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Brian Stelter defends 2020 media coverage of Hunter Biden laptop story: We never labeled it 'disinformation' (crimes still not mentioned)
Fox News ^ | 2/24/23 | Joseph A. Wulfsohn

Posted on 02/25/2023 3:40:44 AM PST by Libloather

Former CNN host Brian Stelter defended the media's coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story that was suppressed in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

**SNIP**

Krakauer surmised that the media was largely hesitant to put a spotlight on the laptop because of the "scars" from 2016 when so much coverage was dedicated to Hillary Clinton's email scandal, which played a major role in her ultimate defeat against Donald Trump.

"It's one thing to try to tiptoe into the story and it's another to treat it as if it's this toxic material that completely spins the public in a really wrong direction," Krakauer said.

Stelter conceded that if Twitter "screwed up" in censoring the laptop story, "we should go after Twitter." But he offered a full-throated defense on how CNN and other media organizations handled the Biden scandal at the time.

"I think newsrooms just looked around and said, 'We don't have the laptop. We don't have evidence. We don't have evidence it's real. And we know that there are reasons to wonder if it's disinformation,'" Stelter said.

"A lot of the lies that happen now about what happened in 2020 go like this - they say, 'All these a--h---s, they all called it a disinformation!' That's not true," Stelter continued. "A lot of us just wondered, we said out loud, ‘could this be?’ We said things like ‘some former US officials think it might be,' it was always cushioned - it was not always, it was often cushioned that way. And now in retrospect, two years later, three years later, people like partisans like to pretend that it was labeled disinformation, which it wasn't. There was concern. There was reason to be concerned not because of the Hillary emails, but because of the Russian attempt in 2016."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Conspiracy; History
KEYWORDS: brianstelter; clintonnonnews; cnn; disinformation; hunter; hunterbiden; laptop; stelter

1 posted on 02/25/2023 3:40:44 AM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

“Former CNN host”


2 posted on 02/25/2023 3:46:17 AM PST by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Libloather
"I think newsrooms just looked around and said, 'We don't have the laptop. We don't have evidence. We don't have evidence it's real. And we know that there are reasons to wonder if it's disinformation,'" Stelter said.

Two words:

Spikey Isikoff

STFU, Tater.
3 posted on 02/25/2023 3:49:18 AM PST by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Libloather

Brian, Here’s a clue: nothing you can say will change what CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC & PBS did in 2020. You all LIED and continue to do so.


4 posted on 02/25/2023 3:58:12 AM PST by Shady (The #JihadJunta: "We are now a nationThat of Men, Not of Laws. You are not as equal as we are...")
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To: Shady

Fox plans a complete blackout of all things Trump!


5 posted on 02/25/2023 4:54:16 AM PST by Boardwalk
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To: Libloather
"I think newsrooms just looked around and said, 'We don't have the laptop. We don't have evidence. We don't have evidence it's real. And we know that there are reasons to wonder if it's disinformation,'" Stelter said.

Because that was the standard applied to President Trump also. < /extremely extreme sarcasm>

6 posted on 02/25/2023 4:56:11 AM PST by KarlInOhio (Gain of Pfunction. Gain of Pfunding. Gain of Pfizer. Now in control of Project Pferitas.)
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To: KarlInOhio

Lol yup FAKE News!


7 posted on 02/25/2023 4:58:19 AM PST by Boardwalk
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To: Shady

“It’s one thing to try to tiptoe into the story and it’s another to treat it as if it’s this toxic material that completely spins the public in a really wrong direction,” …….like you did with the Russian collusion hoax, Bri?

RLTW


8 posted on 02/25/2023 5:10:41 AM PST by military cop (I carry a .45....cause they don't make a .46....)
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To: Libloather

The laddie doth protest too much - methinks


9 posted on 02/25/2023 5:16:21 AM PST by trebb (So many fools - so little time...)
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To: Libloather

I loved Brian Stetler when he was with the Stray Cats.


10 posted on 02/25/2023 5:39:54 AM PST by Hyman Roth
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To: kiryandil

Just gross. Nast.

