TOTO: 4 Reasons The Media Embarrassed Itself For Ocasio-Cortez

For one not-so-glorious day the Journolist corpse rose from the grave.

You remember the Journolist. The secret alliance of liberal reporters, progressive activists and mainstream scribes who shared like-minded messages across the media landscape to damage the GOP and help then-Sen. Barack Obama become president.

The Journolist is no more, but reporters joined together this week all the same for one specific purpose: support Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Earlier this week CRTV personality Allie Beth Stuckey “interviewed” Ocasio-Cortez and shared the Q&A on Facebook. The Democrat’s latest “star” didn’t actually sit down with Stuckey. Team CRTV simply edited some of the socialist’s comments during a disastrous PBS interview with footage of Stuckey asking questions.

It’s a longstanding comedy trope, one Stephen Colbert performed mere days ago on “The Late Show” against President Donald Trump, only with higher production values that made it appear that Colbert and Trump were in the same room.

You only need watch a few seconds of the Stuckey/Ocasio-Cortez “interview” to realize it was a joke.

Only this time MSM reporters howled in protest on social media and in their respective outlets. “Fake News,” they cried in near unison.

If one or two reporters attempted this attack line it might just look sad. Instead, we heard very similar outcries from The Washington Post, The Verge, The Independent, The Observer and more.

TheWrap.com, a reliably liberal entertainment site, framed it precisley that way, too.

It was worse on Twitter, where many “respectable” journalists whined about the “deception.”

Heather Timmons from QZ.com:

Shane Goldmacher, The New York Times:

Alexi McCammond, Axios:

It all begs the question . . why? Why would journalists embarrass themselves in this fashion?

1. She Encouraged It

Ocasio-Cortez herself whined about the “deception” on Twitter, painting herself as the victim in the process. “Republicans are so scared of me that they’re faking videos and presenting them as real on Facebook because they can’t deal with reality anymore,” she wrote, sharing one reporter’s outrage over the tactics. Other reporters, eager to support her socialist bona fides, rallied behind their new ideological friend.

2. You Can’t Out-Colbert Us

Liberals love weaponizing humor against the Right. They do it across media 24/7, including sites like Funny or Die. Late night TV is their biggest cannon, one that fires against the GOP on a nightly basis. The attacks don’t always work, but they’re loathe to give them up or let conservatives join the fun. So when they saw a video not only mocking Ocasio-Cortez but referencing her calamitous PBS “Firing Line” Q&A they had to act . . . fast.

3. We Want Our Fake News Back

Liberals and the media created the Fake News meme, in part, to explain Trump’s shocking presidential victory. The only way Hillary Clinton could have lost, they argued, is due to voters falling for fraudulent news stories. Only Trump turned the phrase against the media, calling damaging news stories “fake news.” And, sadly, reporters fell into his trap via their sloppy, biased reporting. Those same reporters think they can reclaim the issue on their terms, thus the all-out attack on Stuckey’s satirical video.

4. Our New Star Must Be Protected

Ocasio-Cortez is new to national politics. It’s only natural to stumble on such a large stage, at least initially. Even by those modest standards she’s been a disaster so far. It began when she admitted she knew little about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Later, she promised to turn her District “red,” not realizing that’s the GOP color when discussing election day victories. The media didn’t hammer her for those gaffes. Late night comics ignored them, too, knowing it could quickly paint her as a fraud. Part of that defense plan is attacking Stuckey’s video. And, if it means looking foolish in order to create an alternate narrative some will believe, so be it.

Christian Toto is the editor of the conservative entertainment site HollywoodInToto.com