Yes, the Media Covered for Biden

It wasn't just staffers and strategists.

The mainstream media's failure to swiftly cover former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline was again a topic of conversation this week, after Axios reporter Alex Thompson gently chided fellow journalists during his remarks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

The 2024 dinner, which I attended, was a muted affair when compared with previous years: The evening's preplanned entertainment, comedian Amber Ruffin, was canceled in advance, and President Donald Trump declined to participate. Thompson thus attracted most of the headlines; accepting an award for his own reporting, he conceded that the press corp was far too deferential to Biden's inner circle on the topic of the president's fitness for office.

"President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception," said Thompson. "We, myself included, missed a lot of this story. And some people trust us less because of it."

"We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust, and being defensive about them further erodes it. We should have done better."
My thoughts at the WHCA dinner on covering Biden. pic.twitter.com/V16yQkPh5n

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) April 27, 2025

Thompson's frankness garnered polite applause at the dinner. But not everyone has been so willing to admit error. Consider Chuck Todd, former host of NBC's Meet the Press program, who was unusually strident when tackling this subject on Chris Cillizza's podcast this week.

.@chucktodd went OFF on the "virtue signaling" of reporters who play into the Trump narrative of a cover-up of Biden's health by the media pic.twitter.com/VUCYsz4K1r

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) April 28, 2025

"I refuse to accept this stupid premise because it's a manufactured right-wing premise to stain the media….There are MSNBC and CNN pundits that absolutely carried water for Joe Biden, but they're not journalists, they're former strategists," said Todd. "This is an attempt by some to virtue signal, it's pitting different news organizations against each other."

Distinguishing mainstream media pundits from mainstream media journalists is not as easy as Todd suggests. Cable news is full of programs that mix news and opinion and feature perspectives that straddle this line. For instance, how should we classify MSNBC host Jen Psaki? Journalist? Pundit? Ex-Biden White House staffer? All three things?

But the fact of that matter is, no matter how you tally the score, mainstream personalities—journalists, commentators, etc.—either missed the story of Biden's cognitive decline or were hesitant to look into it too closely. And when anti-Biden commentators really started venting about how old and out of it the president appeared on camera, mainstream media didn't just ignore the story: They adopted the framing of Biden's defenders and pushed the idea that conservatives were making it all up.

Lyin' About Biden

In June 2024, when Biden's appearances at a slew of public events were raising questions, the media ran headline after headline berating Republicans for trying to make this a thing. The Washington Post repeatedly slammed "misleading videos" purporting to show Biden flailing. And The New York Times similarly chose the word "misleading" for its headlines on this subject. 

For what it's worth, a few weeks earlier, The New York Times had actually published an article with the following headline: "For Joe Biden, What Seems Like Age Might Instead Be Style." Perhaps the art critic of The New York Times is not, strictly speaking, a reporter—but he isn't an ex-Biden strategist, either.

NBC News, Todd's own former network, engaged in much the same defensive behavior. News reporters at many mainstream organizations largely handled the Biden age questions in a manner that accorded with how the White House wanted them handled.

Todd is not wrong that the American people should reserve a great deal of anger for the actual Biden staffers, strategists, and Democratic Party leaders who were clearly aware of Biden's cognitive decline and tried to cover it up. These folks have utterly discredited themselves. But it's fair to say that much of the media went along for the ride.

This Week on Free Media

I am joined by Amber Duke to discuss Biden's decline, Pete Buttigieg, deportations, 60 Minutes, and biased news coverage.

 

Worth Watching

Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy! Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith has returned to theaters for its 20th anniversary. This is the third film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and it has always been my favorite of all Star Wars films. Until recently, that would have been considered a hot take; the prequel movies, Revenge included, were frequently derided by critics who misliked some of the cheap-looking CGI and wooden dialogue. They aren't necessarily wrong about any of that, but who cares? For Star Wars fans of a certain age—by which I mean my age—the prequels were the Star Wars films we grew up with, and we love them.

Today, a quarter century after their initial release, the prequels are enjoying something of a critical reappraisal. For one thing, Disney so ruined Star Wars with its truly dreadful sequel trilogy that even prequel haters are looking back at George Lucas' creation with something approaching fondness. At least he tried to tell a compelling story—with, you know, a semi-original plot—which is more than can be said for J.J. Abrams.

Anyway, Revenge is so, so great. I could go on and on about why I love it, but the core reason: Emperor Palpatine, portrayed with Shakespearean brilliance by veteran stage actor Ian McDiarmid, who nimbly shifts from subtle, Iago-esque manipulations to all-out malevolence and insanity. Even Mr. Plinkett, who gave Revenge one of the most negative movie reviews of all time, nevertheless concedes that "the emperor is just so wonderful anyway it doesn't matter." I also must salute Hayden Christensen, who had a really, really difficult job: Lucas did not write Anakin Skywalker to be particularly likable, but Christensen managed to wring some real pathos out of the role.

