The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) published an article today titled, The temperature dial, and who controls it. A very good questions to answer if we ever want to turn the temperature down again. Yet, the classic question, 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?' seems to apply to our politics in the 21st century. CJR, without specifically saying so, seems to imply it is Donald Trump's fault (as is everything, right?), and it is the media's job to keep up with his misleading statements, correct his lies, and stop his authoritarian plans. Trump's supporters and media detractors indicate that Trump is only responding to what they all see happening in America right in front of them, led by false political narratives from the media. So, is it the chicken or the egg? The following excerpts from the CJR article seem to point to the chicken. On Sunday night, Ben Smith, the editor of Semafor, introduced his weekly media newsletter with the words “there isn’t always a media angle.” This struck me as a strange thing to write on a weekend when a shooter tried to assassinate Donald Trump and Trump’s allies lined up to blame it on the media and its coverage of his threats to democracy. Most every article in left-wing media starts with 'there isn’t always a media angle', yet includes statements like this, "the media's coverage of his threats to democracy". These are stated with authority as if unassailably true. And, then Trump, and his allies 'line up to blame it' on the media and its coverage of his supposed "threats to democracy". This is political narrative and how it works. And, it is political narrative that 'controls the temperature'. Not fact, but fiction, created by political operatives (including the media) and repeated ad nauseum (by the media & political operatives) giving the appearance of truth. It is not. It is political narrative. When you see things like this, you know you can ignore this news source. In the same article, the following were highlighted: • Trump remains himself a promoter of such violence, a subverter of American institutions, and the very opposite of everything decent and patriotic in American life,” David Frum wrote in The Atlantic. [Wow, how conciliatory.] • Rolling Stone was blunter, writing in a headline: “Trump Allies Try to Bully Dems, Media to Shut Up About His Fascist Plans.” • The otherwise-off-air Daily Show tweeted “INSPIRATIONAL: This Ohio man (Vance) overcame the debilitating burden of his own principles” • Vox ran down Vance’s authoritarian positions, including his claim that he would have moved to overturn the 2020 election if he had been vice president • the New Republic [called]“bastards,” in the wake of the shooting, for having compared Trump to Hitler • In the two hours after Trump announced Vance, the word “Hitler” came up at least four times on CNN. By my count, the word “assassination” only came up five times. • CNN interviewed Trump’s son Eric about the shooting. “If you have disagreements on political issues, that’s fine, but it should not be demonized,” he said, without facing the slightest pushback. • Ron Johnson, the Republican senator from Wisconsin, could be seen onstage behind him, giving a speech in which he described Democratic policies as a “clear and present danger to America.” Amna Nawaz, of PBS, asked Johnson whether this was really a message of unity. [notice Johnson said 'policies', not a person] • Holt asked Biden about recent reports that he encouraged allies to put Trump in a “bull’s-eye”; Biden said that he’d been referring to the idea of focusing on Trump’s agenda and that his use of the word was a mistake, but Holt pressed on, asking Biden whether he had “taken a step back and done a little soul searching on things that you may have said that could incite people who are not balanced?” “How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden replied, referring to Trump. “Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?” He went on to list examples of Trump’s violent rhetoric. “This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said. Holt’s line of questioning enraged various media observers, [Ok, then] • On MSNBC, where Joy Reid addressed concerns that the media would now “acquiesce to trying to convince people that the things they’ve been experiencing for the last five or six years didn’t happen” and allow Trump to “rewrite himself as both a hero and a victim.” The people Reid had been talking to, she said, “don’t accept the rewrite.” • This morning, her colleagues at Morning Joe returned to the airwaves and expressed disappointment and confusion at their bosses’ decision to preempt yesterday’s show. Morning Joe is “the place where you can go to have the hard conversations in a civil way,” Mika Brzezinski...[ yeah, right] Media is expected to challenge Republicans on unity, but not media operatives as they continue to repeat the hate-filled narratives. Apparently the temperature dial is where we expect to see it – in control of the media and their political narratives What came first, the chicken or the egg? Media Research Center says the media’s Big Lie that Joe Biden was mentally fit has been unraveling before our eyes, with the media and the leftist establishment, one and the same, having a vicious and public fight. It has never been more clear that the leftist media care about one thing - stopping Donald Trump. They do not care who has their finger on the nuclear button, who is really in charge, or what the truth is. What they care about is covering up their failure to honestly report on the president, and to stop Donald Trump. It appears to be 'the chicken'. More From CJR: