VA-02: Rep. Jen Kiggans (R) Spews Out Torrent of Lies, Disinformation
If you follow my social media feeds, or the feeds of people like Mark Jacob (“Ex-editor at Chicago Tribune & Sun-Times”), Jennifer Schulze (“journalist talking journalism”), Jay Rosen (“I teach journalism at NYU, critique the press, try to suggest reforms”), Margaret Sullivan (former media columnist for the WaPo, former public editor of the NY Times), James Fallows (former national correspondent for The Atlantic, former editor of US News & World Report), etc, etc., you have a pretty good idea where I’m coming from on the massive failure of the U.S. political media to report fairly, accurately and adequately to the rise of an objectively dangerious, anti-democratic, even fascistic movement in this country.
Instead, we mostly get a torrent of “sanewashing” (making the batsh*** crazy seem “sane” or “normal”), whitewashing, “both sides” false equivalence, relentless negativity towards any/all Democratic achievements, double standards (it’s almost ALWAYS ok if you’re a Republican, but almost NEVER ok if you’re a Democrat), etc, etc.
So yesterday, here in Virginia, we had a CLASSIC example of the political media’s failures, with the VA02 debate between Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans (R) and her Democratic challenger, Missy Cotter Smasal. See below for video of the debate, during which Kiggans spewed out a FIREHOSE of lies, misstatements, distortions, b.s. right-wing talking points and nonsense, while Smasal was reality-and-fact-based, whether you agreed with her positions or not. So how did the Virginia political media report on this debate, given that ACCURATE reporting would have noted clearly, in the headlines and “lede,” that Kiggans spewed out lies while Smasal DID NOT DO THAT? Take one guess. That’s right, here are the headlines from this morning’s papers:
https://bluevirginia.us/2024/10/in-va02-debate-rep-jen-kiggans-r-spews-out-torrent-of-lies-disinformation-lazy-irresponsible-pathetic-va-political-media-completely-fail-to-report-that