{"id":820994,"date":"2022-09-30T20:46:35","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T20:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fair.org\/?p=9030427"},"modified":"2022-09-30T20:46:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T20:46:35","slug":"king-mourns-mother-breaking-news-democracy-under-threat-not-so-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/09\/30\/king-mourns-mother-breaking-news-democracy-under-threat-not-so-much\/","title":{"rendered":"King Mourns Mother? Breaking News. Democracy Under Threat? Not So Much."},"content":{"rendered":"

President Joe Biden on September 1 delivered a roughly 25-minute primetime speech<\/a> from Independence Hall in Philadelphia about Trumpism’s threat to US democracy. Primetime, that is, for the two major US television networks that aired it live: MSNBC<\/b> and CNN<\/b>. The others\u2014ABC<\/b>, CBS<\/b>, NBC<\/b> and Fox<\/b>\u2014opted not to carry the address, because they deemed it \u201cpolitical\u201d (Washington Post<\/b>, 9\/2\/22<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"CNN:

CNN<\/strong> is one of two major US TV networks that aired President Joe Biden’s speech live from Philadelphia.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Across the Atlantic just over a week later, King Charles III addressed Britain <\/a>and the world about his 96-year-old mother\u2019s death and his preparations to take over the solely symbolic role of British monarch. ABC<\/b>, CBS, NBC <\/b>and Fox <\/b>all presumably found it more newsworthy than the President\u2019s remarks, because they carried it live (MediaMatters<\/b>, 9\/9\/22<\/a>). (CNN<\/b> and MSNBC<\/b> carried both Biden’s and Charles’ speeches.)<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s speech urgently named MAGA Republican ideology as an imminent threat to democracy, rejected violence and extremism, and condemned conspiracy theories. The \u201cpolitical\u201d speech took an explicitly bipartisan tone, with Biden repeatedly claiming that Trumpism doesn\u2019t represent the majority of the Republican party, and appealing to the American public regardless of political affiliation to defend democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an American president\u2014not the president of Red America or Blue America, but of all America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Charles\u2019 speech, on the other hand, was essentially a eulogy. He waxed poetic about Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s public and private lives, praising her \u201cwarmth\u201d and \u201chumor\u201d and the \u201csacrifices\u201d she made to uphold her \u201cduty.\u201d It was appropriately vague and inoffensive for a figurehead whose job is to be apolitical.<\/p>\n

Despite the President of the United States\u2019 speech being patently more relevant to the American people than the symbolic figurehead of another country\u2019s address, the latter had not only more networks airing it, but nearly as much analysis and coverage in the 48 hours surrounding it as the former: A Nexis database search of ABC<\/b>, CNN<\/b>, NBC<\/b>, MSNBC<\/b>, CBS <\/b>and Fox <\/b>transcripts the day of and the day after each of the respective speeches turned up 113 mentions of Charles\u2019 speech and 116 of Biden\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The networks varied widely in the relative amount of coverage they gave to the two speeches. ABC<\/b> and NBC<\/b> had roughly twice as many segments on Charles’ speech compared to Biden; Fox<\/b> and MSNBC<\/b> had closer to twice as many segments on Biden’s speech. CBS<\/b> and CNN<\/b> had roughly similar numbers of segments on each speech.<\/p>\n

\"Bar<\/h3>\n

‘Politically charged’<\/b><\/h3>\n

However much time they gave it, each of these networks characterized the president\u2019s speech as inflammatory, ignoring much of its content, and \u201cbalancing\u201d it with a chorus of Trump-aligned politicians.<\/p>\n

\"Fox

Fox<\/strong> characterized Biden’s speech as a “dark and depressing” “diatribe<\/em>.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Unsurprisingly, on Fox News<\/b>\u2019s Hannity<\/b> (9\/2\/22), fill-in host Tammy Bruce whined that Biden \u201cbashe[d]\u201d Republicans in his \u201crage-filled speech\u201d that she later described as a \u201cdark and depressing\u201d \u201cdiatribe.\u201d But this same right-wing indignation could be heard across network news, regardless of their presumed political leanings.<\/p>\n

ABC<\/b>\u2019s World News Tonight <\/b>anchor Mary Bruce (9\/2\/22) called the remarks \u201cscathing,\u201d saying the speech \u201cslam[med]\u201d MAGA Republicans. The segment quoted Republican former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as UN ambassador for Trump: \u201cIt was one of the most unbelievable things I’ve seen in a long time. It’s unthinkable he would be so condescending and criticize half of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting aside that Haley\u2019s own history of opinions about Trump are mixed<\/a>\u2014\u201cHe went down a path he shouldn\u2019t have, and we shouldn\u2019t have followed him, and we shouldn\u2019t have listened to him,” she said after January 6\u2014the segment did not bring up Biden\u2019s repeated clarifications:<\/p>\n