Media top headlines January 19
In media news today, Jennifer Rubin says President Biden ‘needs a reset,’ ESPN avoids on-air coverage of Golden State Warriors owner’s Uyghur comments, and social media lights up CNN for hiring Rex Chapman for its streaming service.
CNN prides itself as a network that sticks to the facts and informs its audience nothing but the truth, but its newest hire may be undercutting that message.
Rex Chapman, a former NBA player and host of "Block or Charge" on Adult Swim, has become better known in recent years as a left-wing Twitter personality, particularly for sharing viral video critics have long said are taken without crediting the content creators in order to amplify his own brand.
CNN announced on Tuesday that Chapman will be joining its new streaming service set to launch later this year, highlighting his "humor and positivity" on social media. One of his new colleagues, CNN's go-to misinformation correspondent Donie O'Sullivan, dubbed Chapman "the king of Twitter."
But his Twitter activity goes far beyond "humor and positivity." And perhaps he should be given a different name: "the king of misinformation."
CNN was crushed on social media Tuesday after the liberal network announced it hired Twitter provocateur Rex Chapman for its streaming service. (Photo by Michael Reaves/BIG3/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
For several years, Chapman has peddled inaccurate and misleading claims, often times without any remorse, in order to push a narrative and fuel liberal outrage mobs with the help of his 1.1 million followers.
In honor of his new role, here are seven instances where Chapman pushed misinformation on social media.
Falsely claims Louisville Police were at the "wrong house" before Breonna Taylor shooting.
During the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, the police-involved shooting of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky from earlier in the year was revisited.
Taylor was killed in March 2020 as a result of a shootout between Louisville police and her boyfriend stemming from a search warrant in a drug-dealing investigation.
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Chapman took aim at Taylor's "killers" with a blatantly false claim.
"Guys, never forget that Breonna Taylor’s killers were at the wrong house. The wrong house," Chapman dramatically tweeted.
One Twitter user corrected Chapman telling him, "Rex I love you. But they had the right address and apartment. Her name was on the warrant." He then replied, "Unfollow please."
Regardless, the tweet received over 80,000 likes and over 17,000 retweets.
Alleging the GOP was responsible for locked mailboxes during the 2020 election
In the months leading up to the 2020 election, liberals pushed a narrative that the Trump administration, under the direction of postmaster general Louis DeJoy, was limiting the number of mailboxes in cities across the country to stifle mail-in voting, which was popular among Democrats during the COVID pandemic.
Chapman served his part in promoting the falsehood, sharing a photo of mailboxes in Burbank, Calif., with locks on them and calling on then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to take action.
"In your entire life have you ever seen a LOCKED mailbox at the USPS?" Chapman asked in August 2020. "A disgrace and immediate threat to American democracy. Shame on them. Shame on the GOP. Where are you @senatemajldr ?"
Chapman ultimately deleted the tweet, but not before it received over 20,000 retweets. He even mocked those who were calling out his dishonest suggestion as to why the locks were placed on mailboxes, which was actually a practice that began in 2016 due to rising theft and vandalism.
Taking Lindsey Graham grossly out of context about pro-life women
Following the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered a staunch defense for pro-life women.
"You know what I like about Judge Barrett? She's got everything," Graham said on the campaign trail in November 2020 just before the election. "She's not just wicked smart. She's incredibly good. She embraces her faith."
"I want every young woman to know there's a place for you in America if you're pro-life, if you embrace your religion, and you follow traditional family structure," Graham added, referring to women if they felt alienated based on their beliefs.
As Graham's remarks were being twisted by Twitter users, Chapman only amplified the narrative that he was saying only women who had certain beliefs would be accepted in Graham's America.
"Lindsey Graham tells young women that, ‘There’s a place for you in America — if you are pro-life — if you embrace your religion and you follow traditional family structure’. What a bad guy," Chapman wrote.
