It’s the kind of thing that regularly happens in Russia, China or North Korea.
When journalists stray too far above their totalitarian-controlled station and dare to hold their political leaders to any form of proper account, they get a visit or phone call from shady Government officials.
In the covert conversations, the errant journalists are informed that their entirely accurate and justified criticism is in fact totally wrong and unjustified, and the ‘truth’ is that everything is going fantastically well in the country thanks to the masterful leadership.
The tone of these messages is polite but firm, with just a hint of menace.
The journalists are left in no doubt there may be ‘unfortunate repercussions’ should they decide to resist the directive to ‘re-calibrate’ their coverage of the regime.
Journalists in the United States are allowed to be as critical of Governments as they wish without fear of being killed for what they say or write. Nor should they ever have to worry about being lent on by Government officials to censor their criticisms. Yet that’s exactly what’s been happening in the past week (Biden speaks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris during a press conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on November 6)
Of course, the usual consequence of these visits and calls is that the journalists fall back in line and start peddling utter bullsh*t about the glorious successes of the Great Leader which are doing so much to enrich the lives of their thankful people.
And so, bit by bit, freedom of speech is suppressed - and democracy dies.
In those despotic countries, I have some sympathy with the journalists because if they don’t do as they’re told and rein back on their critiques, it might cost them their lives like many of their co-workers over the years.
But America is not a totalitarian state or communist hellhole.
It’s supposed to be the land of the free with a Constitution which ferociously protects freedom of speech and expression.
Journalists in the United States are allowed to be as critical of Governments as they wish without fear of being killed for what they say or write.
Nor should they ever have to worry about being lent on by Government officials to censor their criticisms.
Yet that’s exactly what’s been happening in the past week.
In a shocking report, CNN’s media correspondent Oliver Darcy revealed that three Biden administration officials - National Economic Council Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, and Ports Envoy John Porcari – have been ‘briefing major newsrooms over the past week’ in an effort to persuade them to be more positive about the President.
Journalists, including TV news anchors, reporters and producers, were apparently told that contrary to their recent negative coverage, America’s in fantastic shape thanks to a booming economy.
In a shocking report, CNN’s media correspondent Oliver Darcy revealed that three Biden administration officials - National Economic Council Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, and Ports Envoy John Porcari – have been ‘briefing major newsrooms over the past week’ in an effort to persuade them to be more positive about the President. Pictured is John Porcari
Pictured left, is National Economic Council Deputy Director Bharat Ramamurti (left) and National Economic Council Deputy Director David Kamin (right)
Darcy said the conversations were ‘productive’ which I think can be safely translated to mean the journalists have now seen the light and agreed to rethink their negativity. We’ll see in the coming months.
But the mere fact these conversations have occurred at all is outrageous.
The lobbying followed an op-ed written by Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank headlined: 'The media treats Biden as badly as — or worse than — Trump. Here's proof.'
Milbank said he had grown so concerned by what he perceived to be unfair bias against Biden that he commissioned Forge.ai, a data analytics unit of the information company FiscalNote, to look at 65 news websites of all political persuasions – many to the hard left, and right - and do a 'sentiment analysis' of 200,000 articles by searching for adjectives.
Milbank said the results established the media was indeed now treating Biden worse than it had Donald Trump and branded them a ‘tremendous indictment of the whole industry.'
He urged US journalists 'to do soul searching and see what we are delivering to people' and concluded: 'My colleagues in the media are serving as accessories to the murder of democracy.’
Unsurprisingly, Milbank’s piece received immediate public approval from Biden’s White House chief of staff Ron Klain who re-tweeted it with the words: ‘Submitted for your consideration’ as if it should win an award.
That enthusiastic endorsement alone should have made Milbank shudder.
What journalist worth a grain of salt wants their own Government to campaign for them to win awards for sucking-up?
But undeterred, Milbank hit the airwaves to double down on his theory and in doing so, revealed the big flaw in his argument.
Appearing on CNN, he admitted that the media had in fact been more favorable to Biden than Trump before August.
Hmmm.
Journalists, including TV news anchors, reporters and producers, were apparently told that contrary to their recent negative coverage, America’s in fantastic shape thanks to a booming economy (Biden answers a question during his first press briefing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 25)
Darcy said the conversations were ‘productive’ which I think can be safely translated to mean the journalists have now seen the light and agreed to rethink their negativity. We’ll see in the coming months. But the mere fact these conversations have occurred at all is outrageous. The lobbying followed an op-ed written by Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank headlined: 'The media treats Biden as badly as — or worse than — Trump. Here's proof. (Then-President Trump holds a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House August 19, 2020 in Washington, DC)
I wonder what it could have been that suddenly turned the media so negative against the President?
Oh wait, I remember.
August was when the
