Is it a news conference, or a staged event Thursday?

JULY 10, 2024 — Will the American press continue to be perceived as a powerful and independent check on government and government abuse? Or will it be relegated to sideshow status, with ever-decreasing numbers of people relying upon it as a watchdog of our elected leaders?

That’s what concerns me with respect to tomorrow’s news conference in the White House.

Two radio station hosts have admitted last week that they asked President Biden questions which had, in fact, been written and provided to them by the White House. Yesterday I sent a letter to the White House Correspondents Association. In this communication, I asked that its member refuse to accept questions or suggestions for questions from the Biden Administration to ask at the next news conference. I also asked that the WHCA consider encouraging all candidates for president at/over age 75 to submit to cognitive tests so the public would know the mental capacity of the candidate. (See the letter below.)

Thus far (Wednesday afternoon) I have not received a reply from the executive director of the WHCA, Steve Thomma, nor from Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News, current president of the WHCA, to the email and letter.  I received a positive reply to my communication from Jonathan Karl of ABC News, immediate past president of the WHCA.  (I mistakenly thought Karl was still the president when I wrote my letter.)

PART TWO IN A TWO-PART SERIES

The Biden Administration is holding its next news conference tomorrow, a “big boy” news conference (in the words of its press staff members). This will be the first news conference President Biden has held in 2024.  (See more about one of the last ones below.)

It comes at a pivotal time – not just for President Biden, but our national and especially for the profession of journalism as well. Many Americans don’t believe that journalists are fair and accurate. That’s according to the Gallup Organization, which has polled the public on this matter for many decades. We know that in 2023, 68 percent of the public stated that they had “not very much” or “none at all” trust in the media.  This is the worst poll results for journalism in 50 years.  In the late 70s, less than 5% of the public stated that it had “none at all” trust in the media.  Today that statistic is at 39%. (See chart below.)

Even worse is the media’s credibility among younger Americans. According to Pew Research, a full 50% of Americans ages 18-29 trust news from social media sites. By comparison, 56% say that they have a lot of trust in national news organizations. (See chart below.)

I’ve been teaching journalism and media at a community college in NE Ohio for 20 years. In my email to the WHCA I also stressed that it is really important that the White House Press Corps grasps the fact that today’s college students have a high degree of disdain for, and disbelief in, the journalism profession. Here are comments from some of my recent students about what they think of news and journalism today:

“None of it is true.”

“I never pay attention.”

“It’s so inauthentic.”

https://news.gallup.com/poll/512861/media-confidence-matches-2016-record-low.aspx

With trust in government also at all-time lows, it is critical for our democracy to discover the truth about the president’s physical and mental condition. Cries of “coverup” abound, and reporters are wearing blinders if they don’t see that reality.

EXTEMPORANEOUS? OR PRE-PLANNED

Last year, the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi wrote “The dirty little secret of White House news conferences – President Biden was photographed holding a notecard Wednesday, revealing the stage managing behind many political media events.”  It’s a fascinating read. Today, anyone who’s concerned about whether the press is performing its function of holding the Biden administration accountable should “pull back the curtain” and read the entire article.  It is linked below for you.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/04/27/white-house-press-conference-questions-biden/

For about two decades, I worked in the public relations profession. There’s a lot I could say about the high value and importance of an independent and vigorous press. In an age where many clients measure the results of their communication only by “earned impressions” (look it up if you don’t know the definition) I can attest that an independent and objective journalist’s report of a person, company, or new process is far more important than anything else when it comes to truth and trust. And that’s what is most needed in government these days, a larger measure of both. Farhi’s story points out a sad truth: There are lot of people who will go a long way to obfuscate the truth, and to make something appear to be honest and transparent when it is not.

Which brings us to tomorrow’s news conference.

THERE IS REALLY ONLY ONE QUESTION

“To serve his country, Biden should leave the race.” That is the headline on the New York Times editorial on June 28, 2024. A link to it is just a few paragraphs below.

On Monday, The New York Times reported that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist and specialist in treating Parkinson’s Disease, had visited the White House eight times in the last several months, apparently seeing President Biden.

If an oncologist were to see you, and was treating you that frequently, what is your diagnosis? (As a Stage 3 bladder cancer survivor. I can both ask and answer that question.)

The foremost — indeed only — question that every reporter should be asking President Biden is this: For what is Dr. Cannard treating you? What is your diagnosis? If that question isn’t asked Thursday, journalism’s integrity takes a horrible hit. If President Biden doesn’t answer that question, his reputation also falls into further decline.

One final observation: As mentioned in my letter to the White House Correspondents Association, the President of the U.S. is Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces under Article II, Section 2 of our constitution. That means he’s responsible for the usage of nuclear weapons and more than two million Americans now serving in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, etc. That is a critical reason why the mental capacity of the President is such an important issue. Decisions which could cause World War III can come out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Kerezy is an associate professor of media and journalism studies at Cuyahoga Community College. He also spent 13 years as a high school speech and debate coach. The opinions expressed here are his alone, and not those of Cuyahoga Community College. You can reach Kerezy at john.kerezy@tri-c.edu or at 216-987-5040.

PART ONE OF THIS SERIES: https://eyeoncleveland.com/2024/07/07/journalistic-malpractice/

POST NOTE: There is one other possible way Thursday’s news conference might go. We may need a Part Three to delve into that, if it happens.