The New York Times avoided criticism of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his campaign’s decision to not hold press conferences during the coronavirus pandemic. It has been at least 80 days since Biden’s last public press conference, according to Fox News.
The newspaper headlined its praise for Biden’s lack of press conferences, “Biden Proves an Elusive Target, Adding to Trump’s Frustration.”
The article emphasized Biden’s campaign strategy of avoiding the public eye and holding smaller events with restricted attendance and local media outlets. The New York Times noted that Joe Biden “has been mostly off camera and avoiding gaffes,” which frustrated the Trump campaign that relies on Biden’s “penchant for gaffes.”
The newspaper called Biden’s strategy a “play-it-safe campaign” and highlighted the Trump campaign’s frustration “with how elusive a target Mr. Biden has been.”
The New York Times article contradicted its past criticisms of the Trump administration when it came to press conferences. The Trump White House did not hold a regular press conference for months, which the Times and other media outlets criticized over lack of transparency and accountability. The New York Times published an article in January 2019 with the headline, “The Demise of the White House Press Briefing Under Trump.” It analyzed the Trump White House’s decline in press briefings under then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.
Now that Biden has adopted similar tactics of avoiding the press and not scheduling regular national press conferences, the New York Times exposed its own hypocrisy on candidate accountability and transparency.
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