Political Playbook is responding to criticisms they’ve received on how the media is covering the insurrection and how Republicans are setting up ways to undermine future elections.
Dana Milbank got this rodeo going when his op-ed, “The media treats Biden as badly as — or worse than — Trump. Here’s proof,” caused some heads to explode.
Talking to MSNBC, Dana said:
It’s not Democrats against Republicans but small ‘d’ democrats against authoritarians, and as you noted in the beginning, in many ways we’re losing the struggle. I agree with reporters not being partisan but we should be partisan when it comes to democracy. We should be partisan when it comes to the facts and I think that’s where we need to take a stand.”
Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade responded in Politico Playbook: What the left doesn’t get about the media
One of the most consistent criticisms of the political press from the left these days is that it treats politics and policy as “normal” when the United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of democracy.
Politico gives a sort of a bullet point presentation of what happened before and after January 6th.
So, given this set of facts, the media critics on the left fairly ask: Why isn’t this the only subject in American politics that we in the press are covering?
That’s not what media critics are asking at all. We understand there are many other stories to cover, BUT surely an attempted coup by a sitting president who lost a free and fair election must be highlighted constantly, no? Especially when we don’t have answers as to how it all happened!
And his treasonous attempt at a coup coup has inspired Republicans around the country to do everything they can to subvert future elections.
The US Capitol has not been attacked since 1812! It’s a story!
After highlighting a couple of good articles pertaining to these issues, Politico has an answer for that and guess who is to blame?
There’s a lot more to be said about all of this, but here’s one point that both of these articles raise: For better or worse, campaign coverage emphasizes what candidates are doing and saying. Washington policy and politics coverage emphasizes what the president and other leaders are trying to move through Congress.
If Democratic candidates aren’t talking about America’s anti-democratic movement, and if President JOE BIDEN, Speaker NANCY PELOSI and Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER aren’t doing it every day in Washington, then the coverage will reflect that. That is not a defense of the political-media ecosystem but just a description of it.
See, it’s the Democratic party leaders who are failing to do what Trump did. Stand on a soap box and yell fake news and enemy of the people and maybe journalists will listen.
What f**king crap.
It’s not like Republicans are hiding what they are doing to subvert the Constitution and the will of the people.
They are doing it in plain freaking sight!
All journalists have to do is open their eyes. Republican malfeasance is happening in front of their faces and guess what? It’s NEWS. Every day.
Sure, the dark money groups that are paying off these scumbags try to hide what’s what, but their actions are highly visible if reporters bother to look.
Instead, what Politico is saying is that they’re going to cover everything as a horse race, and the ones making the most noise will get the most coverage, whether it’s newsworthy or not.
How does Politico justify this?
Last week, you had a big story about the VP’s earbuds, framed like a scandal. Must have followed an Oval Office address about Bluetooth that I missed, I guess. https://t.co/RZagpcJOTe
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) December 15, 2021