Shielding Biden: Journalists shed light on the media's cover-up of a weakened president

The unprecedented cover-up of Joe Biden is yet seeing sunlight. 

Critics of the legacy media person agelong accused quality organizations of shielding the 46th president from atrocious press, peculiarly erstwhile it came to revelations of his family's shady fiscal dealings arsenic good arsenic his cognitive decline, which was enactment connected afloat show astatine past year's CNN statement resulting successful his exit from the 2024 statesmanlike race. 

Efforts to screen up for Biden began arsenic aboriginal arsenic May 2019 arsenic the superior contention for the 2020 Democratic information was underway. Last week, erstwhile Politico newsman Marc Caputo shed airy connected a study helium had written astatine the clip that stemmed from absorption probe from the run by 1 of Biden's Democratic rivals. The study progressive a "tax lien" connected Biden's lad Hunter pertaining to his enactment astatine Ukrainian vigor institution Burisma. At the time, the erstwhile vice president held a important pb implicit Democratic candidates successful the polls. 

"And I wrote what would person been a classical communicative saying, you know, ‘The erstwhile vice president’s lad was slapped with a large taxation lien for the play of clip that helium worked for this arguable Ukrainian lipid concern, oregon earthy state concern, which is haunting his begetter connected the run trail.' That communicative was killed by the editors. And they gave nary mentation for that either," Caputo said connected the "Somebody's Gotta Win" podcast.

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President Biden faced aggravated calls for him to measurement speech pursuing a disastrous statement performance.  (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Fast-forward to October 2020. Biden had secured the Democratic information and maintained a narrower pb successful the polls against then-incumbent President Trump. The New York Post published its bombshell study connected Hunter Biden's laptop, offering unprecedented penetration into his overseas finances and their imaginable ties to his father. 

"I was covering Biden astatine the time, and I retrieve coming to my exertion and saying, ‘Hey, we request to constitute astir the Hunter Biden laptop.’ And I was told this came from connected precocious astatine Politico: Don’t constitute astir the laptop, don’t speech astir the laptop, don’t tweet astir the laptop," Caputo said. 

Caputo, present with Axios, called retired Politico's 1 and lone communicative astir the laptop, which helium referred to arsenic the "ill-fated headline" that work "Hunter Biden communicative is Russian disinfo, dozens of erstwhile intel officials say." The study cited an unfastened missive signed by 51 quality officials declaring that the worldly from the laptop had "all the earmarks of a Russian quality operation."

Then-candidate Biden cited the unfastened missive portion dismissing the laptop revelations arsenic a "Russian plant" during the 2nd statesmanlike statement with Trump.

Politico published a study successful 2020 that said 50 quality officials signed connected a missive claiming the Hunter Biden laptop communicative was Russian disinformation.  (Main: (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images), Screenshot/Politico)

Politico wasn't the lone 1 that was caught turning a unsighted oculus towards Hunter Biden's laptop. A leaked audio recording obtained by Project Veritas showed apical CNN executives directing unit not to screen the controversy. 

"Obviously, we're not going with the New York Post communicative close present connected Hunter Biden," CNN governmental manager David Chalian said during a league telephone connected Oct. 14, the aforesaid time the Post published its archetypal story on Hunter Biden's emails. Chalian aboriginal insisted the report was "giving its marching orders" to the "right-wing echo enclosure astir what to speech astir today."

"The Trump media, you know, moves instantly from – OK, well, ne'er caput – the [Michael Flynn] unmasking was, you know, recovered to beryllium wholly nonsensical to the latest alleged ungraded and expects everybody to conscionable travel suit," then-CNN president Jeff Zucker told his unit connected Oct. 16. "So, I don't deliberation that we should beryllium repeating unsubstantiated smears conscionable due to the fact that the right-wing media suggests that we should." 

FROM ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ TO ‘RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION,’ LIBERAL MEDIA TEAMED UP TO DISMISS HUNTER BIDEN STORY

Several CNN stars echoed their bosses' dismissive stance connected the brewing ungraded to their viewers.

"There's a batch astir this communicative that does not adhd up," CNN's Brian Stelter told his viewers astatine the time. "And, I mean, for each we know, these emails were made up, oregon possibly immoderate are existent and immoderate are fakes, we don't know. But we bash cognize that this is simply a classical illustration of the right-wing media machine."

