Tag: mainstream media

Here Are The 10 Biggest Media Hoaxes Of 2025

It turns out that when you spend every day parroting the most asinine conspiracies and narratives imaginable, people lose faith in your ability to play it straight pretty quickly. That’s the situation that America’s propaganda media found themselves in this year, as their credibility amongst the public hit the lowest level in recorded history.

For anyone who’s paid attention to their coverage of the 2025 “news” cycle, it’s not hard to see why. From running cover for leftist violence to gaslighting Americans about their role in the cover-up over Joe Biden’s ailing health, the corporate media’s bid to hide the truth was nothing short of remarkable.

So, as a public service, The Federalist has compiled a list of the top 10 biggest hoaxes run by our reality-deprived media throughout the past year. In no particular order, here they are.

Elon the ‘Fascist’

It didn’t take long after President Trump was sworn back into office for the media to pick up right where they left off after his first term.

While celebrating alongside Trump supporters at a post-inauguration event, X owner Elon Musk delivered remarks to attendees, in which he thanked them for making Trump’s victory possible. With his hand over his heart, the tech mogul then pointed to the crowd and said, “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”

Media hacktivists quickly leapt into action to falsely characterize the hand gesture as a “fascist” or “Nazi” salute. This included outlets like PBS News, which wrote on X, “Billionaire Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute Monday while making a speech at the post-inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump at the Capital One Arena.”

Anti-Hegseth Campaign

From the day President Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth has been under a barrage of media smear campaigns and hoaxes. Throughout his Senate confirmation battle to become America’s next war secretary, the media ran endless stories featuring anonymous sources alleging wrongdoing at his prior places of employment and dishonest hit pieces about his personal life — all to keep him from being confirmed.

Even after failing to prevent Hegseth’s confirmation, the media have shifted their focus to ousting him from the position. Throughout the past year, these efforts have included pushing the Signalgate dud, manufacturing a “constitutional crisis” about a Pentagon-led prayer service, elevating the voices of unnamed disgruntled officers to trash Hegseth, and — most recently — fomenting a hoax surrounding the military’s strikes on drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.

Wait … Joe Biden Wasn’t OK After All?

Despite outlets like The Federalist reporting on it for years, America’s propaganda press didn’t just ignore Joe Biden’s clear cognitive decline — they actively participated in the cover-up. At every turn of his presidency, the media did everything possible to run interference for the doddering Delaware Democrat and preserve their party’s political power.

It was only after Biden disgracefully exited stage right that media hacks like Jake Tapper felt it was OK to acknowledge what those who aren’t regime simps have long known to be true about the now-former president. Earlier this year, the CNN talking head and Axios’ Alex Thompson embarked on a media tour to hawk their new book, which promises readers an inside look at the Democrat-led effort they participated in to hide Biden’s decline from the American public.

If that’s not gaslighting at its absolute worst, then I don’t what is.

A ‘Maryland Man’

Given their willingness to turn a blind eye to the border crisis under the Biden administration, it came as no surprise when the media ran to sow falsehoods about President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.

One of the most prominent examples of this came to a head with the deportation of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a credibly accused MS-13 gang member and wife-beater. Rather than inform their readers that Garcia is an illegal alien and detail his reported criminal record, the media orchestrated a full-blown disinformation campaign to deceive Americans into believing the Trump administration abducted an unsuspecting “Maryland man” off the streets.

One Associated Press headline read, “El Salvador President Bukele says he won’t be releasing a Maryland man back to the US.,” while an NBC News piece partially read, “El Salvador won’t return Maryland man to the U.S. …”

The disinformation op was but one of many that media hacks ran throughout the year to smear and vilify immigration enforcement operations throughout the country.

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Did Nancy Pelosi Just Threaten President Trump?

In a wide-ranging interview on ABC’s “This Week”, bumbling Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi declared that while President Donald Trump has regained the White House, he will ultimately “pay a price in history” for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Speaking with co-anchor Jonathan Karl just days before the new year, Pelosi rejected the notion that Trump has escaped consequences what she called an insurrection on January 6th, 2021, insisting that the judgment of posterity will be severe despite his current political resurgence. The former House Speaker expressed profound frustration with what she claimed was Trump’s ongoing efforts to “rewrite history”.

