President Joe Biden campaigned on transparency in 2020 en route to the White House.
In her first press briefing, former Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki spoke to reporters about the “importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room.”
However, the reality has been so far removed from the rhetoric that establishment media outlets like the New York Times are now calling out the Biden administration for establishing a “dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability.”
New York Times blasts Biden for ‘avoiding questions’ from journalists in blistering statement https://t.co/zPSjkpLRwi #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) April 26, 2024
On Thursday, The New York Times released a blistering statement condemning Biden for largely shunning interviews with journalists — a statement that came as the paper is facing criticism from liberals over a Politico report detailing tensions between the Times and the Biden White House, per Politico.
The original Politico piece, published on Wednesday and that which spurred the Times statement, details The Gray Lady’s persistent effort for over three years to secure a comprehensive sit-down interview with President Joe Biden.
Obtaining an on-the-record discussion with the commander-in-chief has become a top priority for the paper’s publisher, A.G. Sulzberger.
The Times’ pursuit of this interview dates back to last May when Vice President Kamala Harris visited the paper’s Manhattan headquarters. During an off-the-record meeting with around 40 Times journalists, Sulzberger directly asked Harris several times why Biden continued refusing to grant an interview to the Times or any other major newspaper outlet, Politico reported.
Are you surprised the New York Times did this?
According to three attendees, Harris suggested Sulzberger contact the White House press office about the matter and then privately grumbled to aides that the discussion with Sulzberger was a waste of time allotted for the meeting.
“For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term,” The Times wrote. “The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.
“Mr. Biden has granted far fewer press conferences and sit-down interviews with independent journalists than virtually all of his predecessors.
“It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with Mr. Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century. If the president chooses not to sit down with The Times because he dislikes our independent coverage, that is his right, and we will continue to cover him fully and fairly either way.
“However, in meetings with Vice President Harris and other administration officials, the publisher of The Times focused instead on a higher principle: That systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it also establishes a dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability.
“That is why Mr. Sulzberger has repeatedly urged the White House to have the president sit down with The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN and other major independent news organizations that millions of Americans rely on to understand their government.”
According to Politico, Biden’s circle has almost entirely avoided print media interviews during his presidency. In three years, Biden has granted in-depth interviews to just two print journalists: Josh Boak of The Associated Press and Evan Osnos of The New Yorker magazine.
Both Biden and Harris seem far more comfortable talking and appearing on left-wing podcasts, where they are certain not to be asked any tough questions.
For instance, on Friday, Biden sat down for a softball interview on shock jock Howard Stern’s radio show, according to the New York Post.
Earlier this month, Harris appeared on an Oklahoma City-based podcast called “I’ve Had It,” where they discussed people who take off their shoes on planes, among other issues, according to The Oklahoman.
Tomorrow on I’ve Had It, @VP @KamalaHarris. pic.twitter.com/5iUIcHcOjP
— I’ve Had It Podcast (@ivehaditpodcast) April 8, 2024
The media are supposed to be watchdogs of the government, holding them accountable when they fail their responsibilities to the people.
An administration that does not consider itself answerable to the media does not consider itself accountable to the people –and these are media outlets in which the majority of the participants sympathize with their point of view.
More so, the American people have every right to know whether or not the country’s octogenarian president can even answer basic, real-time questions.
Establishment media outlets like the Times are now calling out the Biden administration for their utter avoidance of any scrutiny, and it’s long overdue.