"The close helping is going brainsick with each sorts of allegations astir Biden and his family. Too disgusting to adjacent repetition here," Jake Tapper said during a segment. "I mean, immoderate of the ones I've seen from the president's lad and immoderate of the president's supporters are conscionable wildly unhinged."

Top CNN executives including then-president Jeff Zucker and governmental manager David Chalian ordered unit not to screen the Hunter Biden laptop ungraded successful October 2020. (CNN/Getty Images)

Much of the bequest media either offered minimal sum rejecting the ungraded oregon offered zero sum altogether. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos completely avoided mentioning the laptop during a Biden municipality hallway helium moderated. Social media giants blocked users from sharing  The New York Post's reporting connected their platforms. 

NPR nationalist exertion Kelly McBride addressed a listener's question astir the quality outlet's blackout of the Hunter Biden story. After claiming that the Post's reporting had "many, galore reddish flags," including its imaginable ties to Russia, NPR seemingly determined that the "assertions don’t magnitude to much."

"We don't privation to discarded our clip connected stories that are not truly stories, and we don't privation to discarded the listeners’ and readers’ clip connected stories that are conscionable axenic distractions," NPR managing exertion Terence Samuel told McBride. "And rather frankly, that's wherever we ended up, this was … a politically driven event, and we decided to dainty it that way."

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Last year, seasoned NPR exertion Uri Berliner came guardant suggesting that the determination not to screen the laptop was politically motivated.

"The laptop was newsworthy. But the timeless journalistic instinct of pursuing a blistery communicative pb was being squelched. During a gathering with colleagues, I listened arsenic 1 of NPR’s champion and astir fair-minded journalists said it was bully we weren’t pursuing the laptop communicative due to the fact that it could assistance Trump," Berliner wrote successful a tell-all essay astir NPR for The Free Press. 

Berliner was aboriginal forced retired of NPR and has since joined The Free Press arsenic an editor. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Glenn Greenwald likewise blew the whistle connected The Intercept, the quality outlet helium co-founded, alleging "repression, censorship and ideological homogeneity" from its editors aiding Biden's run conscionable days earlier the 2020 election. 

"The Intercept’s editors, successful usurpation of my contractual close of editorial freedom, censored an nonfiction I wrote this week, refusing to people it unless I region each sections captious of Democratic statesmanlike campaigner Joe Biden, the campaigner vehemently supported by each New-York-based Intercept editors progressive successful this effort astatine suppression," Greenwald wrote successful October 2020.

Former seasoned NPR exertion Uri Berliner said 1 of the outlet's "best and astir fair-minded journalists" supported not covering Hunter Biden's laptop "because it could assistance Trump." (Getty Images)

Even aft Biden won the presidency and was sworn into office, reporting astir his scandal-plagued lad was inactive being slow-walked, astatine slightest according to erstwhile Politico newsman Tara Palmeri, who broke the communicative of Hunter Biden's weapon incidental that led to a felony complaint for lying astir his cause usage connected a weapon form. 

"I spent 3 months connected it, I went to the laptop shop, and I did each of the reporting successful Delaware, and I did each of that. But yea it had, it had to beryllium similar much- it had to beryllium 100% nailed down," Palmeri told Caputo connected the podcast. "I had everything, you know, the constabulary reports… I’m a coagulated reporter. But I bash wonderment if it could have, if it would person been published a small quicker if it was a antithetic benignant of story."

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Palmeri expanded connected however her bosses dragged their feet earlier moving her story.

"I surely had to propulsion precise hard to get that reporting published. Like, it was a constant, 'Hey, erstwhile are we going to bash this? Hey, erstwhile are we going to get this retired there? Hey, erstwhile we're going to bash this?' Because it was truthful difficult. Like it was benignant of a known feeling that like, it's gonna beryllium hard to study worldly that's truly pugnacious connected the Biden medication and family. It's conscionable similar a culture." Palmeri told Fox News Digital past week. "And I deliberation erstwhile the civilization is that a newsman has to propulsion truthful hard that it conscionable creates a feeling that there's not an involvement successful that benignant of reporting. And ultimately, you know, we enactment to beryllium published and to get our editors to enactment our work."

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Palmeri, present with Puck News, said she archetypal obtained the constabulary study soon aft Biden's inauguration successful January 2021, but her communicative wasn't published until late March 2021.

"I conscionable deliberation if it was a Trump kid, it would person been published overmuch sooner," Palmeri said. "I conscionable had to enactment truly hard to like- you're similar 'Hey, what's going connected with the story? Hey, what's going connected with the story? Like, what's going connected with the story?' We gave the White House a batch of time, similar a week oregon truthful to respond. I don't cognize if that would person been the lawsuit for a Trump story."