One other note in its favor: In my experience, Revenge has become by far the most frequently quoted Star Wars film, spawning more great memes than I can keep track of.

Comments

[Stuck in California]

"How do you do, fellow kids?"

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

It's safe for Reason to state the obvious now.

[Don't get eliminated(How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer penguin meat)]

Didn’t bother reading. Was there even the slightest mea culpa?

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Are you kidding? These creeps are morally bankrupt.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Didn't either. But given their history I'm confident in saying no.

[Stuck in California]

Is it? Because Suave is still pulling all his punches.

One example:

Thompson's frankness garnered polite applause at the dinner. But not everyone has been so willing to admit error.

Thompson wasn't frank at all. He acted like the White House deceived them, and how horrible it was that even a Democrat wouldn't be 100% honest. All of which is bullshit, he wasn't deceived, he lied. They all lied. They were entirely complicit. This wasn't an error, it was naked partisan propaganda. The partisanship very nakedly displayed by his "regardless of party" comment, as though the press' preferred party is squeaky clean but the icky other party is always lying.

Reason needs to move out of DC.

[r]

Another pulled punch: The media "either missed the story of Biden's cognitive decline or were hesitant to look into it too closely."

Remember, this is the media that gave the White House their questions in advance. And when Joe Biden got caught reading from note cards not only telling him who to call on, but writing out the reporter's question in full and writing out his answer, they completely ignored it - because they were part of it, they had agreed to it to gain access - they were 100% complicit.

Now this same media is complaining because Trump's WH gave standing room only access to alternative media and is letting them ask a handful of questions each briefing. The arrogance and lack of self-awareness is amazing. Makes Baghdad Bob sound reasonable and humble in comparison

[Eeyore]

Why do these people have jobs? Oh right, because they are intellectual whores.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Are sure about the “intellectual” part?

[Eeyore]

They are selling what capacity they have. An ugly woman who is a sexual whore might not have much to sell, but sell it she does.

[Don't get eliminated(How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer penguin meat)]

They were doing their job.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Even journalists got the rope at Nuremberg.

[Eeyore]

I look forward to the first youtube era Nuremberg.

Watching the podcasts covering who swung today will be well worth it.

[r]

Their job is to prop up a senile President to prevent voters from knowing the truth?

Journalism must've been redefined at some point while I was looking the other way

[Eeyore]

Your job is what the people paying you to do the job say it is. Propagandist might be a better term for the job they are being payed to do.

[Don't get eliminated(How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer penguin meat)]

Oh I think I see where the confusion is coming from. Their job is to pretend to be journalists while spreading the propaganda given to them by their masters.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

If Biden had won reelection, the media, including Reason, would still be covering for him.

[r]

No, if Biden had won, they would be pressuring him to step aside now so that Harris could be the first Black Woman President.

[Eeyore]

Also the first "Joker" as President.

[Minadin]

Yeah, but we were saying that in late 2020, that they would invoke the 25th and oust him early on in his term. They didn't even do that after the debate debacle.

[Fats of Fury]

Even Democrats knew he was a senile toothless old fraud in the run-up to the 2020 election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy0UHUaWNQY&ab_channel=TheMajorityReportw%2FSamSeder

[Dillinger]

too much too little too late to ever try again.

[Speaking for normal people]

REASON did it too. There are things right now you are blaming Trump for that you gave full pass to Biden for.

Remember all the Libertarian talk about freedom and these two
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/11/sam-brinton-005.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768

[Uncle Jay]

Of course the notorious MSM covered up Biden's cognitive decline.
It's what the propaganda wing of the democrat party does.

[sarcasmic]

This article doesn't exist. Move along. Don't look at the contradiction of the narrative. Ignore it. Look away. Go away.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Drunk child abuser says what?

[Eeyore]

Any good cocktail recipes or is the alcoholism to the point where you don't even bother putting it in a glass? Because there are days where I'm tempted to skip the gym and drink the whiskey neat.

[JesseAz (Prime Meanster of Sarcasia)]

Drinks it by the plastic bottle.

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Remember when you thought a president getting a BJ was an impeachable offense because he was Commander in Chief?? And now we have a SecDef rawdogging married women with their family down the hall!! Praise Jesus!!

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

I don't think that you get that the narrative you are looking to protect is three years gone at this stage.

Oh, and your diatribe is trite at best. sigh.

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

masks. They don't work also.

[Lester75]

Yes they covered for Biden. It was unforgiveable. The 'lamestream' media won't get a chance to cover for Trump because his dementia will become so obvious over the next few years that his staff will minimize press exposure even to Fox. No one will get a look at him except AmericaOne and other state mouthpieces who will edit out the worst.

