Over at Semafor, they have posted a new podcast that asks an eye-opening question:
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
How did the media miss the biggest story in American politics? Many journalists were shocked by Joe Biden’s decline, showcased on a debate stage. But how could the American media fail to see the President of the United States clearly? Did we ask the wrong questions, or fall for White House spin? Or did we, as Republicans claim, engage in a cover-up?
In this emergency pod, Nayeema, Ben and Max separate conspiracy from reality and reasonable reporting questions falling out of everything from “Weekend at Bernie’s theories” to Jill Biden’s role.
Do you notice a recurring pattern in American media?
- “How did we miss that Covid was dangerous to the elderly and immunocompromised, but much less dangerous to the young and healthy?”
- “How did we miss that closing public schools for at least a year would be catastrophic to children’s education and development?”
- “How did we miss that the lab leak wasn’t a crazy conspiracy theory or racism?”
- “How did we miss that the Hunter Biden laptop was real?”
- “How did we miss virulent antisemitism spreading on America’s college campuses?”
- “How did we miss that Joe Biden is too old to function as president?”
I think the clearest answer is that a lot of people in the major mainstream media are really lousy at their jobs, because they wake up every morning asking, “How can I convince people that Democrats are good and Republicans are bad?” instead of asking, “What’s going on in the world, and what do my readers, viewers, or listeners need to know about it?”