How any woman could look at that Mr. Potato Head Humpty Dumpty and think to herself, ‘Yep, I want to have sex with that slug and bear its children’ is just vomitus.

His smile reminds me of a serial killer for some reason. I hope everyone who had a hand in putting his face nationwide for everyone to see is stricken with a venereal disease that leaves their private parts sitting in the crotch of their tighty whities.


11 posted on 02/25/2023 5:46:25 AM PST by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: Boardwalk

“Fox plans a complete blackout of all things Trump!”

I have a question. Can’t Trump run for President as a Republican and not have to show up to any debates? I would think as long as he has the signatures to get on the ballot it shouldn’t matter.

Plus, every Republican knows Trump’s accomplishments so really the debate stage is for those who have interest in being picked by Trump as the VP on the ticket.


12 posted on 02/25/2023 5:48:07 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz (“Racist” is the new “Nazi”.)
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To: Libloather

“Hillary Clinton’s email scandal” that one was completely true too....I don’t get it?

I think he means the impact of a true story could have shifted the election, like ... duh!


13 posted on 02/25/2023 5:54:56 AM PST by dila813
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To: Libloather

people like partisans like to pretend that it was labeled disinformation, which it wasn’t.

/\

Does the number and phrase

51 IC members

mean anything to ya Brian ?

.


14 posted on 02/25/2023 6:34:30 AM PST by cuz1961 (USCGR Veteran )
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To: cuz1961

labeled disinformation, which it wasn’t.

/\

Back then it was “ Russian blah blah blah “ Brian.

” disinformation “ was the next spoke on

the wheel of false

Right next to the misinformation spoke and malinformation spoke.


15 posted on 02/25/2023 6:40:06 AM PST by cuz1961 (USCGR Veteran )
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To: cuz1961; Libloather; kiryandil; Shady; Boardwalk; KarlInOhio; military cop; trebb; ...
BACK DURING THE CAMPAIGN: Leading off the broadcast each day, they would say:

SUNDAY: "51 current and former members of the Intelligence Community say this laptop is Russian disinformation..."

MONDAY: "This week, the laptop that supposedly belonged to Hunter Biden, which was labeled as Russian disinformation by the Intelligence Community..."

TUESDAY: "Material found on the Hunter Biden laptop, which, as described by 51 current and former members of the Intelligence Community, has the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign..."

WEDNESDAY: "The Hunter Biden laptop, which has been characterized as a Russian disinformation activity..."

THURSDAY: "A member of the Intelligence Community said the Russian disinformation found on the Hunter Biden laptop..."

FRIDAY: "Today, the owner of a Delaware computer repair shop said the laptop, which is Russian disinformation according to 51 current and former members of the Intelligence Community..."

SATURDAY: There is no proof that this laptop, branded as Russian disinformation by 51 current and former members of the Intelligence Community, even belongs to Hunter Biden..."

REPEAT ALL VARIANTS OF THE ABOVE STATEMENTS EVERY FIVE MINUTES DURING EVERY BROADCAST, ON EVERY SHOW.


TODAY:

MEDIA: "WE never labeled it as 'disinformation', we were only reporting the news...It was '51 'current and former members of the "Intelligence Community" that made that assertion. We just reported it.

16 posted on 02/25/2023 7:16:10 AM PST by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: Cowgirl of Justice

Sam Brinton might find little Brian attractive.


17 posted on 02/25/2023 7:18:41 AM PST by alstewartfan ("She looks like she's 19 years old, sitting there like a lady with her legs crossed." Creepy Joe)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
Look, it's the front-runner for this week's "My Ass" award.

18 posted on 02/25/2023 9:33:20 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: rlmorel

Great research!


19 posted on 02/25/2023 10:15:44 AM PST by Shady (The #JihadJunta: "We are now a nationThat of Men, Not of Laws. You are not as equal as we are...")
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To: All

If the laptop had belonged to one of Trump’s sons, how do you think CNN would have reported on it?


20 posted on 02/25/2023 11:25:10 AM PST by vrwc1
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