Pelosi dramatically recalled the danger of that day, describing the rioters’ intent to put “a bullet in my … head” and noting the gallows erected for then-Vice President Mike Pence, which she cited as evidence of the mob’s lethal intent. Pushing back against claims that she delayed security reinforcements, Pelosi claimed that congressional leaders “begged” Trump to deploy the National Guard, but “typical of him, he never represents the truth” about his refusal to act. Yet her own daughter filmed her on that take literally taking responsibility for failing to secure the capitol.

Beyond the events of January 6, Pelosi offered a delusional assessment of Trump’s character and governance, characterizing him as a “rogue” president who has undermined the Constitution and “scared people” legally residing in the country. She also criticized the current Republican-led Congress, arguing that GOP lawmakers have effectively “abolished” the House of Representatives by ceding their institutional power and acting as “toadies” to the President.

The interview highlighted the long-standing animosity between the two leaders, with Karl revisiting iconic moments of their feud, such as Pelosi ripping up Trump’s State of the Union address and her confrontational exit from a White House Cabinet meeting. Pelosi defended those past actions as spontaneous responses to Trump’s conduct. As she prepares to retire from Congress after nearly four decades of destructive service, Pelosi’s final warning focused on the fragility of American institutions, asserting that the country “cannot withstand an assault on the Capitol, the Congress, the Constitution” if such actions are allowed to stand normalized. Talk about projection.

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They Always Threaten Violence

I assume that liberals hear these statements differently than I do, but I also assume that it is because they are conditioned to believe that anybody they don’t like is a violent white supremacist bent on colonialist genocide. 

After all, in the moments after Charlie Kirk was shot, vast numbers of people blamed Kirk for being a divisive figure, and many were glad he died. 

But when I see politicians and commentators, or even reporters, speculating about escalating violence and defending rioting as peaceful First Amendment activity, I hear what I believe they are really saying: stop opposing us, or we will get you. 

What do “Stand Your Ground” laws have to do with YouTubers showing up at daycare centers? Stand your ground laws merely say you don’t have a duty to retreat when you are attacked, and no YouTuber or reporter is threatening anybody with anything except exposure. 

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SAY WHAT? Liberal Politico Reporter Suggests Somali Daycare Owners Could Justifiably Shoot People for Asking Questions

Josh Gerstein, a journalist who works at the liberal outlet Politico, tweeted something on Monday night that is raising a lot of eyebrows.

In response to the explosive report from independent journalist Nick Shirley about Somali fraud at daycare centers in Minnesota, Gerstein tweeted:

“At some point, the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws”

Who knew that liberal journos support ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws? Of course, Minnesota, being controlled by Democrats, has no such laws, but still.

Isn’t it amazing how journalists always rush to attack the person reporting the wrongdoing in a situation like this rather than calling out, you know, the wrongdoing itself?

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Jessica Tarlov of FOX News Ends the Year on a Dumb Note About Nick Shirley’s Report on Somali Fraud in Minnesota

Jessica Tarlov, the liberal panelist on The Five on FOX News, had a predictably dumb take on Nick Shirley and his explosive video report on fraud at Somali daycare centers in Minnesota.

You all know she would have a bad take on this, didn’t you? If so, Tarlov does not disappoint.

She suggests that there is ‘no way’ that Shirley actually uncovered all the fraud that he claims in his report.

Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

JESSICA TARLOV: It’s going to get incredibly complicated for [Gov. Tim Walz] and I’m sure that he and his team are talking about whether he could mount another, you know, I don’t want to say challenge because Donald Trump won’t be running again, but obviously he’s been considering 2028.

I think that that will be more difficult when something like this has gone on in your state while you are in office, even if you’re not personally involved in it. The program that he was talking about that you reference Kellyanne’s school lunches, which I’ve seen no fraud about that, that kids go to school and they get lunch and they should. Yes, school lunch is a good thing.

Sometimes breakfast too, even. Nick Shirley’s reporting there’s no way that this kid walking around uncovered $100 million worth of fraud on his own. There have been tons of people working behind the scenes quietly, including independent local journalists that have been exposing this.

