
In the wake of President Joe Biden’s recent debate performance, some White House reporters have confessed they avoided covering his cognitive decline due to fear of aligning with right-wing media reports. This admission comes as critics argue that the mainstream media has failed to inform the public about Biden’s mental state.
Several journalists admitted they were “turned off” from investigating Biden’s cognitive health because it was a significant talking point for conservative outlets. They believed that reporting on the issue might give undue credence to what they saw as partisan attacks.
CNN’s coverage of this development mentioned that right-wing media had shared “deceptively edited clips” of Biden, which influenced some reporters’ decisions not to pursue the story. One notable instance was a video from the G7 Summit where Biden appeared disoriented and was guided back by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Since the debate, where Biden struggled to maintain coherent responses, the legacy media has faced intense criticism for what many see as a deliberate cover-up. Reporters who cover the White House have expressed regret for not addressing Biden’s mental decline more seriously.
“The right-wing media was calling him senile from day one, and that wasn’t true,” an unnamed reporter told CNN. “Then whenever you report on the age you were in some ways solidifying, giving credence to some people that were actually of bad faith.”
This situation has put a spotlight on the media’s role in shaping public perception and its responsibility to report objectively. Critics argue that the lack of coverage on Biden’s cognitive health misled voters and failed to provide a complete picture of the president’s fitness for office.
As the debate over Biden’s mental state continues, the legacy media faces the challenge of balancing fair reporting with avoiding the spread of misinformation. This recent admission by some reporters highlights the complex dynamics at play in covering the health of a sitting president and the influence of partisan narratives on journalistic integrity.