We are unpacking a new feature where we assess the news landscape from the past seven days and ascertain if one news organization stood out by lowering itself on a consistent basis. As expected, the competition was fierce. Let’s scratch our heads and hold our noses as we do

     The Contenders:

NEWSWEEK – Jumping out of the gate was the news magazine with consistent fractured approaches to Donald Trump’s foray into the fast food business (He didn’t work a full shift!) as if they felt he was actually an employee (He didn’t wear a hairnet!). They had over a dozen pieces on this visit alone, and more regarding the E. Coli outbreak. One post was taken down after they suggested that the store where Trump was had been involved. One report worked to debunk an image put out on Truth Social showing Trump as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

CBS – “60 Minutes” finally came out with a comment about the editing scandal of the Kamala Harris interview. They managed to say Trump's comments on it were false while admitting he was correct. Norah O’Donnell decided to toss any pretense of objectivity, repeatedly covering the campaigns with glowing praise of Harris and critical commentary about Trump. Then she was raving from Kamala’s Houston rally.

CNN – While promoting any garbage story that qualified as an October Surprise hit on Trump, at the same time, they would shut down an attempt to bring up Doug Emhoff’s issues with women. The network pushed a false claim that new abortion laws have increased infant mortality. Bonus points: Jake Tapper being oddly focused on Arnold Palmer’s manhood and repeatedly bringing up the topic to Speaker Mike Johnson.

And this week’s Dis-Honoree:

The winner this week goes to THE ATLANTIC, not due to the volume of bad reporting but for the magnitude of the badness. Jeffrey Goldberg delivered a supposed hit piece on Donald Trump where, in gross fashion, he claimed that while president, Trump angrily reneged on a promise to cover the funeral costs for a fallen soldier. Goldberg says when Trump heard the total, he went into a rage and vulgarly used a racist comment as to why he would not pay the costs.

That this was in The Atlantic — and from Goldberg — was reason enough to be wary. Then factor in that he based this on two nameless sources, and you have his “suckers and losers” lie taking place once again. His slime job was so bad that he was refuted that same afternoon by Mark Meadows (named in the piece and in attendance that day), the soldier’s sister, the family lawyer, and others in the know. They all were on the record and corroborating that it did not happen.

Any editor worth a damn would send this back as a story that was too lightly sourced, but Goldberg is the Editor In Chief, making this all the more egregious. It was completely fraudulent, yet the press ran with this garbage story. Goldberg made numerous appearances to tout his lie, in one instance actually mentioning the family but then dismissing their concerns, as he sold this story as being too important. 

He also came out with a supposedly damning companion piece, and that was former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly coming out with critical words of his former boss, saying he was unfit for office and likely a fascist. Goldberg — and the press — treated this as BREAKING news, even though we have heard Kelly saying these very things over the years. 

That Kelly was stating Trump’s supposed affection for Nazi generals was spoken out loud would indicate he was possibly one of Goldberg’s sources (or THE source) for the funeral story. After all, it was one year ago when Kelly was out repeating the “suckers and losers” canard.

Then, just to put a finishing dose of frosting flair on this dessert of journalistic dysfunction, there was writer George Packer appearing on MSNBC and declaring that minority voters who were switching over to support Donald Trump do so because they are uneducated stooges. Packer’s racism is evident, but he is also not a deep thinker. These are, after all, people switching from the Democrats, where they previously voted as these allegedly stupid citizens.

CONGRATULATIONS to The Atlantic!