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What corporate media refuses to say about how the world is run

Corporate media dogma perpetuates a false narrative that the West consists of democracies where the popular will is expressed, when in reality, there is a merged intelligence community and an Anglo-American Establishment that exerts significant control.

The Bank for International Settlements, the City of London and other subsidiary policy makers, such as the World Economic Forum, wield significant power and influence global policies, often circumventing sovereignty and democratic processes.

Additionally, the intelligence community, including the CIA, MI6 and Mossad, has been involved in various regime change activities and covert operations, and has formed a merged criminal entity that acts against the interests of their supposed sponsor countries.

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NY Times Editorial Board Member Has Possibly the Dumbest Take of All on Somali Fraud in Minnesota

Mara Gay of the New York Times is a special kind of stupid. Whenever she is brought on to cable news to comment on an issue, you know you’re in for a hot take.

In this case, she was on Morning Joe, offering her opinion on the Somali fraud scandal that is still unfolding in Minnesota.

She suggested that this was the result of the ‘weaponization’ of government, which doesn’t even make any sense.

Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

JONATHAN LEMIRE: And, Mara, this is a story that’s really gained a lot of traction among conservative media members, among MAGA folks online, including members of the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance was posting about it the other day. There’s a lot we don’t know here just yet, but it does give off at least a sense—and we’ll see where the facts take us—but at least we can safely say this: it seems like Republicans are eager to be talking about something else amid a lot of the bad news surrounding the president right now.

MARA GAY, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: Right. Well, sure. These were funds that were meant to help feed hungry people during the COVID pandemic, to help keep people in their homes who were at risk of homelessness. So, first of all, if there is fraud there, that should be fully investigated—no matter where it is, whether it’s in a Democratic-led state or a Republican-led state. Absolutely, it should be investigated.

The question is, why is this a priority in a different kind of way? The politicization of the DOJ and the FBI is undeniable. So whether they are reliable narrators is the big question. This is what happens when you weaponize and politicize federal agencies that are not meant to be politicized.

I think the American people are right to ask the question: can we trust you? And that’s a sad thing to say as an American.

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The Dumbest Year by Far (Until the Next One)

Merry Christmas and all that. We’ve just a few days left in what has been by far the dumbest year on record. Don’t worry—the next one will be even dumber, and 2028 is going to reach forbidding heights of stupidity for which none of us are adequately prepared. Enjoy this while it lasts.

Come, friends and haters. Join us on a journey through time and space. Take a moment to reflect on some of the dumbest (and not so dumb) moments of 2025, most of which you’ve probably forgotten by now.

JANUARY — Corpse Removed from White House

• Sleepy Joe Biden was finally evicted from his taxpayer-funded care facility. Kamala Harris was also forced to leave, but not before humiliating herself one last time by pledging allegiance to “the United States of the United States of America” and certifying her own defeat, to joyous applause from members of Congress. Jeff Bezos’s wife-to-be, Lauren Sánchez, flaunted her tits at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

• Former senator Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), a.k.a. “Bullion Bob,” was sentenced to 11 years in prison following his conviction on corruption charges. His daughter continues to host a show on MSNBC.

• As wildfires ravaged California, ABC News anchor David Muir leapt at the chance to show off his chiseled bod on national television. In one of the most egregious acts of journalistic narcissism, Muir used a clothespin to achieve a form-fitting silhouette on his network-branded safety jacket while reporting live from the smoldering wreckage.

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Recognizing Media Malfunctions With the Heckler Awards – Part 1: The Industry Technical Trophies

With the year coming to a close, it is time to haul the news from the media to the curb, but we first need to dig through the pile and sort the refuse. We need to separate the worst from getting into the recycling bins, because the last thing we need to see is some of this behavior circulating once again. So, in the futile effort of improving the journalism landscape, we need to highlight the lowlights of 2025.

Here at “Riffed From the Headlines,” it has been another year of compiling the worst and misbegotten in the media landscape. We began the year with the hope that improvements would be experienced. Our hopes were, not surprisingly, dashed. Thus, we are left with the task of delivering notice of the worst from the journalism industry, and for that, we have developed The Heckler Awards.

