Latest news with #mediaCoverage
Fox News
a day ago
- Health
- Fox News
CNN's Tapper rips media smear campaign against Hur, WSJ report on Biden decline without mentioning own network
CNN anchor Jake Tapper has taken aim at the media's treatment of those who sounded the alarm about former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline before it was fully exposed at the now-infamous presidential debate, despite the fact that his own network was guilty of lobbing such attacks. As Biden was actively seeking reelection, there were two explosive moments that drew attention to his mental acuity before the debate. The first was in February 2024 with the release of the Hur report, which determined the Justice Department would not seek criminal charges over the then-president's mishandling of classified information, in part because a jury would deem him as a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." The report also revealed Biden couldn't remember key dates, such as when he was in office and when his son Beau died. The second was in June 2024, weeks before the debate, when The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report titled, "Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping," a months-long investigation by reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes involving more than 45 sources who were either directly involved or briefed on meetings with Biden, who they said "appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones." On Bari Weiss' "Honestly" podcast Thursday, Tapper spoke about how the Biden White House went to "war" with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who he described to Weiss as a "serious civil servant," and how members of the media participated. "A lot of people in the media are very complicit and part of the smear machine against Robert Hur," Tapper told Weiss. "Robert Hur is smeared and cannot get a job for months. And he was – honestly, if you look back at what he said, that was polite!" He also praised "great reporters" Linksey and Hughes, noting they, too, were viciously attacked. "[They] are garroted by the Democratic Party and by journalists and by media critics, and by journalism professors and this whole industry of people who claim to be non-partisan assessors of truth… that had to have been traumatizing for them," Tapper said. What Tapper failed to mention was that CNN was among those "complicit" in Team Biden's attacks on Hur and The Wall Street Journal. Jim Acosta, who at the time was Tapper's CNN colleague, wondered aloud if Hur's assessment was "out of bounds," while CNN commentator and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield accused Hur of "editorializing" his report, and then-CNN political analyst John Avlon wondered why "some spin on the ball" was included. One of CNN's go-to legal experts, Jeffrey Toobin, scolded Hur for making "unnecessary points" about Biden's advanced age, characterizing the special counsel as a "Republican partisan" who "trashed" the president despite not bringing charges. "Part of that report was an outrage, was a disgrace," Toobin said at the time. "I mean, the idea that they that he would make such a big point of Biden being elderly is not something a prosecutor needed to do." CNN liberal pundit Paul Begala similarly attacked the "partisan Trumper" for "editorializing way out of his league," even suggesting Hur was motivated to seek revenge on Biden for voting against William Rehnquist, for whom Hur had clerked, during his Supreme Court confirmation as Chief Justice in 1986 when Biden served as a senator. "This guy has donated to Republicans. He is a partisan," Begala said. "The only job he had was to indict or not indict, and to add all this — the only thing he didn't add was the legal disclaimer that this is a political ad in support of Donald Trump. It was a total cheap shot." CNN's then-senior political analyst Gloria Borger immediately took Biden's side, insisting, "This is not a man who's going to forget the day his son died" and echoed Biden's falsehood that Hur was the one who brought up Beau's death in the interview when, in fact, it was the president. Perhaps Biden's biggest defender at CNN at the time was its media reporter, Oliver Darcy (who has since left the network), who declared Hur's depiction of Biden's mental state "didn't match reality." "The acknowledgement from some, but not all, news outlets on Tuesday about the true nature of Biden's deposition marked another embarrassing moment for the national press, which has floundered at pivotal moments in the lead up to the crucial 2024 presidential election," Darcy wrote in March 2024. "The deposition transcripts not only indicated that Biden appeared fairly sharp during his testimony, joking with investigators and retelling stories with granular detail, but that Hur was misleading in how he presented some of the information included in his report." "Hur chose to portray the president as a mentally diminished elderly man who struggled to recall basic information during his deposition, raising alarm bells about whether he had the fitness to serve in the nation's highest office. Hur's