Word from the deputy editor | Zero, as in Joe

I was in New York a few days ago for a fireside chat with the big boss of New York Times, to use the warm expression contained in the invitation.

He discussed with AG Sulzberger the business model of his media, the future of the local press, artificial intelligence, and the troubled relationship with the big media that presidential candidates have. Not just Donald Trump…

The discussion focused largely on the political coverage of the New York Timesand on the often heard accusations of “wokism” and complacency towards Democrats.

Sulzberger dismissed the criticism with a touch of impatience, clearly exasperated by the question. And he addressed Trump’s attacks on his media, but also Biden’s stubborn refusals to respond to invitations from his journalists.

“Biden gave more interviews to Jason Bateman than to New York TimesAt Washington Post and at Wall Street Journal reunited! “, he was indignant.

Who is Bateman? A Hollywood actor who hosts the podcast show SmartLessand who not only had the chance to interview Biden: he was entitled to a second interview with the President of the United States!

And how many times has the latter met with the NYT, the WP and the WSJ?

Zero, as in Joe.

We have debated endlessly in recent years about the unhealthy dynamic that links Donald Trump to journalists, but we have talked little about that of his rival, which is not much better.

Let us be clear, the Democratic candidate has never described the facts as “fake news” and the media as “the enemy of the people”, which establishes a clear demarcation between the two. But if we put the attacks and insults aside and coldly analyze Joe Biden’s accessibility and the number of interactions he has had with the major media since his election in 2021, we quickly realize… that they are almost non-existent.

So much so that Biden ranks in the top 3 presidents who, over the past 100 years, have avoided the press the most while in office. An inglorious podium that he shared with Reagan and Nixon.

We obviously don’t judge a president just by the number of interviews and press conferences he gives. But it is still an important indicator of his desire to be accountable to voters: he may well increase the appearances on the Weather Channel and on Comedy Central, as Biden did, we will not know much more on his support for Netanyahu.

The presence of the president before the media is also a gesture of openness, accountability, transparency, especially when exchanges with journalists allow for questions and sub-questions.

So, if we look at the different presidents of the last three decades, from George Bush Sr. to Joe Biden, we note that each of them has held on average around 20 press conferences per year.

According to the American Presidency Project¹George Bush senior held the greatest number, with an average of 35 per year, followed by Bush junior (26), Bill Clinton (24), Donald Trump (22) and Barack Obama (20).

How many did Biden hold on average? No more than 11.

We can well find a justification for this low number of appearances, specify that Biden favors social networks and allows spokespeople more to express themselves, add that Trump’s press conferences resembled trench warfare, etc.

The fact remains that after the tumultuous era of Donald Trump, Joe Biden promised to reestablish healthier and more open relations with the press. On this point, unfortunately, it is a failure. Biden even had the nerve to avoid the press for more than 150 days in 2022, almost half a year!

But what is better? Refuse to respond to journalists, or respond to them cavalierly? Hmm, good question for The joust.

Is Joe Biden making up for it by giving interviews to journalists who hand him their microphone and invite him to their studio? No more. This is precisely what AG Sulzberger denounced.

This raises serious questions, especially in the context where there might not be a single televised debate during the entire electoral campaign, a first since 1976, as Richard Hétu wrote last Thursday².

On the one hand, we have a Republican candidate who avoids the major media because he hates almost all of them. And on the other hand, we have a Democratic candidate who is avoiding them, because he doesn’t want tight questions that could make him look bad… while still finding the time necessary to meet the actor Jason Bateman, or even Howard Stern, like he did it last Friday.

We can guess that Joe Biden’s media avoidance is linked to his age, criticism of his failing memory and his team’s strategy of keeping him as far away as possible from improvisation, potential gaffes and unscripted moments. .

But the conclusion is no less damning: the mainstream media are in the blind spot of this presidential election, perhaps the most important of our existence.

1. Consult the compilation of the American Presidency Project (in English)

2. Read “No presidential debate in 2024? »