The mainstream media has once again gotten itself trapped in absurdity, this time due to Biden’s commencement address at Morehouse College. After all the drama over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, the media ironically struggled to describe an anti-Biden protest during his speech.
NBC journalist Aaron Gilchrist narrated the commencement address decided on certain peculiar phrases to describe the event. He noted without much nuance that during Biden’s speech about faith, leadership, democracy, and his take on the Israel/Hamas conflict, some graduates expressed their dissent. His vague description neglected to mention that these students quite literally turned their backs to the president as he spoke.
Some students showed their disagreement subtly by turning in their seats during Biden’s remarks, while others dawned symbols of support for the Palestinian people. The class valedictorian, though he did not explicitly address the president, also took up the mantle of the Gaza ceasefire plea. The communication was immersed in ambiguity, leaving room for broad interpretation, so much so that ABC’s Selina Wang couldn’t articulate the protest either.
Adopting softer phrases such as “students silently protesting” and “turning their chairs away,” Wang descriptively diluted the reality of Morehouse graduates unambiguously showing their displeasure towards the president during his address. The clear, unembellished truth is that these graduates protested by turning their backs on Biden.
Do keep in mind that the mainstream media’s seeming inability to articulate isn’t merely a lack of the right words. This is yet another instance where words are conveniently lost to safeguard political favorites. Quite a contrast to how readily they parrot activist talking points when it serves their narrative. Remember the controversy over the “Don’t Say Gay” phrase?
Interestingly, CBS, another media giant, did not cover Biden’s speech at Morehouse since they were busy with the PGA Championship. The irony is not lost here. When it was time to paint Biden unfavorably, CBS conveniently had golf to cover.
In summary, it wasn’t a great day for Biden at Morehouse College, with a fair number of graduates voicing their anger by turning their backs during his speech. Yet, the mainstream media downplayed it, reflecting their perennial bias and selective narration. One is left to wonder – if they can’t call out such a clear form of protest, can we really trust them to report the facts? We need the media to present the truth, not dance around it.