characterization of Biden played directly into a years-long campaign waged by Biden's political opponents and the powerful right-wing media machine to depict the president as a senile, aloof man," he continued. Following The Wall Street Journal's report, several CNN anchors stressed that the paper's story heavily relied on Republican criticism of Biden and called out former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who gave the only on-the-record statement, for appearing to flip-flop on Biden's sharpness in previous comments (the Journal reporters later explained it as a tactical PR move at the time for McCarthy to bolster cooperation with the Biden White House). CNN's Boris Sanchez grilled Hughes over Democratic allegations that her story was "slanted," a question that would be unfathomable to a journalist covering Donald Trump. Darcy erupted at The Wall Street Journal, insisting its reporting "suffers from glaring problems," lecturing the paper it "owes its readers — and the public — better." "It is difficult to imagine that the newspaper, or any outlet, would run a similar story declaring that Trump is 'slipping' behind the scenes based on the word of top Democratic figures — despite the fact that the Democratic leadership has demonstrated a much stronger relationship with the truth in recent years than their Republican counterparts," Darcy wrote. "More broadly speaking, The Journal's piece pointed to a continued problem roiling the news media as it covers the 2024 election. Trump is permitted to fall asleep in court and make nonsensical public statements on a routine basis without any serious questions raised about his mental acuity," the ex-CNN pundit continued. "Meanwhile, Biden is judged on an entirely different standard." A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘60 Minutes' legend Lesley Stahl says she's ‘angry' at CBS boss Shari Redstone over Trump lawsuit
Lesley Stahl, who has spent decades as a correspondent for the seminal Sunday night newsmagazine 60 Minutes, is making it clear that she is 'angry' with her corporate boss for looking to settle Donald Trump's 'frivolous' lawsuit against CBS News. The legendary newswoman also said she is 'pessimistic' about the future of 60 Minutes, adding that 'we're in very dark times' and that she's already preemptively 'mourning' the potential destruction of the long-running program amid an upcoming merger and the president's attacks on legacy media. In a wide-ranging conversation with The New Yorker's chief editor David Remnick this past weekend, Stahl sounded off on CBS parent company Paramount's efforts to make Trump's $20 billion lawsuit over the way 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris, which the president contends was done 'deceitfully' to interfere in the 2024 election. Following Trump's return to the White House, Paramount's top shareholder Shari Redstone has pushed for a settlement as the company needs the administration's approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which pro-Trump business mogul Larry Ellison backs. Additionally, Redstone has not only pressured 60 Minutes to ease up on its Trump coverage amid the lawsuit and merger drama, but also criticized the show over the way it's covered the Gaza war. Amid the discussions with Trump's legal team about a settlement, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News chief Wendy McMahon – who had said they would not apologize as part of any deal with the president – abruptly resigned. Paramount's board has reportedly offered Trump a $15 million settlement, which is in line with ABC News' capitulation to the president, but Trump is demanding at least $25 million and an apology. Asked by Remnick what is behind the president's lawsuit, Stahl — who has interviewed Trump four times — said that it is an effort 'to chill us,' noting that 'there aren't any damages' suffered by Trump. 'I mean, he accused us of editing Kamala Harris in a way to help her win the election. But he won the election,' she added. Trump's legal team has since argued in court that the interview caused the president 'mental anguish.' Labeling it as a 'frivolous' lawsuit, Stahl went on to describe Owens as a 'hero' to the newsroom while lobbing criticisms towards Redstone over the 60 Minutes producer feeling the need to step down. '[H]e was being asked to either not run pieces or to change parts of the stories, and he was standing up to that. I don't know, frankly, if there was one request that led to it or just an accumulation, one after the next,' she said. 'That was just painful. Painful,' she continued, speaking about Owens' resignation. 'Everybody at '60 Minutes'—I think everybody, most of us—really appreciated his standing up to the pressure, and saw him in heroic terms. So when he announced that he was stepping down, it was a punch in the stomach. It was one of those punches where you almost can't breathe.' Adding that McMahon had also served as an 'intermediary between us and the corporation, and she sided with CBS News,' Stahl then expressed disappointment over the likelihood that Paramount will settle with the president. 'Are you angry at Shari Redstone?' Remnick wondered, prompting Stahl to reply: 'Yes, I think I am. I think I am.' At the same time, though, the veteran CBS reporter said that while Owens being forced out may have been a bridge too far for much of the staff, she claimed he urged everyone on the show to stay. 'Bill Owens leaving was a line, and here we all are,' she stated. 'He asked us not to resign. He explicitly asked us not to resign. Because it was discussed that we would leave en masse.' Stahl also said it was 'hard' and 'not a small thing' that Redstone had been applying pressure on the news division over its coverage, making her wonder if 'any corporation should own a news operation' going forward. 'It is very disconcerting,' she proclaimed. As for CBS News' new 'corporate overlords' at Skydance if the merger goes through, Stahl said she's 'praying' and 'hoping' that they'd allow the network 'to be independent' and for journalists to do their jobs. Still, she acknowledged that it could be a 'little Pollyannaish' to believe that will be the outcome. 'I'm not optimistic. I am not. I'm pessimistic,' she told Remnick. 'I'm pessimistic about the future for all press today. The public doesn't trust us. The public has lost faith in us as an institution. So we're in very dark times.' Stahl also expressed concern about the 'fragility' of press institutions as a whole, especially with mega-billionaires and large conglomerations pressuring the news organizations they own to soften their coverage of the current administration while they cozy up to the president. 'The pain in my heart is that the public does not appreciate the importance of a free and strong and tough press in our democracy,' she lamented, adding: 'We are a headache. An expensive headache. And that's part of the fragility.' Amid the continued push to reach a settlement with Trump, Democratic lawmakers have warned the Paramount board and Redstone that paying the president to kill the lawsuit could run afoul of anti-bribery laws, considering that the company is hoping to coax the administration to approve a merger. The California State Senate has now opened an inquiry into Paramount over whether it violated state laws on bribery, inviting both Owens and McMahon to testify. Paramount executives, in fact, have even discussed the possibility of being held liable or criminally charged if the business settles the complaint. The Freedom of the Press Foundation has since threatened to sue the company if it reaches a settlement with the president.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Team Biden Gaslit America
Ben unpacks the Biden administration's efforts to hide the truth about President Biden's cognitive decline from the American public. He's joined by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to discuss the state of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill', as well as his thoughts on his primary race in the 2026 election cycle. He's then joined by FOX News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich to discuss the media's role in downplaying concerns in the final months of Joe Biden's presidency. Later, the Big Ben Crew talk Andor, school plays, and whether Dylan is getting fired. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Conservative firebrand Dana Loesch reveals cunning 'trick' she thinks Biden used to 'cover-up' his cancer
A top conservative has claimed that former President Joe Biden 'played' the press to have them 'cover-up' his cancer diagnosis. Biden's office announced Sunday afternoon that the 82-year-old was diagnosed with an 'aggressive form' of prostate cancer. The cancer has metastasized and spread to his bones and his family is currently deciding on treatment options, the statement read. Since the major announcement, a slew of speculation has taken over as many believe Biden showed signs of decline when he was in the White House. Dana Loesch, a radio and TV host and the former spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, is one of those who believes the 46th president and his team had the media purposely hide his declining health - but were duped into actually hiding his cancer diagnosis. Loesch took to X Monday morning, calling the media 'an embarrassing joke.' 'I wonder if the legacy press feels stupid for blatantly running cover on Biden's egregious cognitive decline only to realize they were played into hiding his serious cancer diagnosis. Our media is an embarrassing joke,' she wrote. She followed up with: 'This is what happens when you have people more interested in power adjacency, and the appearance of influence that goes with it, than their duty of protecting the republic.' People quickly swarmed to her post as some agreed with her theory. 'Biden's decline happened within months of him entering office,' wrote one. 'None of Biden's secrets would be secrets if the media did their job properly,' said another. Someone else called it 'a massive, epic cover up by the media and everyone associated with the Biden administration.' Even the president's son, Donald Trump Jr.. is not fully convinced Biden was just diagnosed with the disease. 