Eric Boehlert: "Bungled," "flubbed," "chaos" -- the press tries to create summer of Biden controversy

[babylonsister]

https://pressrun.media/p/bungled-flubbed-chaos-the-press-tries

”Bungled,” “flubbed,” “chaos” — the press tries to create summer of Biden controversy
Desperate for drama
Eric Boehlert
1 hr ago


It was the kerfuffle that fizzled.

Anxious for some tension to jolt the No Drama Biden era, and missing the nonstop, frantic news cycles of the Trump years, the Beltway media just spent a week in hyperventilation mode. In the end, the story they desperately wanted to push — bipartisan negotiations for the proposed infrastructure bill were unraveling thanks to a Biden “blunder” — went nowhere, and the press once again revealed how it chases over-hyped Democratic White House controversy instead of straight news.

The overheated media excitement for a ho-hum story was the latest proof that the press, five months into Biden’s term, is still struggling to adjust from the Trump era tumult. With clicks and views down this year and more news consumers embracing the return to news cycle ‘normalcy’ under Biden’s steady, non-psychotic hand, reporters, editors, and producers are leaning into any attempt to create headlines and conflict

It also marks the return to process journalism, which Beltway reporters love, as they focus on the theatrics of lawmaking, often at the expense of the substance.

snip//

But journalists often strained themselves trying to construct the new narrative. In an effort to paint the picture of mounting “crises,” several pointed to the already-fixed Colonial Pipeline shutdown from the previous week as proof Biden was facing “new” calamities.

This followed a silly March media outburst of gotcha stories: Biden travels during the pandemic! Biden rides an expensive exercise bike! Biden wears a Rolex! Biden hasn't given a press conference! Biden hasn't credited Trump for the vaccine! Biden hasn't "united" the nation!

Not only were the attacks dopey, but they lacked all context. Biden’s predecessor waged war on free and fair elections during his final months in office and inspired a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Yet the press spent days treating a stray, misdirected Biden sentence regarding infrastructure negotiations as “chaos”?

The press really struggles with the new drama-free White House.

[spanone]

1. K&R

[Orrex]

2. That would be the "liberal media" we keep hearing sbout

Lining up one by one to fellate Trump yet desperate to cast Biden in a negative light.

[lame54]

17. The corporate owned liberal media

[mcar]

3. Now they are on the sexist "Harris is mean to her staff!!11" tour

with lots of unnamed sources saying.

[babylonsister]

4. Yea, I've read that.

mf45 was damaging in so many ways.

[NewJeffCT]

11. they always single out women

Amy Klobuchar in the primaries 18 months ago got hit with this as well. And, while she is not popular on DU, Sinema as well.

I bet nearly every politician who has aspired to be president has been a demanding boss in some way or another.

[COL Mustard]

21. Yeah, And When A Woman Does It, She's Mean...Or Bitchy. But When It's A Guy (Like Me) He's Tough.

Or decisive. C'mon girls, give it another hundred years...this kind of stuff will stop by then!

(In case it's needed)

[snowybirdie]

5. Today

I saw that somehow it's Biden's failure that 70% of Americans aren't vaccinated by July 4th. How about the personal responsibility of Americans?

[nuxvomica]

6. They should focus on the round up of insurrectionists

Plenty of thrilling news there. Along with Repub's unconscionable dismissal of the insurrection and their own attacks on voting. Plenty of thrills and chills as long as they treat that party like the ongoing criminal enterprise it has become. It's not like the right wingers will stop calling them the "liberal media" any time soon, if that's what they're hoping.

[PatSeg]

8. That is true

Lots of action and drama there, so why fabricate superficial stories, when there are very real and even flashy ones to report on? They aren't going to find any juicy scandals in the Biden administration, but I suppose they will keep trying.

[Ligyron]

9. Getting Americans help financially and other actions polls show the public wants

After years of the GOP concentrating on everything but, should be drama enough.

[bigtree]

7. mostly Axios

...and their crew of desperate, forgotten journos looking for clicks.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. And Politico too.

[Bev54]

12. You can count Politico in that group as well

Some pretty stupid stories. One of the reporters of course has a connection to Axios, being the wife of one of their top reporters.

[Lonestarblue]

13. The press struggles when Democrats--all competent--are in the White House.

They favor Republicans because they’re owned by right-leaning wealthy people who think, like Trump, that paying $750 in federal income taxes is eminently fair to them. And Republicans generate plenty of press because they do stupid things and tell stupid lies—all of which drives readers to the clickbait articles.

[wnylib]

14. American journalists need a month

in addiction rehab, followed by a 12 step program.

[heckles65]

15. The whole "liberal media" thing is

something they milk from both ends. If the NYT runs something they don't like, they're "biased." If it runs something they like, its truth taken as proven, because of course the NYT is "biased."

[ladym55]

16. The beltway press does such a poor job

I am convinced at this point that they get their narrative for the day from the RNC.

Never question a Republican ... never follow up ... always blame the Dems. And then add the level of misogyny ... Hating on Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi.

[Mad_Machine76]

18. The good news here

is that the media (and by extension Republicans) is having a hard time finding some kind of monumental scandal or news story to endlessly attack Biden about. Biden just doesn't seem threatening or "other" to a lot of people. Republicans attack him for all kinds of silly stuff but nobody is really paying much attention to stuff that seems trivial after 4 horrible years of Trump and a global pandemic. They just don't know how to attack him in the same way that they were Obama, which is both good and unfair, because Obama's WH was also run competently and was largely scandal-free but Republicans were able to run up the score in terms of electoral wins using racism (against him specifically) and scare tactics over "socialism" and, of course, the "horrifying" specter of universal health care, which, despite their best efforts in the Courts and the WH (under Trump), and control of Congress, is still standing today.

[Blue Owl]

19. Oh FFS...

[COL Mustard]

20. I'll Take Any And All Of Biden's Missteps Over Any Of TFG's Best Efforts Any Damn Day

Biden may not be at the very top of the best Presidents ever (time will tell, and he's only been in office 6 months) but he's a million times better on his worst day than TFG ever was on his best day. No vitriolic tweets, no bashing journalists, no you name it. I'll take him any day as a decent, caring, genuine human being over whatever TFG is.

That is all.