The Battle Over Hit Pieces on Fetterman
Anonymous sourcing, mental health stigmas and political manipulation combine as legacy media go after the senator
As soon as it began, a listener alerted me: An avalanche of “hit pieces” about Sen. John Fetterman was on the way. Soon, big news organizations issued a slew of reports about the Democrat from Pennsylvania, focusing on allegations about his mental health from one named former staffer — and a bunch of anonymous people.
This triggered a debate not only among lawmakers, but among some journalists as well. Did the media learn a lesson from Biden, or is it helping far left activists try to take down Fetterman for stances they don’t like? In addition to being willing to reach across the aisle, Fetterman has been unwavering in his recognition of Israel’s obvious right to fight to destroy Hamas after the most evil terrorist attack of modern times.
I pieced through the story that kicked this off, and have tracked the fallout for you. In the new episode of They Stand Corrected, I explain that this is about much more than one man. It’s about anonymous sourcing; rules over vetting information; and coverage of mental health. It’s a tale of buried lines that are crucial for context and fairness; the media’s tendency to forget the whole point of doing a story; and the gullibility that makes big news agencies ripe for a political operative to manipulate.
Plus: What makes something a hit piece? How do hit pieces happen? You’ll hear a journalist explain how blatant some editors have been in assigning such pieces. But you’ll also hear me discuss why it’s usually much stealthier than that. Along the way, another Democratic lawmaker discusses his own struggle with depression, Fox has a field day, and I hear back from Walter Reed as I try to find out how a news agency got certain information.
More to come on this story. And paid subscribers, keep an eye out for hyperlinked transcripts to hit your inboxes. Also in this episode, a high school student weighs in on the media’s lack of credibility, and you weigh in on a musical question.
Want to tell big news agencies to stop the journalistic failures? See my latest piece for The Contrarian and this list of email addresses I am compiling at your request. Paid subscribers: