Get ready to buckle up, we’re diving into the recent CNN interview with President Joe Biden, hosted by the network’s anchor Erin Burnett. Far from being a tough, fact-checking conversation, it turned out to be a high-five session.
Burnett kicked off with a gentle question, tied in with Biden’s trip to the Microsoft’s new AI data center project site. Biden was allowed to trot out his rehearsed responses without being challenged or asked for any in-depth explanation.
Here’s an example: Biden faced zero criticism for his glorious job creation promises. Burnett conveniently let his grand statements about his role in pandemic recovery workplace dynamics slide. Even his extraordinary claims of creating 100,000 jobs failed to invite any dispute, despite the fact that Microsoft own estimate is 2,300 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent ones.
Sure, they want to train 100,000 workers on AI by 2030, but is it really fair to credit those as jobs created by the administration? The media seems to conveniently gloss over this bit of misdirection.
And yes, Burnett did express worry about whether Biden had time to resurrect the economy, but she barely batted an eye when he flat out claimed it was already turned around. No follow-ups or clarifications were pressed, just acceptance.
The height of inaccuracy was when Biden stated that inflation was at 9% when he took office. Wrong. It was 1.4%. Burnett with her background in economics surely knew this, it’s common knowledge. Yet, she let this slide too.
The interview meandered away from the economy and Burnett gave Biden an opportunity to win over young voters. Again, no hard-hitting questions, no challenges, just a platform to address the youth.
The president even alluded to the obstruction of arms shipments to Israel, citing concerns over their usage, and faced no inquiries or objections. Yet Biden’s play about Trump rejecting election results was gobbled up.
And as if just to reminisce, some attention was given to Obama’s legacy and what advice he might give Biden. “Keep doing what I’m doing”, responded Biden, and Burnett offered no further complications.
Adding fuel to the fire was the panel discussion, where Scott Jennings and David Axelrod sparred over the comparison between Biden’s armament holds to Israel and Trump’s call to Ukraine President Zelenskyy.
Promised an interview, what viewers got was a missed opportunity for rigorous journalism. Unfortunately, instead, it was a typical ‘soft soap’ approach preferred by the mainstream media when dealing with the current administration.
There’s something the media must be reminded of: An interview is meant to pursue the truth, not validate political spins. The truth matters. The viewers deserve it, the public deserves it. Let’s bring back authenticity and accountability into reporting. There’s no need to pad up the promises or downplay the slip-ups. It’s time to call a spade a spade.
