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Meals on Wheels' debacle shows how easy it is to manipulate the media

Meals on Wheels' debacle shows how easy it is to manipulate the media

Stu Burguiere explained how the news media really works Monday on "Pat & Stu." He dismissed the popular notion that journalists uncover most of their stories by following their instincts and doggedly pursuing leads to bring scandals to light.

"That is very rare," Stu claimed. "When that happens, they make movies about it."

Stu revealed that in reality, public relations representatives and other interested parties bring stories —along with background research and supporting data — to the attention of journalists, who decide whether or not to publish the story, possibly incorporating the writer's own spin on the topic.

Stu then applied this principle to the overblown outrage from left-leaning publications over President Donald Trump's alleged elimination of the Meals on Wheels program in his proposed budget. The budget eliminates Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), which are used by states to fund a number of programs, including in some cases Meals on Wheels. However, Meals on Wheels receives the vast majority of its funding from other sources, meaning the program is in no significant danger under Trump's proposed budget. This hasn't stopped multiple reporters from grilling Trump officials like Mike Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), about Trump's planned elimination of the meal distribution service.

"Somebody on the Democratic side went to these reporters and said, 'By the way, you know, that means they're cutting Meals on Wheels. That means they're cutting it. You should ask them about that,'" Stu said.

To see more from Pat and Stu, visit their channel on TheBlaze and watch "Pat & Stu" live weekdays noon–2 p.m. ET or anytime on demand at TheBlaze TV.

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