Inside the Beltway: Censoring the GOP convention is part of the media plan

NEWS AND OPINION:

The major broadcast and cable networks were mighty friendly to Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden and the splashy national convention which provided his debut in the political arena last week.

Here is the question that follows: Will media coverage of the Republican National Convention be as generous, or will the networks end up censoring President Trump and his campaign message, or compromising the coverage itself?

The liberal media is already rustling with possibilities.

“America is experiencing asymmetric lying — because President Trump’s campaign is much more dishonest, more frequently, than Joe Biden’s campaign. News outlets have to acknowledge this truth imbalance,” CNN media analyst Brian Stelter warns in a tweet.

“Should TV networks air the Republican National Convention in full?” he asked, suggesting that broadcasters consider cutting away if they believe the Republicans are offering “disinformation” to the voting public.

A network decision to stop covering the GOP gathering because of perceived disinformation could be a real moment of truth in the media business.

“This week is a test for those in the television news business: Are they still trying to deliver ’news,’ which means letting their audience actually witness important events for themselves (albeit with analysis and commentary from the networks)? Or are they in the ’we’ll-only-show-what-liberals-want-us-to-show’ business? Last week, CNN and MSNBC let their audiences see roughly 90% of the Democratic video show that stood in for this year’s national convention, without any meaningful interruptions,” writes Rich Noyes, research director for the Media Research Center.

“If those organizations are still in the news business, that’s exactly how much of the Republican Convention you’ll see on those networks, too,” he says.

The conservative press watchdog found ABC, CBS and NBC showed viewers very large percentages of the Democratic fare. Mr. Noyes now wonders whether they will treat the Republican National Convention equally.

“By Thursday night, we’ll see who’s left in the news business, and who’s abandoned it for the political advertising business,” Mr. Noyes says.

6,000 MILES

Let us pause and consider the “Question of the Day for Joe Biden,” posed daily by Donald J. Trump for President, the president’s official campaign entity. And here it is:

“Last week during your convention, President Trump traveled more than 6,600 miles to speak to voters in states across the nation, which is more miles than you have traveled in total since March 7. During the Republican National Convention this week, do you have any plans to leave your basement and actually meet voters?”

This inquiry was made on Monday just as the Republican National Convention got rolling.

AOC HAS A SAY

It’s not a campaign video, but it could be. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released an 18-minute, on-camera showcase of her beauty routine, published online Monday by Vogue magazine — which has yet to do a feature on first lady Melania Trump, a former fashion model with global credentials.

The video, meanwhile, has already racked up more than 1 million views on YouTube.

“The reason why I think it’s so important to share these things is that, first of all, femininity has power, and in politics there is so much criticism and nitpicking about how women and femme people present ourselves,” the New York Democrat explained.

“Femme” designates a distinctly feminine style that can be adopted by people of any sexual orientation, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary.

“Just being a woman is quite politicized in Washington. There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty and fashion, that that’s somehow frivolous. But I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make — and we make them every morning,” the lawmaker said.

She also revealed her color of choice for a “bold lip” is Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, a bright red.

“One of the things that I had realized is that when you’re always running around, sometimes the best way to really look put together is a bold lip. I will wear a red lip when I want confidence,” she notes.

“If I’m going to spend an hour in the morning doing my glamour, it’s not going to be because I’m afraid of what some Republican photo is going to look like. It’s because I feel like it,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said.

NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT

“The Republican National Convention will be a four-day celebration of President Trump — and a visceral four-day condemnation of Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his party,” says Fox News, in a handy and succinct description of the week’s big event.

And what does this say about Mr. Trump?

“It will be his greatest performance ever,” declares Lucianne Goldberg, founder of the news aggregation site Lucianne.com.

POLL DU JOUR

• 55% of U.S. adults plan to get a coronavirus vaccine shot when it becomes available; 54% of Republicans, 54% of independents and 66% of Democrats agree.

• 58% of Whites, 49% of Hispanics and 41% of Blacks, plus 59% of men and 51% of women also agree.

• 26% overall do not plan to get the vaccine shot; 37% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 15% of Democrats agree.

• 24% of Whites, 29% of Hispanics and 34% of Blacks, plus 23% of men and 29% of women also agree.

• 20% overall “don’t know” whether they will get the shot; 18% of Republicans, 20% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.

• 18% of Whites, 23% of Hispanics and 25% of Blacks, plus 18% of men and 21% of women also agree.

Source: A Fox News poll of 1,000 registered U.S. voters conducted Aug. 9-12 and released Thursday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com