News, Media, Politics
Should the Media Give Joe Biden a Break?
Reports of the President's decline and frailty
President Biden's speech in Normandy commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day was excellent. Biden demonstrated that reports that he has slipped and has "good days and bad days" are wrong. Right?
As I watched Biden deliver his speech, I was reading a story in the June 6th edition of the Wall Street Journal entitled "Biden Meetings Fuel Age Concerns." The article, based on interviews with 45 people over several months, documents worries that Biden's age of 81 is a bridge too far for the Presidency. Although the article reports that interviewees offered diverse perspectives on Biden's cognitive state, I am worried.
The article is worth reading, but I regret that the Journal ran it. The United States is at an existential crossroads as far as our democracy is concerned. Whether mentally impaired or not, President Biden is an unambiguous champion of democracy. His opponent is not. Was the Journal, intentionally or not, aiding and abetting the Trump campaign?
The Journal's editors would argue forcefully that the article is consistent with the highest level of journalistic ethics. The paper reports the news, even if the news is not welcome. The editors would point…
