61 Comments

Thank you, Eric! I've been thinking I'm losing my mind, asking myself what the hell is going on with the news media and why the coverage of Joe Biden's presidency has been so negative. The sad and feckless reporting of vaccine "hesitancy," the slavering glee of having Donald Trump to still write about, the "border crisis" (oh, wait, isn't every issue from infrastructure to Biden's dog a "crisis"?), and of course, the horror of Nancy Pelosi refusing to allow two Republican insurrectionist members of Congress to sit on the Jan. 6th Committee! The press is ginning up "crises" simply because since Biden took office, TV news ratings are down and newspapers have continued to lose readers. Trump was manna from heaven for five years - the stories wrote themselves, including two impeachments and his friends' criminal activities made for some

scandals. Now it seems they don't know how to report the news anymore unless they turn it into a "crisis."

Now we're being treated to critical race theory and the burning question of whether or not Hunter Biden's sale of his artwork should be "investigated." The press ponders over these non-issues while nobody is questioning Trump's $75 million slush fund and who has donated to it. We're all dying to know why Simone Biles quit the Olympics, and whenever Prince Harry and Meghan so much as cough, we see hundreds of articles describing it and asking, "what will they do next?"

Thank you for the opportunity to spout off. Your blog is the highlight of my news day. I feel validated.

Expand full comment

Just watched the opening statements from the four officers. If the media marginalizes these four brave police officers after what they just stated then we truly are in deep shit in this country.

Expand full comment

Our airline system is one of the safest in the world because every detail of every accident, incident and crash is investigated in painstaking detail for the purpose of maintaining appropriate and up-to-date procedures, policies and regulations, with public safety as the grail. The National Transportation Safety Board is not a political enterprise, any more than an independent investigation into an attempted coup should be. The republicans, who fear the truth about Jan. 6 for good reason, have caused and promoted chaos in every possible way and the press needs and deserves vigorous criticism for their role in pandering to the maga mess. If they ran the airline biz the response to a crash would be, "Sorry! Wasn't our fault. The Dems crash 'em too!" And the press would report on the "controversy", blame the pilots, and there would be another wreck with the same 'unknown' cause, and rinse, repeat.

Expand full comment

This morning's WaPo, in an otherwise good preview story, began, "House Democrats on Tuesday will attempt to move past the partisan rancor that has engulfed their effort to investigate the Jan. 6 attack...."

I emailed the reporters to ask what rancor Democrats had engaged in. Ha ha.

Expand full comment

It's worth noting that Officer Hodges is referring the rioters as terrorists and just said "they continued to try to persuade me to join their cult" Any GOP rep who tries to downplay this will not do well with more than the people who would and possibly did commit these atrocities. Any media outlet who downplays this testimony is in for a rocky ride. I wonder if they saw this coming when they wrote those tepid, both sides pieces?

Expand full comment

It is appalling that our Failed Political Press ™ has missed the story of the century: one of our two political parties has gone completely insane.

The second plot line, of course is that the press itself has gotten the story wrong since at least the Reagan era, and they are never going to admit that they have a 40-year fail; I mean who would trust them ever again?

Expand full comment

My late husband and former submariner in the US Navy used to say, ‘you can’t shine sh..t.’ Despite media enamored w/bothsiderism, it is what it is and you can’t shine ....

Expand full comment

Powerful testimony. Just turned off Chucko as he’s going right into the political gossip, nothing about the substance of the morning. Shallow, lazy. What’s wrong w/these people? My jaw dropped when the officers said in no uncertain terms, they want to get to the FG. So honest, heartfelt from men who put their lives on the line for political hacks who see, hear, speak no evil. Good start.

Expand full comment

I'm listening to the testimony of officers who were assaulted at the Capitol. If the media and 'both sides' this stuff we are right and truly screwed as a country. These men are testifying that they were assaulted, tased, had their ammo stolen, were threatened with being shot with their own weapons. They are both shaming the GOP reps who are downplaying the vent and letting the know how angry they are. There's not more than 1 side to this testimony. It is horrifying.

Expand full comment

Sen. Rob Portman voted in favor of an independent commission, but then immediately fell into step and voiced the GOP's prefabricated position: "I believe that committee, hand selected by Speaker Pelosi, will further divide the nation by operating on a partisan basis, which is the last thing the nation needs." That was BEFORE Kevin McCarthy tried to plant Banks and Jordan and then took his ball and went home when Nancy Pelosi refused to seat sabotuers. So Portman, who is retiring and has no reason to fear the wrath of the wingnut faction of his party, happily goes along with the laughable notion that only an independent commission - that his party rejected - can look into the sedition that the leader of his party perpetrated. Catch 22 is alive and well.

Expand full comment

Remember when the Watergate hearings were on all the broadcast networks. But these hearings are only on cable...

Expand full comment

Speculation is what fills all those column inches (both real and digital) but it really doesn't matter. If the committee does its job correctly, the truth will come out. These media outlets and use all the words they want and stir up all the faux controversy they want but a hearing is a hearing and the truth will come out. I'll be over here eating popcorn and watching the fallout.

Expand full comment

I’m wondering what will happen in media if/when subpoenas are ignored by McCarthy, et.al. a certainty imo. And, yes, media have been hammering Biden for not much. The piece about Hunter’s art showing was a bust. Trivia, gossip, who’s up, Dems are dolts. Really a shame and as hollow as McCarthy is a person. Up is down in the press.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Eric. Really appreciate your column and the reminders to scrutinize the press. All of them.

Expand full comment

12:35 pm - I don’t think the Republicans are going to be able to spin this. This is sad and devastating testimony. “Unmitigated disaster” chances are way up, Eric.

Expand full comment

I saw your tweet about the NYT “how did this turn into a political football comment, and it’s infuriating. I dont have a Twitter account any more as I told the truth about Ted Cruz and got banned for it, but I would’ve lost it anyway over crap like that. I can’t stand it anymore.

Expand full comment