© Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Brian Stelter at a Media Literacy Week panel in Manhattan, New York
CNN chief medial reporter Brian Stelter beclowned himself yet again during Sunday's no-so
Reliable Sources. Between raging at right-wing media and talk radio for questioning Joe Biden's mental lucidity, and claiming left-wing hacks like himself weren't dedicated to "tearing down" President Trump, Stelter was out to prove that he was willing to lie with impunity. And at one point, a guest floated the idea of weaponizing the Federal Communication Commission to target and presumably shut down right-wing talk radio.
Gaslighting his viewers from the get-go,
Stelter hoped they wouldn't remember how he was among the first in the liberal media to demand the press start questioning Trump's mental health, as he railed against right-wing media for now questioning Biden's.
Suggesting his opponents lived in "a totally alternative universe," he warned CNN's gullible, lefty viewers: "What you are about to hear them say is mind-boggling. Look,
whether you like Biden or not, this stuff is offensive and other-worldly."
After acting like it was some great mystery as to why right-wing figures were switching over to discussing the election instead of coronavirus (it's not like two conventions are coming up later this month and debates in September), Stelter argued that what we're seeing was
hyper "negative partisanship" coming from right-wing media:
You know what this is? This is negative partisanship in action. So, what's negative partisanship? Well, these researchers from Emory University define it as a pretty simple content. They say in this article for Politico magazine that, "over the past few decades American politics has become like a bitter sports rivalry, in which the parties hang together mainly out of sheer hatred of the other team, rather than a shared sense of purpose."
The researchers showed that partisans, meaning strong supporters of a specific party, have grown to dislike the opposing party, quote, "more than they like their own party."
So, when the President, for example, says that Biden is against God, that's negative partisanship. It is so hateful.
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