Why Did No One Call Out Biden’s Latest CRAZY Move?

An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute of the coverage of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan by major US newspapers has found that the coverage was tilted in favour of the White House and largely ignored criticisms of the plan.

The analysis examined 100 news stories between May and the November midterms and found that quotes from supporters of the proposal outnumbered skeptical ones, while two-thirds of all quotes were provided by Democrats, progressive advocates or borrowers.

Just 12% were provided by Republican officials or taxpayer advocates. Less than a fifth of the quotes were from policy or legal experts. News accounts paid little attention to the legality, fairness, or potential inflationary impact of the White House proposal.

Takeaways:

  • Major US newspapers covered President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan in a manner that largely ignored criticisms of the proposal.
  • The analysis found that quotes from supporters of the proposal significantly outnumbered skeptical ones.
  • Two-thirds of all quotes were provided by Democrats, progressive advocates or borrowers.
  • Less than a fifth of the quotes were from policy or legal experts, while just 12% were provided by Republican officials or taxpayer advocates.
  • News accounts paid little attention to the legality, fairness, or potential inflationary impact of the White House proposal.

Commentary:

The American Enterprise Institute’s analysis of the coverage of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan raises serious concerns about the objectivity and fairness of major US newspapers. It is not the role of the media to be PR flacks for the White House or any other political entity.

Rather, it is their responsibility to report the news in a balanced and impartial manner, taking care to acknowledge and address criticisms of any proposal or policy.

The failure of major US newspapers to do so in this instance is deeply troubling and fuels concerns about media bias and distrust among the American right. The media must do better if it is to regain the trust of the American people.