Thread by @tomselliott

Am increasingly of the belief the media's handling of the election results is deeply irresponsible. If the last four years should have taught them anything, it's that the smart move is waiting for facts before offering projections. /1

Almost as soon as Trump entered office, the media suggested his election was illegitimate, supposedly coming thanks to Russian help. /2

Three years of breathless, nonstop coverage later, we learned the entire premise was not only wrong, but the opposite: It was Hillary working with Russia in hopes of sacking her competitor. /3

In their eagerness for this anti-Trump narrative to take shape, the major media ensured every American knew of the so-called Trump Dossier's most salacious details, which they insisted were "corroborated.” /4

Rather than report, the media preferred gossiping; instead the actual reporting was left to the DoJ's inspector general, who in late 2019 had to inform the public the media had been lying all along.

There were smaller stories, too. /5

Leaping to judgment over a short video allegedly showing a pro-Trump student “smirking” at a Native American. Or pro-Trump hoodlums issuing a racist beat down to the anti-Trump actor Jussie Smollett. Or even more recently, pro-Trump drivers supposedly threatening a Biden bus. /6

From the biggest blockbusters to smaller narrative-setters, the media not just got it wrong, but often completely backwards.

One might have hoped that the least they would take from the experience is a sense of humility as they prepared for the biggest story of the year. /7

I mean, surely they’ll be super careful this time, right? Am not so sure!

The media would have us belief the race is over and Biden will be the next president. That may very well be true, but it’s not true that Election Day is a closed book. /8

Assuming Trump wins Alaska and North Carolina, he’s at 232 electoral votes.

In Pa., the state Supreme Court unilaterally attempted adjusting election law so that votes received after Election Day can still be counted. /9

SCOTUS told Pa. to separate these ballots while this question is resolved. Whether there’s enough such votes for Biden to return the state to Trump’s column is TBD. But a victory would put him at 252 electoral votes. /10

If Pa does switch back, Trump would need two states he’s currently losing by slim margins — Ariz., Ga., Nevada, Mich., Wisc.— to likewise flip. This isn’t as implausible a prospect as the media suggest. /11

The GOP says it’s identified thousands of fraudulent votes in Michigan and Nevada; recounts are already ordered for Ga., and the Trump camp wants them in Mich., and Wisconsin, where they cite voter irregularities that weighed heavily in Biden’s favor. /12

Obviously I have no idea how all of this play out, but then again neither does the national media. If history is any guide, their insistence Biden is the obvious winner should offer Trump reason for cautious optimism. /13

Worse, the media have created a popular perception of Biden as victor, leading to progressive “dance parties” in cities nationwide. So what happens if Trump gets a hot hand in the courts and things start shifting? /14

We know what will happen: the same activists that businesses owners felt compelled to protect their stores from will again take to the streets, insisting the election was “stolen.” /15

Even though Trump simply pursued the usual legal options any candidate in his position would pursue. In that case, the election wasn’t stolen; it was just horribly reported. /16

Again, I have no idea how this will all shake out and it’s perfectly possible Biden will enter office with the exact number of electoral votes the AP currently projects. /17

But the media isn’t doing the country any favors insisting the outstanding vote counting/legal challenges are inconsequential.

For four years we’ve watched the media step from one rake to another — repeatedly letting their bias get ahead of actual reporting. /18

At some point you can’t help but think, this feels awfully familiar. /fin