{"id":897672,"date":"2021-10-19T11:14:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T15:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=897672"},"modified":"2021-10-19T11:14:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T15:14:30","slug":"why-does-media-government-pr-machine-think-all-celebs-belong-to-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-does-media-government-pr-machine-think-all-celebs-belong-to-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Media\/Government PR Machine Think All Celebs Belong To Them?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-does-media-government-pr-machine-think-all-celebs-belong-to-them%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=897672&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The casual observer could be forgiven for assuming that, even as ten thousand illegal immigrants amassed under a Texas bridge and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs stood credibly accused of treason, one of the most significant news stories last month concerned something Nicki Minaj said on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>For revealing that she declined to attend the Met Gala because organizers had implemented a Covid vaccine mandate, the rapper and social media raconteur was the subject of late-night roasts, internet memes, and tabloid puns. And that was all to be expected \u2014 a professional hazard of being an internationally famous pop star. Less axiomatic was the focus ostensibly serious journalists and government officials turned her way.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, the most august publications in the U.S. were talking about Nicki. Pundit panels on cable news shows were talking about Nicki. Heads of state across the Western world were talking about Nicki.<\/p>\n<p>It was an awful lot of high-minded chatter for a woman whose red-carpet accessories have included a fried-chicken necklace and a pope impersonator.<\/p>\n<p>The Media Vs. Minaj<\/p>\n<p>Looking at their reactions in detail, it\u2019s hard to reconcile the alarmist tone with what Minaj actually said \u2014 both the<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NICKIMINAJ\/status\/1437532566945341441?s=20\"> silly<\/a> (that after getting the vax, her cousin\u2019s friend experienced \u201ccantaloupe cajones,\u201d to quote the New York Post\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/09\/17\/nicki-minaj-exposes-how-anti-vaxxers-arent-always-who-liberal-media-says\/\"> Kyle Smith<\/a>) and the<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NICKIMINAJ\/status\/1437526877808128000?s=20\"> sage<\/a> (that she would never inject a pharmaceutical just to gain access to a fancy party.)<\/p>\n<p>For this,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/22673528\/nicki-minaj-vaccine-tweets-cousins-friend-met-gala\"> Vox<\/a> devoted more than 1600 words to dissecting three of her tweets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Minaj\u2019s response] reflects a strain of distrust in public policy, health, and science experts because it presents a cautionary mindset regarding vaccines as a sort of reasonable \u2018middle ground\u2019 in the fight between science and anti-vax ideology,\u201d the outlet fretted. A few paragraphs down, it added, \u201cThe subtext [of Minaj\u2019s tweets] seems to be a reluctant acceptance that workers can\u2019t always [choose] to go unvaccinated, rather than Minaj enthusiastically supporting vaccination itself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, while admitting Minaj\u2019s comments were mostly reasonable and couldn\u2019t credibly be characterized as anti-vax, Vox still dinged her for failing to show enough enthusiasm over the vaccine. Huh.<\/p>\n<p>And it was hardly the only outlet hand-wringing over the supposed irresponsibility of a singer who once got in a shoe-throwing brawl at New York Fashion Week.<\/p>\n<p>The evening after Minaj\u2019s posts, MSNBC host Joy Reid devoted a sizeable portion of her show to expressing disappointment that Minaj used her \u201cplatform\u201d to \u201cencourage our community to not protect themselves and save<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The casual observer could be forgiven for assuming that, even as ten thousand illegal immigrants amassed under a Texas bridge and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs stood credibly accused of treason, one of the most significant news stories last month concerned something Nicki Minaj said on Twitter.For revealing that she declined to attend the Met Gala because organizers had implemented a Covid vaccine mandate, the rapper and social media raconteur was the subject of late-night roasts, internet memes, and tabloid puns. And that was all to be expected \u2014 a professional hazard of being an internationally famous pop star. Less axiomatic was the focus ostensibly serious journalists and government officials turned her way.Suddenly, the most august publications in the U.S. were talking about Nicki. Pundit panels on cable news shows were talking about Nicki. Heads of state across the Western world were talking about Nicki.It was an awful lot of high-minded chatter for a woman whose red-carpet accessories have included a fried-chicken necklace and a pope impersonator.The Media Vs. MinajLooking at their reactions in detail, it\u2019s hard to reconcile the alarmist tone with what Minaj actually said \u2014 both the silly (that after getting the vax, her cousin\u2019s friend experienced \u201ccantaloupe cajones,\u201d to quote the New York Post\u2019s Kyle Smith) and the sage (that she would never inject a pharmaceutical just to gain access to a fancy party.)For this, Vox devoted more than 1600 words to dissecting three of her tweets.\u201c[Minaj\u2019s response] reflects a strain of distrust in public policy, health, and science experts because it presents a cautionary mindset regarding vaccines as a sort of reasonable \u2018middle ground\u2019 in the fight between science and anti-vax ideology,\u201d the outlet fretted. A few paragraphs down, it added, \u201cThe subtext [of Minaj\u2019s tweets] seems to be a reluctant acceptance that workers can\u2019t always [choose] to go unvaccinated, rather than Minaj enthusiastically supporting vaccination itself.\u201dSo, while admitting Minaj\u2019s comments were mostly reasonable and couldn\u2019t credibly be characterized as anti-vax, Vox still dinged her for failing to show enough enthusiasm over the vaccine. Huh.And it was hardly the only outlet hand-wringing over the supposed irresponsibility of a singer who once got in a shoe-throwing brawl at New York Fashion Week.The evening after Minaj\u2019s posts, MSNBC host Joy Reid devoted a sizeable portion of her show to expressing disappointment that Minaj used her \u201cplatform\u201d to \u201cencourage our community to not protect themselves and save their lives.