Press "bothsideism" has failed Biden, and America

[mcar]

The American press corps struggles every day to prove to readers and viewers that it is “fair and balanced,” the slogan cleverly adopted by Fox News. If it strongly criticized Donald Trump during his presidency (and since), then it follows that it must also strongly criticize Joe Biden, which is exactly what it’s done.

Fair, isn’t it? Balanced, too, right?

Wrong.

Not only does criticism not come in equal shapes and sizes, appropriate for all presidents and both political parties (a journalistic curse called “bothsideism”), but, when unfairly applied, as it has been in covering Biden, it runs the serious risk of further damaging our still free press and weakening our already shaky democracy....

It has become so easy for the press to criticize Biden. That would be understandable if we were discussing only Fox News and other conservative media. They attack Biden, regardless of the facts, and they attack him relentlessly. It’s what they get paid to do. But it is lousy journalism, and I suspect there are more than a few Fox reporters who know better. I have no hope for Fox commentators. They are in another world.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/07/21/press-bothsideism-has-failed-biden-and-america/

[SWBTATTReg]

1. All who enabled this POS tRUMP will find that the price they have to pay is steep. We won't

forget who ignored the peril to our democracy while it was under attack by tRUMP's thugs. Never forget.

[atreides1]

3. Okay!

Just as a a historical note...it took the German people years of war, the destruction of their cities, the deaths of millions, and a decades long occupation by foreign military forces...to realize that the price they paid was steep!

And most of them were a lot smarter then the majority of Right wing Americans...

[SWBTATTReg]

6. Good points and the bonus here is that we do have the German experiment right in front of

us too, as a stark reminder of the failed Nazi policies (and even the failed Soviet experiment) and yet, the tRUMP and other nuts are running around trying to reenact those days.

[brer cat]

2. The press "bothsideism" is pure bulls%*$.

They are a big part of the problem in America.

[Rebl2]

16. Yes they

are. I think Walter Cronkite would be horrified by today’s network news. Even before he passed away, he probably saw things changing.

[Raven123]

4. The media could investigate and report facts, but that actually takes work.

[mcar]

12. I do think that's part of it

It's easier and cheaper to just stick to their tired old themes.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I always thought the function of the oress was to attack..

whoever is in office.

"Comfort the afflicted an afflict the comfortable" sort of thing.

Washington is said to have refused a third term because of the flack from the press. He had it. And if FDR or Truman were still alive, they'd tell you how bad the press can be.

Whining that it's the Press's fault that the people sre stupid enough to support fool like Trump won't solve a thimg but could make you feel better.

[mcar]

13. I thought the function of the press

was to report facts.

If their function is to attack whoever is in office, then by that definition they are not reporting facts, they are not journalists and we do not have a real news media.

Who is whining?

[jaxexpat]

17. The days of the "press" are long gone.

The current technology has turned the concept of a "free press" on its head. Its capabilities as a means to inform and/or editorialize dwarfs the challenges of FDR and that generation. They had no cable monopoly TeeVee in everyone's home, no "news/talk" radio conglomerate in every automobile to overcome, no commercialized social media in the palm of everyone's hand to compete with.

The only similarity, really, is that, like in FDR's world, there's still that same intractable opponent.

[Novara]

7. While this is absolutely true ...

... there's a huge difference. The orange fuckstick bombarded the country with daily scandals and outrageousness and criminality. The press spent way too much time chasing scandals that they didn't spend time talking about policies.

Biden does not have the Scandal of the Day to get breathless attention from the press, so they can't attack him for that. They choose instead to create issues that are not really issues.

The press assumes they have to be critical. Without scandals they have to create issues for criticism.

I am in no way making excuses, because if Biden's presidency fails, the media will hold a majority of the blame for amplifying small issues into monumental, presidency-ending clusterfucks. But the reason they are so critical is because he doesn't actually give them anything for legitimate criticism. So they amplify small issues and create massive problems out of nothing. And yes, they are to blame.

[dlk]

8. Bothsiderism is intellectually lazy

It’s the quick and dirty way to report the news

[FoxNewsSucks]

9. It may have failed Biden, and America, but it is NOT failing

media's corporate owners who want ratings and profit. It's also not failing the corporate owners who are rightwing MAGAt types.

Their ideology is being pushed, and their bank accounts filled. Why would anything change?

[sop]

18. Clearly, the sole purpose of corporate media is to make money for its stakeholders.

They're not out to inform citizens and protect democracy, just entertain viewers, sell ad space and shape public opinion to benefit ownership's interests.

[llashram]

10. the new 'objectivity'

created by the ones looking for profit and/or a cult following their dramas. Can't stand them. Journalism in MSM is DEAD.

[calimary]

11. Objective truth is out the window

having given way to “FAAAAIR and BALANCED”. Which is the biggest bullshit slogan I have EVER heard. And as the child of a salesman, I grew up with sales slogans.

If ever we quote it, it should ALWAYS be “fair and balanced to ONE SIDE ONLY.” Because THAT is what the slogan REALLY means.

Take the bad guys’ talking point and TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN at EVERY opportunity.

[Baggies]

14. Somebody needs a history lesson

For over 200 years, journalist have relentlessly attacked Presidents. Compared to some of the attacks in the 1800’s, what we’re seeing now is child’s play.

[CatWoman]

15. case in point

Link to tweet

[jaxexpat]

19. Perfect example.

I guess.

[Slammer]

20. fair vs balanced

It should be fair. It should not be balanced.

Balance implies that you criticize each side the same amount and praise each side the same amount. Anything less is unbalanced.

Fair is criticizing what deserves criticism and praising what deserves praise. Both sides are imperfect and deserve criticism whenever wrong. What they don't deserve is equal levels of criticism.

The levels of praise and criticism are naturally going to be unbalanced unless by some miracle both sides are doing exactly equally well all the time.

Artificially balancing levels of praise and criticism when they in reality don't deserve to be balanced doesn't serve an audience well.


Now in my opinion, both sides should be heard on each network. MSNBC has the reputation of being the most liberal of the major cable news networks. Yet MSNBC has an afternoon host who worked for the Bush White House, for example. And MSNBC regularly invites Republicans to show up for interviews (but are usually turned down).

The few times that a Republican officeholder or operative shows up on that network and has their say, what they have to say is critiqued for its valid points (if any) and for whatever invalid points are attempted to be made. And that's what should happen in my opinion.

In the pre-Trump era (in particular) when I was actively blogging politics, I watched Fox to know what they had to say. And they invited liberals on for interviews and had liberal hosts (such as Hannity and Colmes). But as they came closer to the Trump era, they moved away not only from having liberals come on but also boxed out whichever Republicans who weren't pushing whatever viewpoint the network wanted pushed (in my viewing experience).

[lambchopp59]

21. Media would do well to stop "competing" with Fox.

We're finally seeing a glimmer of hope with the Jan 6th hearings that Fox refuses to cover. Finally a monumentally bad decision on their part that will likely cost them audience.
Otherwise, Fixed News fake controversies need to be fact checked, reported then concisely droppped not "debated,", dammit. Let Fox pound away at these confabulatoons ALL ALONE, just like ignoring a child's tantrum.
Ther idiot base is irretrievable. They add entire levels of crazy to the already flimsy, self serving diatribe: i.e. "insurrectionists were BLM and ANTIFA. Sure, uncle dipshit. See ya.
They're already starting to eat their own in a race to the bottom.
So shut up, media, and pass the popcorn.