Coming out of the Labor Day break, the press seemed particularly jumpy and eager to report in the most hysterical fashion they could muster. It all began with the internet rumors that President Trump taking days off was a sign he was ill — or even possibly had died — and the media were agreeable to push that fantasy.
There was also a Chinese military parade that they saw a need to compliment after demonizing Trump for behaving just like those totalitarian leaders. This was all augmented by the ongoing parallel storylines of Trump wanting to fight crime in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago, because the concept of making cities safer is somehow unacceptable.
So it is time once more to hold our noses and get to tabulating media misbehavior by tugging on the hip waders, trudging through the muck and mire that is our media complex, all to determine who took top (bottom) honors this week.
THE CONTENDERS
Associated Press – Lisa Cook was defended from charges of mortgage fraud, not because she is innocent, but because her crimes should be shielded, because the Fed is independent. As China staged a military parade, there was only positive coverage, unlike when Trump honored the Army’s 250th anniversary. The news syndicate appears baffled by how Fox News does so well in the ratings.
Politico – Dan Brooks strains in saying Trump is in the role of the underdog in the Hollywood movie cliché of the “slobs versus the snobs”; not only has he reversed the roles, but this served as another example of how the press is coming to the aid of the flailing Democratic Party. In covering the desire of the Trump administration to address the nation’s falling birth rate, we are told he is failing in his role as “the fertilization president.” The outlet delivered this masterpiece of a headline.
Great work by @Politico, except they did not get a second corroborating source.#Newseum pic.twitter.com/KTkrUuCLph
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) September 3, 2025
MSNBC – Jen Psaki delivered the most tone-blind rant by criticizing the White House for not being forthright on Trump’s health, all because he took time off for Labor Day. A weekend panel was declaring that Trump's taking action in Chicago is a declaration of war, and it was due mostly to the fact that Obama comes from that city. Meanwhile, Scar-Joe announced that allowing D.C. residents to carry guns without being prosecuted was dangerous, but the local DA refusing to prosecute violent crime is not a problem.
CNN – Brianna Keilar played games with crime statistics to suggest there is no need to fight crime in Chicago. Kaitlan Collins shamed herself by delivering an intended gotcha question to JD Vance, only to be served corrective facts. Jake Tapper pushed the conspiracy theory that Trump's wanting to rein in crime in Chicago would lead to overturning the midterm elections. In a knee-jerk criticism of Trump’s call for trans people to be denied access to weapons, there was the contradiction of the network’s gun control messaging, as we were told people have a right to own guns.
THE WINNER
CBS NEWS
It was almost as if they tried to win this week.
After being caught editing the Kristi Noem interview, the network announced it would apply more transparent standards with future interviews.
Speaking of interviews, Norah O’Donnell was exposed as having very different approaches to speaking with members of the Supreme Court, depending on which justice she spoke with.
Scott MacFarlane tried to demonize the presence of troops in D.C., while at the same time noting few of them were carrying guns and they were not conducting arrests. He also covered the Jeanine Pirro news conference and completely avoided the details of the announced arrests of two of the alleged killers of the D.C. intern weeks ago.
The news that Bari Weiss was having her news portal bought out by Paramount Global, and she would earn editorial control of CBS News, had many in the network rebelling.
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