\u201dAgain, at no point did Minaj discourage anyone from getting the vaccine. She only opined that no one should make a personal medical decision based on bullying.For perhaps the first time in her life, the notoriously impulsive star also found herself being criticized for being overly cautious, with CNN\u2019s Brian Stelter calling her stated intention of doing more research, \u201cfour little words that are hurting America\u2019s pandemic response.\u201d\u201cThis \u2018go at it alone,\u2019 \u2018doing your own research.\u2019 It seems so innocent,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it can have serious consequences.\u201dGot that? Reading up a little before blindly obeying government edicts is now harmful.Another CNN contributor, Dr. Peggy Drexler, contrasted the truculent Minaj with a higher order of celeb, the sort who \u201cembrace responsibility.\u201d Her example of positive influence? That paragon of conscientiousness, Howard Stern \u2014 a man whose devotion to the common good runs so deep, earlier this month he argued, \u201cf*** your freedom,\u201d on behalf of vaccine mandates and urged hospitals to refuse treatment to the unvaccinated.The list of publications discussing Minaj\u2019s handful of off-hand comments \u2014 from The Washington Post saying it\u2019s \u201cextra critical\u201d celebrities \u201ctalk about the vaccines responsibly\u201d to The New York Times stressing the obligation of the famous to serve as vaccine ambassadors \u2014 seems endless.But the media\u2019s overreaction was nothing to that of various governments.Nicki-GateThe Health Minister of Minaj\u2019s birth country, Trinidad and Tobago, held a press conference to announce his department tried to track down the unfortunate cousin\u2019s friend, but failed. \u201cWe take all these claims seriously,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s on social media or mainstream media. Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim.\u201dExcept, who asked his office to waste that time? Not Minaj, who by that time had moved on to a new fight with the Biden administration. Was the general public outcry over this unnamed person\u2019s testicular affliction really so great it necessitated the expense of an investigation?Certainly, there was little reason for our erstwhile motherland to insert its nose into the business.Across the Atlantic, at a separate coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, England\u2019s chief medical officer barked that Minaj \u201cshould be ashamed\u201d for sharing the swollen scrotal region anecdote. Not to be outdone, the U.K. health secretary also sternly lectured that she and other celebrities, \u201cshould be very careful with their language and certainly shouldn\u2019t be spreading untruths.\u201d (Which assumes, perhaps wrongly, that Minaj knew the story of the engorged gonads to be a lie).All of which brings us home to the one government that might have made some positive, if minor use of Minaj\u2019s off-the-cuff posts but bungled it.In fact, the Biden team\u2019s first instinct was an appropriate and healthy one, grounded in the American ideals of free and open debate \u2014 inviting Minaj to publicly ask questions of senior members of Biden\u2019s healthcare team. One could easily imagine how she might have brought up issues that vaccine hesitant young music lovers have been puzzling over.The next day, however, Nicki Summit broke down, with a White House official telling the press it had only proposed a private phone call and Minaj insisting she\u2019d received an in-person offer.The media immediately jumped to the mean-spirited speculation that Biden\u2019s staff didn\u2019t consider the 10-time Grammy nominee significant enough for a face-to-face invite, despite the fact that she has more than enough Instagram followers alone (158 million) to wipe out the nation\u2019s vaccination deficit.Given that this is the same administration that produced a vaccine promotion video featuring a cross-dressing TikTok influencer flouncing around the White House in dragon-lady nails, it\u2019s a bit hard to believe concern for credibility would keep it from welcoming Nicki Minaj. More likely, there were second thoughts that the famously unpredictable artist wouldn\u2019t stick to a script and, unlike pop starlet Olivia Rodrigo, planned on being more than a P.R. prop.Miss IndependentThe real issue revealed in the Nicki Minaj drama is the degree to which the bureaucracy now expects every public figure to serve its aims. Consider the excessive, overwrought alarm bells the press set off because one singer declined to act as a docile cog in the propaganda machine. As Minaj herself said, it carries faint echoes of China where no one with any degree of fame or following can be allowed to express ideas or priorities out of line with the State\u2019s agenda.Minaj isn\u2019t the first in her rowdy, rebellious genre to experience this. Kanye, Ice Cube, and 50 Cent discovered before her that the same media and political party claiming they want to \u201cprioritize black voices\u201d will silence and mock them the moment they stray off message.If 43 percent of the black population is still wary of the vaccine, it isn\u2019t because of dangerous narratives coming from Minaj or any other rapper. After all, nearly every major celebrity has made a show of being proudly pro-vax, including black stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry, John Legend, Juvenile, Lupe Fiasco, Chris Rock, and Kerry Washington, to name just a few. It\u2019s because our institutions have proven themselves untrustworthy. It\u2019s because our leaders on the Left have squandered public trust in the pursuit of control.The same politicos assuring us that vaccines are effective demand we cover our faces even after we\u2019ve had the shot. They tell us inoculation will protect us, but then ask us to rage at our neighbors who, for whatever reason, are still biding their time. All of which smacks of an agenda that goes far beyond health.\u00a0Many, like Minaj, could be persuaded. But Democrats of today (with an assist from middle-road Republicans) don\u2019t want dialogue. They want dominance. They want a citizenry that is perpetually looking to Washington for permission to live our lives and pursue happiness.And Minaj, vulgar and outlandish as she can at times be, represents something that authority can\u2019t abide \u2014 a person willing to question it.\u00a0\u00a0The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}