Media top headlines May 6
Caitlyn Jenner telling Sean Hannity she would be 'tough' on riots and more round out today's top media headlines.
NBC News was ripped on Thursday for filing a "joke" report that gave President Biden kudos for reaching his "goal" on the reopening of schools but admitted that "many students" are still learning at home.
The NBC Politics piece cites new survey data showing that 54 percent of public schools below high school are now offering full-time classroom learning to any student who wants it. The report refers to that number as a "milestone," but it's filled with footnotes about Biden's supposed success.
"But even with that milestone achieved, most students continued to learn at least partly away from school," NBC wrote. "Almost 4 in 10 students continued to take all their classes remotely, the survey found, and another 2 in 10 were split between classroom and remote learning,"
The disparity, the outlet added, "alarmed education officials at all levels."
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Readers ripped the outlet for seemingly setting "low expectations" for the Biden administration.
Others pointed out that the NBC Twitter headline immediately contradicted itself, as some asked how the goal was "hit" if so many students are still learning remotely.
Twitter users likewise laughed at NBC touting the meager 8% increase of public schools below high school offering in-classroom learning since January.
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"F***ing ridiculous," tweeted another outraged user.
Recently uncovered communication between the CDC and the American Federation of Teachers revealed that the teachers union had a good amount of influence on the guidance for reopening schools. The emails, obtained by the New York Post via a Freedom of Information Act request issued by the conservative group, Americans for Public Trust, showed that the agency adopted at least two of AFT's requests nearly verbatim, one that allowed teachers to stick to remote teaching if they were considered to be in a "high risk" group, and another provision that made schools pay closer attention to the community transmission rates.
The White House defended those emails this week as routine, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki calling such communication "longstanding best practice."
But Biden, critics noted, "refuses to pressure" his political allies, even when it would likely be to children's benefit.
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House Republicans shared their concerns with the CDC in an urgent letter obtained exclusively by Fox News this week, arguing that the agency should not be taking direction from the powerful teachers union.
"The AFT’s priority is not focused on getting kids back to school, despite studies showing, with appropriate measures in place, in-person learning is safe," the lawmakers wrote. "However, as the Director of the CDC, your decisions should be guided by science, not political interest groups."
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