'What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???,' he wrote on X. Trump Jr. shared an observation from a doctor that prostate cancer was easy to diagnose, and that it typically took 5 to 7 years of treatment before it metastasized. He also shared an old video of Biden delivering a speech in 2022 in which he spoke about environmental pollution and concluded, 'that's why I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer.' At the time, the Biden communications team clarified that the president was referring to his past experience with skin cancer and melanoma. But Trump Jr. said it was evident that Biden may have had cancer as early as when he first became president. 'Joe says he had cancer 2 years ago and everyone said it's a gaffe,' he wrote. 'When he clearly had dementia, everyone said he's lucid. Now that he's no longer useful they're all shocked that they missed it.' Trump Jr. concluded that there may have been a plot at the highest levels of the Biden family and his staff to cover up his health issues. Just hours after announcing his cancer diagnosis, Biden took to social media to address it himself. 'Cancer touches us all,' he wrote on X alongside a selfie of him sporting a brave smile alongside a somber-looking former first lady Jill Biden, who was holding their gray tabby cat Willow. 'Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,' Biden added. 'Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.' Prostate cancers are provided a 'Gleason score,' which measures how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. Biden's score of 9 suggests his cancer is among the most aggressive. 'While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,' his office noted. The announcement came just one week after reports revealed that a 'small nodule' was found on Biden's prostate that needed 'further evaluation.' It's common for those of Biden's advanced age to experience prostate issues. More than half of prostate cancers are found in men older than 65, according to the American Cancer Society. A nodule is a firm lump or swelling that can develop throughout the body. While they can be benign and harmless, some can be associated with bigger health concerns like infections or, in this case, cancer.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A behind-the-scenes look at Biden's dark debate night
Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper's book, focuses much of its attention on media coverage of the 46th president, a topic of deep concern and obsession by the last administration and its top aides. Semafor obtained a early copy of the book, which includes details about some previously unreported strategies the administration tried to keep the press from reporting on Biden's age. The book notes, for example, that before The Wall Street Journal published its widely-read story questioning Biden's mental acuity, a different national news outlet decided to scrap a story about Biden's mental decline, following an angry call to the reporter from senior adviser Mike Donilon. It also chronicles the ways in which the campaign selectively tried to get in front of potentially damaging information, detailing how the White House leaked special prosecutor Robert Hur's report first to journalists the Biden team perceived as sympathetic, hoping to pre-spin the details. Digital video was a constant struggle for the Biden campaign, Tapper and Thompson write. The campaign tried to manage by enlisting director Steven Spielberg and getting creative with editing, even going as far as to stage a never-aired made-for-video town hall. Staff frequently used slow motion videos of Biden so people didn't realize how slowly he was walking in real-time, and used extra edits to clean up his stumbles. The book also includes behind-the-scenes details about the leadup and fallout of the consequential presidential debate. The book reports that Biden's team was very late for the scheduled candidate walkthrough before the contest. While Trump arrived at 6 pm and walked through the debate studio around 7 pm, peppering CNN chief Mark Thompson with logistical questions, Biden's team never made its initial walkthrough time, prompting panic from a CNN executive, who called Biden aide Anita Dunn inquiring about his whereabouts. Dunn told the network that he didn't need to be there because he had done plenty of debates, but the CNN executive replied that the president should see the stage and the setup. Biden finally arrived and walked through the set between 8:32 and 8:50, 10 minutes before the debate was set to air. Before the June debate, Vice President Kamala Harris' team had booked her on four TV networks to spin Biden's performance. But the fallout from the contest was so intense that some staff advised her to cancel the appearances. While she decided to do the interviews, she may have ended up regretting participating in an appearance with CNN's Anderson Cooper: The anchor's difficult questioning seemed to get under the then-VP's skin. After the interview, the book's authors' report, Harris was visibly angry with Cooper, and told staff that 'this motherf*cker doesn't treat me like the damn vice president of the United States.'