The erstwhile Politico writer went connected to mention the "honeymoon phase" of the Biden medication arsenic being a origin down the slowed gait of her story.  She besides suggested her bosses wouldn't tally the communicative unless she was capable to nexus it to a national agency.

"It had to beryllium astir the information that the Secret Service was involved," Palmeri told Fox News Digital. "The broad information that helium lied connected the weapon form, which I had. I had the weapon signifier and I pointed retired that helium lied connected it. But successful the piece, we downplayed it and said, ‘Although galore radical prevarication connected weapon forms and are not prosecuted for it’ which is true, by the way. But it's not similar the header wasn't ‘Hunter Biden lies connected weapon form,’ which is simply a felony. That was not the header adjacent though I had the weapon signifier successful which helium lied."

It wasn't until 2022 that the media began conceding legitimacy to the controversies surrounding Hunter Biden. Several quality organizations that dismissed the laptop similar Politico, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News and CBS News yet verified the laptop. 

The shielding of Joe Biden evolved to encompass not conscionable questions astir his family's finances but astir the president's ain health. The Wall Street Journal reported past period that Biden was having "good days and atrocious days" for White House unit to woody with arsenic aboriginal arsenic outpouring 2021. 

"Yet a motion that the bruising statesmanlike docket needed to beryllium adjusted for Biden’s precocious property had arisen aboriginal on—in conscionable the archetypal fewer months of his term. Administration officials noticed that the president became bushed if meetings went agelong and would marque mistakes," the Journal wrote. 

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It appears White House unit weren't the lone ones aiding Biden. Former ESPN big Sage Steele revealed her March 2021 interrogation was "scripted" by web executives. 

"That was an absorbing acquisition successful its ain close due to the fact that it was truthful structured," Steele told Fox News Digital successful April 2024. "And I was told, ‘You volition accidental each connection that we constitute out, you volition not deviate from the publication and go.’" 

"To the word. Every azygous question was scripted, gone implicit dozens of times by galore editors and executives. Absolutely. I was connected publication and was told not to deviate," Steele said. "It was precise overmuch ‘This is what you volition ask. This is however you volition accidental it. No follow-ups, nary follow-ups. Next.' … This went up to the 4th floor, arsenic we said, wherever each the bosses, the apical executives, the determination makers are, the president of our company, the CEO, wherever they each worked."

Two different Biden interviewers, connected the information of anonymity, previously spoke with Fox News Digital astir their acquisition with the president's frailty. 

"I was near with the content that helium is old, and it's intolerable not to announcement this and beryllium focused connected it. His dependable is truthful soft," 1 interviewer said. The different said "I volition accidental helium was cautious not to spell connected astatine magnitude with answers. It was wide helium was trying to edit himself, perchance due to the fact that he’d been coached to support answers short." Both noticed his "stiff" carnal presence. 

Former ESPN big Sage Steele revealed her March 2021 interrogation with President Biden was "scripted" by web executives. (Screenshot/ESPN)

The media's efforts to disregard concerns implicit Biden's intelligence diminution went into precocious cogwheel successful 2024, peculiarly erstwhile helium became the presumptive Democratic nominee. News organizations seethed aft the February merchandise of Special Counsel Robert Hur's damning report on Biden's handling of classified documents that described him arsenic a "sympathetic, well-meaning, aged antheral with a mediocre memory." 

The New York Times went with the "Republicans pounce" framing erstwhile covering Biden's reported representation issues, Jeffrey Toobin returned to CNN to importune Hur made "unnecessary points" astir Biden’s precocious age, and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow gushed that everything is good due to the fact that Biden inactive "rides a bike." 

Later successful the year, the media ran the White House's talking points that accused conservatives of peddling "cheap fakes" erstwhile moments that showed Biden wandering oregon freezing up went viral. 

"Experts person warned that portion precocious exertion similar generative artificial quality tin dispersed misinformation, alleged inexpensive fakes that often usage lone insignificant oregon selective editing tin beryllium much effectual astatine spreading mendacious narratives," NBC News wrote successful absorption to 1 viral moment. 

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The Washington Post similarly elevated the word "cheap fakes," telling readers specified "deceptively edited videos… misrepresent events simply by manipulating video oregon audio, oregon by leaving retired context" and that they've "become staples of Republican attacks against Biden." 

MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace condemned the "highly misleading & selectively edited videos" portion refusing to amusement the earthy footage to viewers. CBS News released a study sounding the alarm connected "cheap fakes" and their interaction successful the upcoming election, echoing the White House's assertion that Biden is "victim to a simpler mentation of ‘deepfakes.’"

The Associated Press ran its ain fact-check connected the video showing Biden lasting inactive astatine his star-studded LA fundraiser until erstwhile President Obama was seen grabbing his wrist and guiding him disconnected the signifier with his manus down Biden's back. 

"CLAIM: Biden froze onstage during his fundraiser successful Los Angeles connected Saturday nighttime and had to beryllium led distant by Obama," AP wrote astatine the time. "THE FACTS: Biden paused amid cheers and applause arsenic helium exited the signifier with his predecessor pursuing an interrogation moderated by late-night big Kimmel."

Notably, histrion George Clooney, who attended the LA fundraiser that the AP fact-checked, came cleanable successful the now-infamous New York Times op-ed revealing the Biden helium saw conscionable weeks anterior "was the aforesaid antheral we each witnessed astatine the debate."

Several media outlets ran screen for President Biden by dismissing alleged "cheap fake" moments. (Getty Images)

In June, conscionable weeks earlier the CNN debate, The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell study astir Biden's "signs of slipping" down closed doors. It was met with beardown hostility from wide pundits. MSNBC's "Morning Joe" declared the report was a "Trump deed portion connected Biden." Then-CNN media newsman Oliver Darcy accused the insubstantial of "playing into a GOP-propelled narrative" and that it "owes its readers — and the nationalist — better." 

It wasn't until aft Biden's disastrous statement show and his exit from the 2024 contention that journalists began expressing regret implicit their deficiency of sum of his cognitive decline.

New York Times analogous Peter Baker suggested journalists broadly request to bash immoderate "soul-searching" connected however they handled covering Biden. 

NYT, MSNBC, PBS JOURNALISTS PRESSED ON HOW THEY COVERED BIDEN'S AGE: WE PROBABLY NEED TO DO ‘SOUL-SEARCHING’

"It's precise personal. Anybody who's had a begetter oregon parent whose property and you speech to them by taking distant their keys, these are not casual issues… And however bash you constitute thing successful the due way, balanced and yet tough," Baker said successful September during a sheet treatment astatine the Texas Tribune Festival. "I tin beryllium down and marque the lawsuit that we did excessively small astir it. I tin marque the lawsuit we did excessively much. I tin play it either way. But the information is, it's an important issue."

"We weren't relentlessly covering, the mode immoderate of my peers were, Biden's property necessarily, adjacent each the mode up until the debate," PBS NewsHour's Laura Barrón-López said successful the aforesaid panel. "It is and was a valid question. Many times erstwhile I was connected the trail, adjacent earlier the debate, voters would bring it up. Almost each azygous elector I spoke to would bring it up, adjacent if they were readying to ballot for President Biden."

The Guardian's David Smith, besides connected the panel, conceded the anticipation of bias: "There was perhaps, adjacent connected an unconscious level, the conception that if you absorption truthful overmuch connected Joe Biden's age, you are someway helping Donald Trump." 

New York Times' Peter Baker, The Guardian's David Smith, MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire and PBS NewsHours' Lauren Barrón-López discussed however good the media covered President Biden's property astatine the Texas Tribune Festival successful Austin, Texas connected Sept. 7, 2024. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)

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In December, ex-CNN editor-at-large Chris Cilizza offered an "apology" for not pushing hard capable to question Biden's intelligence health, admitting helium felt blameworthy of "age shaming" by the president's allies. 

"While I did inquire the question from clip to time… I didn't truly propulsion connected it, if I'm being honest," Cillizza said successful a video message. "I astir apt should've pushed harder connected the Biden property worldly because, successful retrospect, it's wide that the radical adjacent to him knew that astatine best, helium had immoderate bully days and immoderate atrocious days."

"And truthful I deliberation it's a acquisition that we person to larn going forward. Because again, Donald Trump volition beryllium the oldest idiosyncratic ever to clasp bureau if helium serves for 4 years, and I volition beryllium mindful of that. Because again, asking those questions isn't a partisan thing. Asking those questions is simply a journalism thing, and I should person pushed harder and not been arsenic consenting to judge the 'Nah, he's fine. Look astatine him erstwhile he's successful public' campaign," helium added.