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At the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner, journalist Alex Thompson criticized the press for its inadequate coverage of former President Joe Biden’s health issues.
Thompson, a reporter for Axios, received the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage. His reporting has provided detailed insights into Biden’s troubling debate performance against Donald Trump, the factors leading up to it, and Biden’s subsequent decision to withdraw from the presidential race. During his acceptance speech, Thompson candidly acknowledged the media’s shortcomings in thoroughly covering Biden’s health decline.
“Being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story,” Thompson stated in front of a gathering of prominent journalists.
He further emphasized that “President Biden’s decline and its cover-up by those around him serve as a reminder that any administration, regardless of political affiliation, can engage in deception.”
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Biden’s problematic debate performance ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race. Following this decision, numerous journalists admitted to not having adequately examined the president’s health, especially after his awkward debate encounters, which showcased rambling responses and an unusual vocal quality.
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Thompson asserted that the media’s lack of rigorous investigation into Biden’s condition has exacerbated public skepticism toward journalism.
“Some people trust us less because of it,” he noted. “We bear some responsibility for the sinking faith in media. Acknowledging mistakes can rebuild trust, while defensiveness only further diminishes it.”
In a striking conclusion, he remarked, “We should have done better.”
Recent Gallup polling from October 2024 highlights the decline in trust towards American institutions, including the media, with only 31% of Americans expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the media’s ability to accurately report the news.
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Thompson’s observations coincided with a wider dialogue about journalistic accountability. Earlier in the year, NPR CEO Katherine Maher addressed Congress, admitting the network’s insufficient handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 election.
“I want to acknowledge that NPR was misguided in not covering the Hunter Biden laptop story more comprehensively and promptly,” Maher stated to lawmakers, labeling the lack of coverage as a clear “mistake.”
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