing it as the “best early birthday present.” The same day, the British state broadcaster also ran a report from Russia: “Coronavirus: Sputnik V Vaccine Rushed Out to Wary Russians.”

How Reuters Meets ‘Disparate Needs of US Government’

The Thomson Reuters news company has a “government global business director,” whose job is “advancing Thomson Reuters‘ ability to meet the disparate needs of the US government.” Dawn Scalici, who has held this job since July 2015, “develops strategic relationships with government sector constituents and key decision-makers,” according to the company’s website, while “optimally leveraging its vast and unique data, products and services.” She prepared for this job by working for 33 years for the CIA, most recently as “national intelligence manager for the Western Hemisphere.”

As Ali Abunimah remarked on Twitter (12/17/20), “It’s perfectly normal and not at all compromising for a news agency like Reuters to employ a CIA agent to ensure that the company can ‘meet the disparate needs of the US government.'”

New Adventures in False Balance

“Biden and Trump Vie to Project Authority, Making for a Tense Transition”

—Washington Post headline (12/5/20) that equates being elected president with attempting to overturn an election

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This content originally appeared on FAIR and was authored by FAIR.

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