Even when journalists reacted to Chapman's tweet claiming he and others were "willfully misinterpreting" Graham's comments, he simply replied, "Nope."
Amplifies doctored video showing military band celebrating Trump's ouster
Just days before President Biden took office, a video shared by Twitter use Cathay Dawkins went viral that purportedly showing a "military band" performing the song "Hit the Road Jack," right outside the White House.
A fact-check from the Associated Press debunked the video, which lifted the audio from the Ohio State University Marching Band. A military spokesperson said the Army Band was rehearsing the "National Emblem."
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But that didn't stop Chapman from sharing it, helping the video reach nearly 4 million views on Twitter.
"Perfect. Trump's last day," Chapman tweeted.
Even when critics told Chapman he shared a doctored video, he tweeted, "No way."
That tweet was shared roughly 30,000 times and received a whopping 112,000 likes.
Falsely accusing Mitch McConnell of not promoting mask-wearing during the pandemic
In July 2021, McConnell offered a full-throated endorsement of the coronavirus vaccines, sharing a video of remarks he made to reporters and tweeting, "Get vaccinated! These shots need to get into arms as rapidly as possible, or else we're gonna be back in a situation this fall like what we went through last year."
That tweet didn't sit well with Chapman.
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"This dude didn’t wear a mask publicly for MONTHS AND MONTHS while the former guy was in office," Chapman wrote. "He went right along with whatever the former guy said and did with regard to COVID. He knew all of this s--t then. So why now?"
Without a hint of irony, Chapman called McConnell a "misinformation scourge."
Critics were quick to fact-check Chapman, sharing reports from May 2020 showing McConnell promoting mask-wearing.
"There’s no stigma attached to wearing a mask. There’s no stigma attached to staying six feet apart," McConnell said at the time.
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Even CNN's star fact-checker Daniel Dale had to debunk Chapman's tweet, saying "This is not true."
Despite being told McConnell was actually "very serious" about wearing a mask on Capitol Hill, Chapman reacted, "He shoulda been doing that in [K]entucky," which he also did according to a June 2020 report in Louisville's Courier-Journal.
Promoting falsehood cop "planted" evidence against Black driver
Days after making his false accusations against McConnell, Chapman reacted to a 14-second cell phone video showing an exchange between a police officer and a driver filming him during a traffic stop, showing the officer tossing something to the back seat. The tweet read "Cop caught in 4K planting evidence," to which Chapman shared with his followers and asked, "Tell me again how you reform this??"
Bodycam footage from the same officer showed that he only tossed a plastic bag that was emptied after it was pulled from another suspect who was riding in the car.
"It was in his pocket and I don’t want to hold onto it. It’s on their bodycam that they took it off of him," the officer is heard saying to the driver, a comment that was omitted in the viral video.
The driver was cited with a speeding ticket and no arrests were made. And while the viral video was ultimately taken down, Chapman's tweet remains, capturing over 12,000 retweets in the process.
COVID alarmism vs COVID hypocrisy
Chapman, like many prominent liberals, was quick to scold others who did not take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
In September 2021, a video went viral showing Virginia Tech Football fans going wild as Metallica's "Enter Sandman" blasted in the jam-packed stadium.
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The sight of young college students having fun outdoors triggered Chapman.
"Oh my god. The COVID-Bowl…" he reacted.
"Somebody had better me selling ivermectin in that building. There’s a fortune to be made," he also quipped.
It turns out, however, that Chapman didn't exactly always practice the safest of COVID protocols. Chapman had repeatedly shared pictures that summer of him and his daughters cheering on the Phoenix Suns without masks.
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LibWatchDog, who highlighted several examples from Chapman's history of peddling misinformation summarized the career move for the so-called "king of Twitter."
"I find it hard to believe anyone would pay a monthly fee to get insights from a run of the mill content thief (also a convicted IRL thief) but he is definitely a great fit for CNN," the Twitter user wrote.