This will be a four-part series in which we will (dis)honor the events reported in the press this year, based on the evidence compiled in our daily column. We begin with technical awards, and that will then give way to specific honors in the various categories we use to organize the lapses in journalism ethics. Part One will honor industry-wide activity, while Part Two will recognize achievements by individuals and specific outlets, and then Parts Three and Four will entail the category “winners.”

Now, with that pageantry aside, let us delve into the recognition and begin handing out the recognition of the news industry foibles for 2025, in this, the first round of The Hecklers!

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“Two Mommies” and Drag Queen Episodes: How Sesame Street and PBS Have Gone Off the Rails

There was a time when PBS and Sesame Street were considered the most wholesome and educational content for children. However, over the years PBS has moved so far to the left that many conservative parents do not want their children watching anymore. Parents and lawmakers have called for defunding because they don’t want their tax dollars supporting left-wing political and social causes.

One of the original intents of Sesame Street was to present red, green, blue, and yellow monsters so that children could not relate to them on ethnic lines. Very quickly black and later Asian and Latino muppets were added, which was antithetical to the original “color blind” intent of the show. Eventually gay and trans characters were added.

The content consistently promotes identity politics over individual merit, diversity and inclusion as primary values rather than traditional American principles, and liberal social positions on sexuality, gender, and race. The activist framework teaches children to “speak up” and challenge traditional norms.

This directly conflicts with conservative values emphasizing traditional family structures, biological sex distinctions, parental rights and authority, a color-blind merit-based approach, religious freedom and conscience protection, and American founding principles.

Sesame Street posted Pride Month messages celebrating “LGBTQIA+ people,” with the “T” representing transgender. The show has featured same-sex parent families in episodes since 2017, including characters with “two daddies” or “two mommies.” Episode 5132 in 2021 introduced Dave and Frank, a married gay couple raising their daughter Mia.

The “ABC’s of Racial Literacy” initiative launched in 2021 introduced Black Muppets Wesley and Elijah Walker to teach children about “racial justice” and “systemic inequality.”

The problem with teaching young children these concepts is that the instruction presupposes differences in outcomes across ethnic groups are the result of injustice and inequality. Racial literacy is defined by Sesame Workshop as “the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to talk thoughtfully about race and racism,” along with strategies to “counter or cope with racism” and an understanding of “the role racism plays in society.” This definition assumes racism plays a role in society and leaves no room for debate.

Of course, if debate were allowed, it would involve five-year-olds who have no other basis of knowledge on the subject, which is precisely why many critics argue that liberal agendas in PBS and Sesame Street programming amount to indoctrination rather than education.

Episode 3140, which aired in 1993, featured a racist phone call intended to portray “institutional racism.” One of the show’s human characters, Gina, received an anonymous, disturbing racist call after some evil person was triggered by seeing her and her Black friend playing in the park. The episode led to discussions with Telly, Baby Bear, and Savion about prejudice, unfairness, and how to respond to hateful messages.

While this may have happened to someone, somewhere, at some point, outrage over a Black and a white person being friends is not a normal occurrence that most people experience. The episode represents another example of how liberals take an exception, turn it into the rule, and then use it to justify training, classes, and lessons on how to guard against something that is statistically rare.

In 2021, Sesame Street introduced Ji-Young as the first Asian American Muppet, explicitly as part of a “racial justice initiative” to combat anti-Asian hate, a concept that later became codified during the Biden administration. The premise itself is something of a misnomer, as very few people actually hate Asians. Under official definitions, however, targeting someone because of their race qualifies as a hate crime. Asians are often targeted by muggers and criminals because they are perceived as easy targets.

Other PBS children’s programming has followed similar patterns. Arthur’s episode “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” in 2019 featured gay marriage between a teacher and his partner Patrick. Work It Out Wombats! in 2023 featured lesbian couple Duffy and Leiko raising daughter Louisa. The Clifford the Big Red Dog reboot in 2019 included LGBTQ characters. Odd Squad featured a same-sex wedding episode. Postcards from Buster aired “Sugartime!” in 2005, showing children with lesbian mothers. PBS digital content included a “Let’s Learn” segment featuring drag queen Lil’ Miss Hot Mess reading “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”

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