The 34

By Baxter

Here's a handy reminder that when Terry McAuliffe last won the governor's race in Virginia, he did it by only three points. But three points was more than enough.

It's good to remember this because the media have been drumming into viewers' and readers' brains lately that a 10-point win by Biden-Harris in the Commonwealth in 2020 should logically lead into a... well, what, exactly? They never say, but the implication is there. Lazy narratives are so easy, aren't they?

Then there was this little gem in The New York Times this morning: a dire article quoting a "Hillary-Biden" voter who was supporting Glenn Trumpkin tomorrow. The problem is, the voter was hardly a typical man on the street: He is a Republican donor and activist. Times reporter Jeremy Peters didn't bother to ID him as such.

Boy, are we tired of this.

When you read something like The Washington Post's series on the January 6 insurrection, it hits you all over again that aside from clear-thinking Americans who believe in democracy showing up at the ballot box, the only other defense we have against autocracy and fascism in this country is a free press. But that press also has to be responsible. It needs to report the news — not just live for clicks and retweets.

The latest case in point were the screaming headlines we've seen over the last few days that "thousands" of New York police were going to walk off their jobs and go on unpaid leave instead of complying with the city's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, which went into effect today.

How many actually did? Thirty-four.

Yes, many officers are in negotiations for exemptions. But we predict that in the end, most of them will roll up their sleeves and get the shot, like 85 percent of their colleagues have done.

No matter what media we're watching or reading — even if it's the storied Newspaper of Record digested over a leisurely cup of coffee — we need to treat everything with skepticism and measured judgment. And remember: Although reporters are under pressure to produce content like never before, there is still no excuse for laziness or overhype. Chasing clicks and likes is never worth it, because by the same time tomorrow, the story will change. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: An anti-vax demonstration, New York Daily News. Looks like a big crowd, doesn't it? Guess again.)