THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
FNC's Trey Yingst, CNN's Hadas Gold

Fox News’ correspondent Trey Yingst filed multiple reports from in and around Jerusalem, Israel on Monday, as Israel and Gaza exchanged rocket fire following days of escalating conflict in the region.

“This was a red line for Israel, firing on Jerusalem,” Yingst said. “Earlier this evening, seven rockets targeted the city and dozens of rockets have targeted communities along the Gaza border here where we are standing.”

“The past 30 minutes have been quiet, but the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force, are preparing for days of fighting along the Gazan border,” Yingst said during a live report from Sderot, Israel, near the border with Gaza.

CNN’s Hadas Gold was preparing to give a live report from Ashkelon, Israel, and moments before going live, sirens began to blare, alerting residents of the town near the Gaza Strip that there was an immediate threat of incoming rockets. Gold's crew was rolling and capture the rather stunning moment of the CNN reporter and others rushing to a nearby bomb shelter for safety.

Viewers then saw the clip above in which Gold was preparing for the shot when sirens could be heard. “We have sirens. Let’s go. Let’s go,” Gold said before collecting her off-camera things and encouraging her crew. “Let’s move. Let’s move. Let’s move,” and “Go, go, go, go!”

The scenes brought to air by each of these on the ground reporters puts into stark relief how reporters in real areas of conflict are literally putting their lives at risk to report on the ongoing and recently escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, the bombing and retaliation.

It is dangerous but vital journalism.

MEDIA LOSER:
New York Post

The New York Post was mocked on Twitter for calling Leonardo DiCaprio “unrecognizable” with a photo of DiCaprio looking like himself.

DiCaprio is starring in Martin Scorsese’s new Western film Killers of the Flower Moon.

The image shown depicts DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone sitting down at a table on set. DiCaprio looked like.. well, like DiCaprio. But the Post's tweet described him as "unrecognizable," prompting Twitter to erupt with hilarious reactions to the post.

But while social media was dragging the Post for the Bad Celebrity Tweet, the paper posted another that had to be deleted for a major reporting error on a serious topic.

The exchange of missile fire and fighting in Gaza quickly overtook social media news on Monday night. In a widely shared AP story, it was reported that the Palestinian health authority had listed 20 deaths in one strike, 9 of them children. But the New York Post reversed that in their headline and tweet saying that "airstrikes from Hamas militants kill 20 in Israel, including nine kids."

The tweet was deleted, but not before screenshots were shared on Twitter. The headline was changed on the Post's version of the AP story. It now reads "Hamas launches new attack on Israel after Jerusalem clashes." There is no note of correction on the article.

The missed headline and the Twitter mockery are just two in a recent string of low moments for the venerable publication. An entire story had to be deleted after falsely claiming a children's book by Kamala Harris was handed out to migrant children. Last month the paper was slammed over a headline linking a student's death to Covid vaccination.

The A-Block

‘You Are Entirely and Completely Incorrect’

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul engaged in an epic battle over the origins of the deadly Covid-19 contagion that has thus far led to the deaths of almost 600,000 Americans.

There are two competing theories of its origins: one is that it emanated from wet markets in Wuhan, China that sold civets, which had contracted SARS-CoV-2 from wild bats. The other theory is that the deadly pathogen came from a world-famous virology lab based in Wuhan, either accidentally, or via some more conspiratorial means.

Fauci and Paul have battled during many Senate hearings before, but this particular tete-a-tete rose to a new level of animus between the two.

Senator Paul opened by signaling skepticism towards the government officials who have promoted the wet market origins, saying that since “millions have died from this pandemic and that should cause us to explore all possibilities.” He then added that, in his esteem, “government authorities self-interested in continuing” in a research function “say there is nothing to see here.”

He then went on to posit the theory that the Wuhan Lab was more likely responsible for the creation of the coronavirus pathogen, and said “for years one doctor. in the U.S has been collaborating with a doctor from that virology institute,” suggesting that Dr. Fauci was aware of and played a role in the development of Covid-19, saying  “this research has been funded by the NIH. The collaboration between the U.S. and the hand — Wuhan Institute continues.” Senator Paul ended by asking “Do still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?

Dr. Fauci did not take Paul’s suggestion well, replying, “with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect...”

It was quite a moment.


In Other News...

CDC's Warning On Outdoor Transmission Risk Called Out as 'Misleading' By NY Times: 'A Huge Exaggeration'

Numerous GOP House Members Reportedly 'Pissed Off' at McCarthy Over Cheney Fiasco: 'Weak Leadership. Straight Up.'

Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Blasts ‘Loser’ Attackers In Rant with Tucker Carlson: If I Didn’t Know Me, I’d Think I’m ‘The Next Hitler’

'You Want to Talk About Ignorant A**holes?' Hannity Fires Back at Kimmel for Mocking Caitlyn Jenner Interview

CHRISTOPHER: DC Magazine Calls Psaki Fandom ‘Dangerous’ — Should We Fear the #PsakiBomb?

Must See Clip

Matt Damon

Matt Damon is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the controversy surrounding the Golden Globes, following NBC’s announcement that they will not air the awards show in 2022.

Damon sat down with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday’s Today Show, during which the hosts asked the star what he thought of the ongoing protests.

“If they go away, I don’t think anybody’s really going to lament that,” he said of the Golden Globes. “I don’t think the world needs to mourn the death of an awards show.”

Actually a fascinating interview.

Links We Like

How College Became a Ruthless Competition Divorced From Learning
- Daniel Markovits, The Atlantic
Anti-Racist Messaging Is Failing With Voters. So Why Can't Liberals Quit It?
- Zaid Jilani, Newsweek
Biden's Willful and Dangerous Game
- Erick Erickson, Substack
How Napoleon Became One of History’s Most Rapacious Art Looters
- Cynthia Saltzman, New York Times Books
The Secret Origins of Amazon's Alexa
- Brad Stone, Wired
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