President Biden is dropping dark hints about America's troubled news business.
“Everything is changing, but the biggest change is happening.” [in] The press…” Biden warned on a podcast last week..
He cited statistics showing fewer Americans, especially younger Americans, are reading newspapers or watching mainstream national television news programs.
“Where do you get your news? And how do you know what you're getting is more than just that?” [an opinion] what are you looking for [is really] Happening? ,”Mr. Biden said:.
He portrayed Americans navigating a dangerous sea of disinformation with no clear destination.
As a result, he suggested, people are now “choosing the news they want to hear” and, of course, watch and read, resulting in increased division.
Biden's words go beyond press criticism. The outgoing president is sending a distress signal that the free flow of information is being undermined and an informed public, an essential component of democracy, is at risk.
Broken media means more than ratings, clicks, and ad dollars. Broken media is a threat to the nation itself.
poll show Political divisions among websites, channels, and podcasts have led to a breakdown in public trust in major news organizations. The importance of accurate reporting based on hard facts has been eclipsed by celebrities engaging in “infotainment” and exaggerated statements of opinion that ridicule rival viewpoints.
The truth of Biden's warning is clear from the fact that most news organizations are now defined by partisan leanings.
Not so long ago, being a reliable and accurate provider of information was a mark of excellence in the media. It's no longer a surefire way to attract an audience.
The decline in the importance of reliable reporting has the effect of undermining the fundamental consensus among Americans about the most important problems facing this country and how to solve them.
“It’s a whole different deal.” Biden spoke on the podcast “Pitchfork Economics.”. “We have to think about how to deal with this profound technological change. Where do we go? What is the truth? There is no evidence anymore…I think this is a big problem. Masu.”
Yes, sir, that's a big deal. This was evident in the 2024 presidential election.
Since Biden's party lost the election, his comments about the press have not received much attention. but it is true False claim that Haitians are eating pets in Ohio We have reached the stage of discussion. Outrageous conspiracy theories about 2020 election fraud remain a staple in many news outlets. There is a lot of sensational reporting about crime, even though the data shows it on a historical scale. relatively low.
Ugly personal attacks, or “trolling,” now have the power to distort the outcome of political debates and election campaigns.
“When I turn on the TV.” Biden made that exact point in a recent exchange with fellow reporters.“Everything looks bad. Everything looks bad.”
He noted that the majority of Americans say they are successful. But two-thirds of Americans say the country is on the wrong path. Similarly, despite having the best economic performance in the world, Biden's approval ratings are low.
Biden has suggested that the disconnect is due to the dim portrayal of American life in much of the media, especially social media driven by bad news.
Steve Bannon, President Trump's 2016 campaign strategist, put it bluntly: “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone—” In today's world with high-tech media available on every computer and the cell phone in your pocket, celebrities Bannon's strategy is accelerating by adding a premium.
This celebrity political culture is not new. In 1852, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote,The life of Franklin Pierce” Books were the TikTok of their time, their influence limited only by the number of copies their printing presses could produce.
The overlap between politics and entertainment was satirized in “''.Wag the Dogin which Hollywood producers stage a fake war to distract from the president's sex scandal.
Trump has further blurred the line. His WWE appearanceswhere he played the hero in an over-the-top fake wrestling match.
Howard Beale declared In the 1976 classic “The Network,'' television is said to be “the most terrifying force in the entire godless world. It can make or break presidents, popes, and prime ministers.'' If it crosses into the country, we will be miserable.'' ”
In 2018, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) joked that President Trump might nominate Judge Judy to the Supreme Court. Given recent cabinet nominations, that no longer seems like a joke.
In the spirit of the holidays, I'd like to end on a note of cautious optimism. Presumably, the celebrities President Trump has appointed to his cabinet will use their media savvy to expose corruption and inefficiency in government.
But now that Biden is using his final days in office to sound the alarm on the state of American media, I am concerned and even fearful about the impact that a broken media will have on the future of this country.
Juan Williams is a senior political analyst at Fox News Channel and an award-winning civil rights historian.A new prize in my eyes: The rise of America's second civil rights movement”