[damikesc]

...yet he routinely gives hours of Q & A sessions with the press with nothing given to him in advance.

Tell me more, please.

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Melania is now president…she’s the First Whore! I guess it’s better than Epstein becoming president in Trump’s first term when Trump could still get hard…Epstein was Trump’s First Wingman which was more important than First Whore.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

“Im going to repeat things Republicans said because I’m incapable of original thought”

[Minadin]

This is the third film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and it has always been my favorite of all Star Wars films.
. . .
For Star Wars fans of a certain age—by which I mean my age—the prequels were the Star Wars films we grew up with, and we love them.

Ok, Robby, I love Revenge of the Sith, too, I'm with you there. It might even be my favorite (previous favorite was Return of the Jedi, even though most fans say Empire Strikes Back). And it's almost indisputably, by far the best of the prequels, but the other two kinda suck still, even if they are a lot better than the post-quels.

[NealAppeal]

"Ani, you're breaking my heart." - Padme
Probably the worst written, screenplayed, and acted dialog in all the Star Wars universe. At the theater back at the OG release the theater broke into laughter many times during the "dramatic" moments at the end of the film. Being memed isn't necessarily an endorsement of quality. Just admit it is childhood nostalgia. I rewatch some of my favorites and am honest enough to see how flawed they were.

[AT]

"President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception," said Thompson. "We, myself included, missed a lot of this story.

The JoUrNaLiStS were literally the only people "deceived."

[Wizzle Bizzle]

You used "literally" correctly. You must not be a Millennial.

[Wizzle Bizzle]

Robby, you might be the closest this rag gets to journalism. So what the fuck? Everyone knew Biden was dementia-bound in 2019, particularly in his own party. Which is why they OBVIOUSLY hid him in the basement during the campaign.

By 2021, he was shitting his pants and falling off steps. Which is why they OBVIOUSLY escorted him around by the elbows on camera every time he emerged from his burrow.

By 2024, he had fallen asleep during numerous international confabs, called out for dead people at live events, confused every living politician for a dead politician, shat his pants some more, and drooled onto his bib while staring into the abyss in the few instances he actually took a question. In other words, he was OBVIOUSLY in such an advanced stage of dementia that only a Democratic operative could ignore it.

Which is really the point, Robby. Anyone who didn't call this out years ago isn't just not a journalist. They're guilty of treason. The alphabet networks need to lose their broadcast licenses. Every major newspaper not owned by the Murdoch group needs to be banned from all governmental events until they fire every soul they employed during the Biden era. And everyone who works for an ostensibly libertarian publication who didn't call this out fervently and repeatedly starting shortly after the walking cadaver took office needs to take a lesson from the feudal Japanese and jam a blade through their organs.

[AT]

And before anyone says "they're guilty of treason" is hyperbole - ask yourself why these same people NEVER - NOT EVEN ONCE - asked "who's actually running the Executive Branch right now?"

Because to this day, we still don't know. And we probably never will.

If that doesn't shame, scare, and draw into question everything you know about American Civics and Representative Democracy - then I, for one, have a real problem with such a person being in this country.

I don't like throwing the word "treason" around. I don't actually agree that it fits here. That said, any person - especially any "journalist" who refused to ask that question and demand an answer?

They have no business being "journalists." And if they won't jam that blade through their organs, ngl I'm kinda OK with someone else jamming it in their organs for them. As enemies of the People and their State.

You don't hate journalists enough. You think you do, but you don't.

[Marshal]

Todd is not wrong that the American people should reserve a great deal of anger for the actual Biden staffers, strategists, and Democratic Party leaders who were clearly aware of Biden's cognitive decline and tried to cover it up. These folks have utterly discredited themselves. But it's fair to say that much of the media went along for the ride.

These cogs over here aren't the same as those cogs over there. You should reserve your anger for those cogs.

[DRM]

Yeah, so . . .

"but they're not journalists, they're former strategists," said Todd.

Distinction without a difference, Mr. Todd. Two words -- "George Stephanopoulos."

I note that back in 1988, the Media Research Center started tracking the journalist/political operative "revolving door", with a regular section highlighting the cross-hirings in their MediaWatch newsletters.

You don't have to like L. Brent Bozell (the conservative activist who founded the MRC), or agree with the political right, to draw the implications from the observable fact that the MRC was able to do a routine item on the crossovers. If there had ever been a real, important distinction between journalists and political operatives, routine coverage of the swaps couldn't have been possible. The rare cases of the "revolving door" would have been treated as important and scandalous by the news media itself.

It wasn't rare or scandalous, because the news media itself didn't believe (whatever its occasional pious public claims) there was enough difference between "objective journalism", and what a Democratic congressional campaign spokesman or political strategist was doing, such that there could or should be any barrier to people from routinely passing from jobs on one side to the other and back.