Last summer CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter interviewed White House press secretary Jen Psaki, and only the softest of softball questions were lobbed in Psaki’s direction. For example, Stelter actually asked Psaki “what does the press get wrong when covering Biden’s agenda?”
Today is Psaki’s last day as Biden’s spokesperson, and Stelter’s sendoff is something else:
Jen Psaki was every bit as dishonest as anyone who worked for Trump, and has even more contempt for the press corps than any Trump employee, and this is the sendoff the media's janitor gives her. pic.twitter.com/tqYUSMMGch
— Chief Impact Officer BT (@back_ttys) May 13, 2022
We expected nothing less than full devotion to carrying Psaki’s water one final time:
Jen Psaki is about to hold her 224th and final briefing as WH press secretary… https://t.co/sPIaB6sJKS
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 13, 2022
Considering Stelter’s previous interview with Psaki, a glowing review of her tenure as press secretary certainly was not unexpected. Here’s just one example from
How Psaki excelled
Conservatives (some of whom watched Psaki’s briefings live on Fox) criticized Psaki for dodging questions. Liberals celebrated her for neutralizing loaded questions (including some asked by Fox) and defending Biden’s agenda. WH reporters appreciated her accessibility, though it didn’t make up for Biden’s relative lack of press conferences and interviews.Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple tallied the number of appearances that Psaki made as press secretary on various networks and said “what sticks out here is the evenhanded treatment among networks, particularly Fox News.” On Fox last Sunday, Psaki said her objective has been “speaking to the public and certainly engaging in and valuing a free press.”
Kumar, a regular presence in the briefing room, told me Psaki excelled as a briefer “because she came in well prepared for the job.”
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The media tallied the number of briefings Psaki held but did any care to tally the number of lies that were told? And as usual…
Turned off the comments. https://t.co/Dwt7WdmcW1
— papi (@Shields2protect) May 13, 2022
Obviously Stelter doesn’t want any reality to end up in his feed.
Still feeling the outrage when Spicer went on Dancing with the Stars pic.twitter.com/xUp7MpcsMA
— Cox (@HOLYSMKES) May 13, 2022
Nauseating stuff that would make the editors of Pravda blush https://t.co/eRGKOQjLZR
— Carlos Danger (@Shaughndogg) May 13, 2022
Even North Korean state media might tell Stelter to take it down a notch so it isn’t quite so obvious.
One more thing:
There’s a reason she holds so many briefings- you kind of have to when the president himself can’t do it. 😂
— cali_peaches (@cali_peachz) May 13, 2022
Trump talked to the media directly nearly every day
— InternationallyRecognizedDisinformationSpecialist (@wethepeeps1221) May 13, 2022
And Biden talks to the media — well, let’s just say not nearly as much as Trump did.
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