Before President Joe Biden was sworn in to the Oval Office, the American people received a glimpse of what hard-hitting journalism would look like for the next four years. From staying mum on the Hunter Biden story to having “chills” over watching Biden's plane land at Joint Base Andrews, the pro-Biden “why are you so wonderful” reportage has been embarrassing. But the Fourth Estate suspending its pearl-clutching journalism and hanging a “gone fishin’” sign on the front door was as expected as a newsroom wishing everything was worse than Watergate – at least for Republicans. With its reputation in tatters and the public increasingly distrustful of the media, how much longer can journalists keep grinning behind their face masks to appease the Biden administration and advance progressivism?
The Scoop of a Lifetime
The mainstream press and the American people were given a scoop of a lifetime when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed that Biden’s favorite ice cream is chocolate chip. There has been no confirmation yet if the White House maintains a large freezer full of cold treats. But what is the deal with the Swamp and the frozen dessert? Four years ago, CNN made a big deal about then-President Donald Trump receiving an additional scoop of ice cream over his dinner companions. Perhaps Q has a conspiratorial answer involving a storm and a Kraken.
During the first day of the new administration’s White House press briefing, a reporter asked Psaki if Biden intends to alter Air Force One's color scheme. Psaki was ebullient over the question, but she could not respond, promising to offer an answer to the pesky journalist’s inquiry at a later time.
Who doesn’t enjoy a good chyron? CNN certainly has a fun time with this text banner at the bottom of the screen, using it as a gaslighting tactic, a fake news instrument, or a bias revelation. On a recent episode of Reliable Sources, the program streamed this chyron when discussing the first set of press briefings from the new administration: “PSAKI PROMISES TO SHARE ‘ACCURATE INFO’ (HOW REFRESHING).”
One of the funniest developments in the early days of the Biden era has been the president’s violation of his federal mask mandate. As part of his executive action, everyone must wear a face mask when they set foot on federal property, like the Lincoln Memorial or the White House. Since enacting the measure, Biden has routinely violated the order, going as far as coughing into his hands while talking. When Psaki was asked about this by a Fox News reporter, she said that Biden has “bigger issues to worry about.” Remember when former President Donald Trump stood 100 feet away from people outside at the White House without a mask, and the cable news channels had the footage on replay for an entire week?
The fact-checkers are working overtime to come to Biden’s defense, it seems. For example, TC Energy stated that 11,000 jobs would be lost due to Biden revoking a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Politifact labeled this as “half true” because these positions would be temporary. How can this be partly accurate when the company says thousands of jobs will be tossed in the trash receptacle?
Liberty Nation's Jeff Charles recently penned:
"Members of the activist media have already indicated that they intend to take a softer approach to reporting on the White House now that they have a friendly face in office. Their gushing over Biden during the inauguration is only a sneak peek of what the American people have coming."
So far, Charles' suspicion has been verified.
Charade? C’mon, Man!
Edelman's annual survey, shared exclusively with Axios, discovered that fewer than half of Americans trust conventional media for the first time since the study was launched. Here were the two most significant findings:
56% of Americans agree that "journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations."
58% of respondents believe that "most news organizations are more concerned with supporting an ideology or political position than with informing the public.”
Is it possible that the Fourth Estate can repair its foundation of confidence and trust during the Biden years?
Thomas Gift, the director of the UCL Centre on US Politics, wrote an op-ed for The Hill, offering a list of suggestions on how the press can remove the fake news lapel from its coat of deceit. Gift suggested no longer treat Trump as the reference point, refrain from making the goal not to get Trump elected, judge Biden by his own standards, and remember there is no such thing as "normal."
While media watchdogs’ solutions may differ, the industry must acknowledge that it possesses a broad array of problems, whether it is a misinformation issue or the absence of impartiality. As long as the big-box media outlets serve as transcriptionists for the government and rewrite content like press releases for the State Department, the establishment press will always be viewed as a wing of the Democratic Party. Until some introspection is performed, cable news viewers will see a smiling, uncombative press corps, ensuring the curtains are closed from the spotlight of truth, and the darkness of the Swamp is sustained.
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Read more from Andrew Moran.
