Leftist media outlets are finally getting a taste of what it’s like to be a conservative outlet attempting to cover Democratic politicians as feeble Joe Biden and his administration have been avoiding interviews and news conferences.
The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, and other leftwing mainstream media outlets are unable to get Biden to sit down with them, according to a statement blasting Biden for “systematically avoiding” them.
The New York Times released the following statement on Thursday:
A spokesperson for The New York Times responds to recent reporting about a free press and reporting on the president.
For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term. The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.
Mr. Biden has granted far fewer press conferences and sit-down interviews with independent journalists than virtually all of his predecessors. It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with Mr. Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century. If the president chooses not to sit down with The Times because he dislikes our independent coverage, that is his right, and we will continue to cover him fully and fairly either way.
However, in meetings with Vice President Harris and other administration officials, the publisher of The Times focused instead on a higher principle: That systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it also establishes a dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability. That is why Mr. Sulzberger has repeatedly urged the White House to have the president sit down with The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN and other major independent news organizations that millions of Americans rely on to understand their government.
This comes after a Politico report, which states the White House and The New York Times are currently engaged in a “petty feud.”
“Biden’s people think they’re ‘entitled.’ The Times says ‘they’re not being realistic,’” Politico reports.
The report continues, “Biden’s closest aides had come to see the Times as arrogant, intent on setting its own rules and unwilling to give Biden his due.”
The Gateway Pundit reported on the Biden Regime’s anger with the New York Times on Thursday.
Per Fox:
New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger reportedly confronted Vice President Kamala Harris over Biden’s decision to avoid interviews with major newspapers.
After Sulzberger questioned Harris on why Biden had not done sit-down interviews with major newspapers, including his own, Harris told him to get in touch with the White House press office. She later “grumbled” to her aides, Politico reported, about the exchange being a waste of time.
Some on Biden’s team believe the Times has not adequately covered the importance of the 2024 election, which they view as “a matter of democracy’s survival,” according to the Politico report on the tumultuous relationship between The White House and the paper.
Biden has done fewer interviews with news outlets than any of his predecessors. He has so far refused interviews with major outlets such as the Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He made a recent appearance on Seth Meyers’ show and joined Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes on their “SmartLess” podcast in late March.
More below from OANN White House correspondent Monica Paige:
Paige: The Biden administration’s silent war on a free and fair press appears to be coming to light. It seems other outlets and reporters are finally getting a taste of what it’s like to be ignored, silenced, and neglected just for trying to do their jobs. Here at One America News, we are no stranger to this type of treatment. One America News not only doesn’t get a seat in the briefing room but doesn’t get called on to ask questions. And emails and letters, oftentimes, go on answered or passed on and likely discarded. But now this kind of treatment is reportedly becoming contagious, bleeding into an unlikely outlet, The New York Times. In a statement this week, the New York Times expressed its growing frustration regarding President Biden’s refusal to sit down for an interview with the outlet and that the President has taken far fewer questions from the press than any one of his predecessors. “It should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term.” The statement continues, “The President occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.”
This very statement summarizes exactly what the true role of a free press is: to allow the public to make informed decisions, hold leaders accountable, and hear a diversity of opinions, all free of government influence. According to the American Presidency Project, Biden, on average, holds 11 news conferences per year. By comparison, President Trump held 22, Obama held more than 20, George W. Bush held more than 25, and Bill Clinton held 24. To date, in 2024, Biden has held zero news conferences. For an administration that originally prided itself on being the most transparent for the American people, the truth for many media outlets, like ourselves, is that we have never been left with more questions than answers and left in the dark about our country.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS?:
The New York Times called out the Biden administration for actively and effectively avoiding media questions.Biden has held ZERO press conferences to date in 2024, leaving us all with more questions than answers.
So much for restoring ‘transparency.’ pic.twitter.com/v5MZjsaQe9
— MONICA PAIGE✰OANN (@MonicaPaigeTV) April 26, 2024