There’s never a shortage of bluster at a televised White House briefing, but this week, it will almost inevitably center on the heated subject of immigration at the Texas border, where a legitimate crisis has been taking shape as thousands of children have crossed into the United States seeking asylum.
So far, our political press corps has been treating the issue with far more heat than light. This past weekend, ABC News relocated its “Powerhouse Roundtable” — the panel discussion segment of its Sunday morning news show — to the Texas border. It was hard to say just what that accomplished other than declaring the subject Extremely Important.
Or witness the framing that NBC’s “Meet the Press” gave its coverage of the border situation — “a political crisis for the new president, with no easy way out,” Chuck Todd declared in his most serious voice. [snip]
Political reporters cover the president, and as knowledgeable and talented as they may be, they lack the expertise of science or health journalists — or in this case, longtime immigration reporters — who can best respond to what’s being said, which includes knowing how to challenge it with deep knowledge.
Instead of insight into the crisis, you get the political frame: How will it play with elected officials and their constituents? How will Trump’s allies play this story? What will Tucker Carlson have to say?
For the White House press corps, there’s also a temptation to play to the crowd. Every TV reporter has to be thinking about the 10-second clip of their question that might be used on Thursday’s newscast, establishing them as the star du jour who bravely challenged the president.
She concludes,
What it shouldn’t turn into, though, is a performative exercise in equating two administrations, just to show how tough we are.
We think all of this is a high bar for the Beltway media to hit. They have a self-image as truth tellers and diggers of facts, though in reality they often operate as a less- than- knowledgeable herd -- reacting en masse to a narrative that's often spoon- fed to them by "sources" like Republican staffers or, more blatantly, by what Fox "News" is bleating at the moment. They were slow to react to the former guy's authoritarianism and lies, and doubtless think pouncing on Biden will rehabilitate their self- image.
But, this is the reality of their coverage on the "border crisis/ surge":
A new analysis shows no migrant “surge” or border “crisis.” Here’s how often broadcast news has said there is one. https://t.co/isMVcbvhWW pic.twitter.com/WUmVJ8RhHb
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) March 24, 2021
Let's watch today and see if anything has changed.
