Megan Basham

So in essence, you could say they aided Hamas's PR campaign. This kind of credulity when it comes to war coverage led to a really embarrassing incident for CNN just recently here at the close of the year. On December 11th, the network ran a story from foreign correspondent Clarissa Ward in which she encountered a man in an empty Syrian prison.

So in essence, you could say they aided Hamas's PR campaign. This kind of credulity when it comes to war coverage led to a really embarrassing incident for CNN just recently here at the close of the year. On December 11th, the network ran a story from foreign correspondent Clarissa Ward in which she encountered a man in an empty Syrian prison.

He told her he'd been detained by the Assad regime for months.

He told her he'd been detained by the Assad regime for months.

Well, when CNN posted the video to social media, users immediately pointed out how inauthentic the man's appearance and behavior seemed, rather like something out of a low-budget movie. And sure enough, within days, a Syrian fact-checking site revealed that the man was really a former intelligence officer for the Assad government.

Well, when CNN posted the video to social media, users immediately pointed out how inauthentic the man's appearance and behavior seemed, rather like something out of a low-budget movie. And sure enough, within days, a Syrian fact-checking site revealed that the man was really a former intelligence officer for the Assad government.

And plenty of people rightly questioned why CNN didn't take more time verifying that man's identity before they rushed the story to air.

And plenty of people rightly questioned why CNN didn't take more time verifying that man's identity before they rushed the story to air.

You know, not so much from the journalistic class, though I will say Chris Saliza, formerly of CNN, did put out something of a mea culpa a few days ago. So in 2021, he said that Republicans trying to make Biden's mental capacity an issue were engaging in, quote, lowest common denominator politics. But just this December 19th, he said this.

You know, not so much from the journalistic class, though I will say Chris Saliza, formerly of CNN, did put out something of a mea culpa a few days ago. So in 2021, he said that Republicans trying to make Biden's mental capacity an issue were engaging in, quote, lowest common denominator politics. But just this December 19th, he said this.

And a couple of media owners have somewhat backtracked. Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, has promised that his paper is going to strive for more balanced coverage going forward. And so has the owner of the Los Angeles Times. But when it comes to those actually telling the stories, I will say that their mea culpas have mostly been forced.

And a couple of media owners have somewhat backtracked. Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, has promised that his paper is going to strive for more balanced coverage going forward. And so has the owner of the Los Angeles Times. But when it comes to those actually telling the stories, I will say that their mea culpas have mostly been forced.

Sonny Hostin, co-host on ABC's The View, for instance, had to read a legal disclaimer only a few weeks ago after some comments she made about Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. But I will leave you with one more media fail, Georgia. It's not the biggest of the year, but it is certainly the most expensive.

Sonny Hostin, co-host on ABC's The View, for instance, had to read a legal disclaimer only a few weeks ago after some comments she made about Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. But I will leave you with one more media fail, Georgia. It's not the biggest of the year, but it is certainly the most expensive.

So back in March, during an interview with South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos made this claim about Donald Trump multiple times.

So back in March, during an interview with South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos made this claim about Donald Trump multiple times.

Except that wasn't true. And reportedly, Stephanopoulos' producer warned him repeatedly, including in writing, not to make that claim on the air. Stephanopoulos did it anyway. Trump sued. And just a few days ago, ABC agreed to pay $16 million to settle. ABC and Stephanopoulos also issued a joint statement saying that they regret the anchor statements regarding President Donald J. Trump.

Except that wasn't true. And reportedly, Stephanopoulos' producer warned him repeatedly, including in writing, not to make that claim on the air. Stephanopoulos did it anyway. Trump sued. And just a few days ago, ABC agreed to pay $16 million to settle. ABC and Stephanopoulos also issued a joint statement saying that they regret the anchor statements regarding President Donald J. Trump.

So I think on one side of this, you have the traditional conservative and MAGA base who do tend to draw a pretty hard line on all things related to immigration. They take a very skeptical view of that H-1B program because they say that while its ostensible purpose is to allow U.S. companies to bring in highly skilled immigrants for jobs that would otherwise go unfilled,

So I think on one side of this, you have the traditional conservative and MAGA base who do tend to draw a pretty hard line on all things related to immigration. They take a very skeptical view of that H-1B program because they say that while its ostensible purpose is to allow U.S. companies to bring in highly skilled immigrants for jobs that would otherwise go unfilled,