Topic: Media Research Center
In 2017, the Media Research Center was attacking hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj because she once "putted a golf ball into a rear-end shaped golf hole as 'a tribute to Scotland’s love of golf,'" going on to huff: "This is also the pop star that criticized Melania Trump, asking a concert audience, 'You niggas want brainless bitches to stroke your motherfucking ego?' She’s also anti-Catholic, performing on stage as someone who is possessed by demons, snarling at a priest, and ‘levitating’ while a choir sings a sexualized version of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Nothing says culture like mocking religion."
But times change, and the MRC is now willing to forgive all that because Minaj is suddenly useful to its right-wing agenda.
A Sept. 15 post by Curtis Houck admitted that Minaj's claims about COVID vaccines were "unfounded," but he was all to willing to take her side because she was involved in a Twitter feud with MSNBC's Joy Reid, whom Houck hates with an irrational passion. Houck referenced Minaj's "bizarre" claims in a post later that day but, again, was much more obsessed with trashing Reid.
On Sept. 16, Alexander Hall was able to induct Minaj into the right-wing victimhood club:
Rapper Nicki Minaj claimed to have been penalized by Twitter after she posted tweets expressing skepticism over COVID-19 vaccinations and apparent agreement with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The massive shakeup of modern politics continues as a rapper condemned political tribalism and censorship. Minaj made headlines when she expressed concern about the risks of taking a COVID-19 vaccination shot on Monday, cautioning her followers “pray on it” and to “make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.” On Wednesday, she posted an Instagram story claiming, “I’m in Twitter jail y’all. They didn’t like what I was saying.” Twitter has reportedly denied that the platform took action against her account.
Minaj faced backlash from Twitter users for expressing skepticism over COVID-19 vaccination and for sharing a clip from Carlson. Minaj shared a tweet with a bullseye, presumably as an endorsement, of Carlson praising her post for encouraging Americans to think for themselves. Carlson observed in the video how “our media and public health officials didn’t like this because they make their living bullying people.”
Note that Hall claimed only that Minaj was merely "expressing skepticism over COVID-19 vaccinations" when, actually, she made a specific claim about a cousin's friend suffereing swollen testicles after receiving the vaccine -- something which, again, has been discredited.
But the fact that Minaj was making a demonstrably false claim doesn't matter to Hall. He has found yet another person to fit the MRC's narrative, and that's all that matters.
