Those within President Joe Biden’s orbit have thoughts that the New York Times is “failing” by not favoring more of their coverage towards the White House, according to Politico.
Politico’s report details the long standing tension between Biden’s White House and the New York Times in their coverage of the administration. Having previously butt heads over stories, some close to the president have criticized the outlet’s coverage of Biden’s age and its reporting on former President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
“Democrats believe in the importance of a free press in upholding our democracy, and the NYT was for generations an important standard bearer for the fourth estate,” Kate Berner, former staffer on Biden’s 2020 campaign and former deputy White House communications director, told Politico. “The frustration with the Times is sometimes so intense because the Times is failing at its important responsibility.”
As a contributing factor to the tension between the two parties, Biden aides view the 2024 election as “an existential choice for the country” which they have used to justify their scrutiny of the NYT and other media outlets, according to Politico. Some NYT reporters told Politico that because of their coverage of White House topics they have found themselves cut off from sources.
NYPD officers guard the entrance to the New York Times as Pro-Palestine activists march as they participate in a Global Strike for Gaza on December 18, 2023 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Following a disagreement between the White House and the outlet over whether a source be named in a story, former principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton emailed the NYT asking for confirmation that they would adhere by the administration’s sourcing standards, Politico reported. The NYT never responded to the email which resulted in the White House removing all of the outlet’s reporters from its top tier list for informational background calls with officials, according to Politico.
Same topic. Days apart. With limited exceptions, the @nytimes continues to fail the American people in covering the most important election for American democracy in 150+ years. pic.twitter.com/T2FIbTUmPg
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) April 6, 2024
“With limited exceptions [the NYT] continues to fail the American people in covering the most important election for democracy in 150+ years,” TJ Ducklo, a senior adviser on Biden’s campaign, previously posted on Twitter.
Ducklo was criticizing one NYT reporter’s coverage which called into question how both Trump and Biden had been communicating concerns about their age and fitness for office, Politico noted. In another instance, the senior adviser to the campaign previously blasted the NYT, claiming they were focused more on Biden’s age rather than comments Trump was making pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war, Politico reported.
“If you read the New York Times this weekend, you might have missed it buried behind five separate opinion pieces about how the president is 81 year old — something that has been true since his birthday in November — and *zero* on this topic,” Ducklo previously said, according to Politico.
U.S. President Joe Biden walks away from reporters after delivering remarks about $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the State Dining Room at the White House on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Frustration between the parties has also stemmed from NYT has also from the outlet’s frustration with not being granted a sit-down interview with the president, Politico reported. (RELATED: Forget Basement Campaign — It’s Been A Whole Basement Presidency For Joe Biden)
“We do not comment on the specifics of our private discussions with reporters and editors,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Politico. “But as a White House that believes deeply in the role of the free press in American Democracy, we would note that a mutually honest, fact-based, respectful back-and-forth is a cornerstone of any healthy relationship between a media outlet and an administration. We have that kind of dialogue with The New York Times and many other media organizations.”
Meanwhile, the NYT finds the criticism from the Biden White House to be normal for what they have experienced from previous administrations, according to Politico.
“This is pretty much par for the course,” Elisabeth Bumiller, NYT Washington bureau chief, told Politico. “No White House has ever been happy with our coverage and I don’t see why they should be. Our job is to hold power to account.”