The question asked in the headline is rhetorical, of course. And something of a joke. Whatever fawning, bowing, curtsying, and boot-licking the media was accused of during the Light Bringer’s administration, you can multiply that by a factor of 10.
Indeed, it’s sad, disheartening, disgusting, nauseating, and shocking to see how the national media — the “gatekeepers,” the “protectors of democracy” — have fallen all over themselves trying to outdo one another in proving their slavish devotion to Joe Biden.
In fact, the press has pulled out all the stops to make Biden look good. It’s not a hard sell if you’ve laid the groundwork already.
“Biden’s big speech tonight is like no other,” crowed Politico.
“Exclusive data: Biden staffing makes history,” said Biden cheerleader at Axios.
And let’s not forget those “flash polls” to show how popular Biden is and what a great job he’s doing.
“CNN Poll: 7 in 10 who watched say Biden’s speech left them feeling optimistic.”
“CBS News poll: Most viewers approve of Biden’s speech”.
The catastrophic ratings drop for cable news and an equally sharp decline in online news consumption since Trump left office is the writing on the wall for the media: America has stopped paying attention.
At the President’s first and only presser, PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor suggested that the reason for the surge at the border is because migrants see Biden as a ‘moral, decent man’. She had 64 days to come up with that hard-hitting compliment. But Yamiche isn’t the only Democratic operative who is downplaying the immigration crisis.
This is a team effort after all! Politico actually sent out a memo to its staffers about the border specifically instructing them to ‘avoid referring to the present situation as a crisis, although we may quote others using that language while providing context’. It is stunning to think that these are the same truth-seekers and democracy defenders who just a few years ago were melting down on social media about kids in cages.
Why should citizens listen to people who aren’t interested in informing anyone, but in advancing a clear and obvious agenda? It’s painful to watch.
The post-speech “analysis” last night was fascinating. Where Trump’s speeches were fact-checked with immediate and gleeful thoroughness, Biden largely got a pass. After the Washington Post shut down its fact-checking operation because Biden is too honest, the rest of the media apparently can’t be bothered.
Now that the President has addressed the ‘worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War’ during his joint session of Congress, the press can expect a nice long break from Joe. Not that it makes any difference. When Peter Alexander or Kaitlan Collins get the rare opportunity to ask Biden a question, they never say anything useful. Even when Joe Biden repeatedly tells reporters he can’t take any more questions or he will ‘get in trouble’, our once cut-throat White House press corps can’t even drum up the courage to ask the obvious follow-up — in trouble with whom?
It’s something the right has to get used to. My solution is to tune most of it out — especially the news networks. As for the rest, there are still facts to be found in most news stories — as long as you ignore the bias and the cheerleading. But most people don’t have the time or desire to peruse 10 different news sites to find a glimmer of truth in what’s going on.
Our republic can’t function without an informed and engaged citizenry. That so many have turned away from news does not bode well for the future.
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