The Tragedy of Mainstream Media Coverage

By Dr. John E. Warren

Publisher, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

First, let it be said that the Black Press of America believes in our democratic process and believes that the record of President Joe Biden is greater than a bad debate night with Donald Trump. Second, the bigger tragedy was the mainstream media’s effort to make their coverage of last Thursday’s debate a matter of who did the better “sound bites” and not the substance of the issues put before the American people watching the debate. As the Black Press of America, let it be said that we are appalled at the Editorial and News Broadcasts calling for the President to step down. It’s the media’s job to report the news and not initiate an orchestrated campaign to remove the President. Where is the media discussion about the issues, and who said what about them? Where was the major fact-checking of all the lies Trump told? The burden didn’t shift to Biden just because he chose not to respond to the issues the media had decided he should have addressed.

It was not the job of the media to take the issue of the President’s age or push the issue of whether or not he should withdraw from the November 2024 election. But time and time again, on Fox News and Face The Nation, as well as the Editorial positions of the New York Times and Atlanta Constitution, just to name a few, there was the pushing of the idea that the President was too old and should step down. Then, polling questions were generated to support the withdrawal of the president, which was not the job of the media. Once again, it is the Black Press that emerges as the true “Trusted Messenger,” not manipulating the news for ratings. “We, the People,” must not allow our silence to give consent to such media coverage.