A recent media analysis has disclosed a glaring disparity in the coverage of political scandals involving two U.S. Presidents. Networks ABC, CBS, and NBC reportedly gave no airtime to an alleged bribery scandal involving Joe Biden, while dedicating 291 minutes to a Trump indictment, according to a Media Research Center report.
The allegations against President Biden revolve around a claim that he received a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian oligarch. The story broke on the same day the Justice Department announced the indictment of President Donald Trump on June 8, 2023. Yet the mainstream media devoted zero coverage to the Biden allegation, starkly contrasting with the extensive focus on Trump’s indictment.
As much as you despise the mainstream media, it's not enough. https://t.co/k7N9zsYITx
— Gerry Callahan (@GerryCallahan) June 13, 2023
The lack of airtime dedicated to the Biden story raises troubling questions about the state of modern journalism and whether impartiality is being compromised for political preference. Public polling indicates that 52% of voters believe the Biden family received payments from foreign nationals to influence policy, suggesting that the story merits substantial media attention.
Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee reported that three Biden family members collectively received $1.3 million from a Chinese energy company. They also discovered that the Biden family business garnered at least $10 million from business ventures in Romania and China, fueling allegations of influence peddling. But despite these revelations, the mainstream media largely ignores the Biden story.
From June 9 through 11, the “Big Three” broadcast networks allotted 291 minutes of coverage to Trump’s indictment across their evening, morning, and Sunday shows. Yet the alleged Biden bribery scheme was met with total “radio silence.”
This discrepancy was echoed in George Stephanopoulos’s introduction on the June 9 edition of ABC’s Good Morning America. His passionate focus on the Trump indictment conspicuously omitted any mention of the Biden story, despite its significant political implications.
Further complicating matters, Fox News reported additional informant documents linking then-Vice President Biden to the alleged multimillion-dollar bribery scheme. The scandal’s potential reach and ties to the Biden family suggest it is a matter of public interest, deserving of the same rigorous media coverage devoted to Trump’s indictment.
The startling double standard exemplified in the coverage of these two political scandals underscores the need for fair and balanced reporting. News consumers are entitled to a comprehensive view of significant political events, regardless of the political party affiliation of the persons involved.
