The Fix: Softball Questions From Pre-Selected Reporters Begs The Question What Biden Is Hiding

Written By BlabberBuzz | Wednesday, 27 January 2021 12:00 AM
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The Fix: Softball Questions From Pre-Selected Reporters Begs The Question What Biden Is Hiding

President Biden made his first formal White House press conference on Monday, but most of the issues asked were from reporters that were chosen ahead by his team.

Is this the new way of answering questions? Is this the message Biden wishes to transfer to the citizens of the U.S? What will happen if Biden ever faces a difficult abrupt issue? What kind of a reaction will he have then?

Following his statements about his "Made in America" manufacturing initiative, a member of Biden's staff was heard calling on specific reporters to ask their questions to the president, something that was likewise done during the 2020 presidential election and the transition period. The pre-chosen reporters came from The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NBC News, Reuters, and Bloomberg News.

Biden did, still, offer an improvised question to Fox News' Peter Doocy, who he ridiculed for "always ask[ing] him tough questions and always has an edge to them," but added he "like[s] him anyway."

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Journalists took to Twitter to address the mostly pre-selected presser.

"So I guess I need to continue the practice of telling you all what I would've asked here," Roll Call correspondent Niel Lesniewski reacted.

"A White House handler is calling on reporters by name and by outlet one-by-one to ask Biden a question, unlike Trump who called on reporters as the [spirit] moved him," Real Clear News reporter Philip Wegmann pointed out how Biden's predecessor approached the press.

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"This proceeds to be profoundly odd and a painfully obvious attempt to protect him from those suspected of having the audacity to ask a challenging question," The Hill columnist and Fox News contributor Joe Concha said.

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Fox News sent questions to The White House about its selection process by Biden's team of reporters who get to ask their questions and whether or not their questions are pre-inspected. Fox News also asked if such a method is being briefly executed as part of his team's safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic or whether it is the new normal under the Biden term.

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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to Fox News, "In an effort to make sure we are rotating through reporters in the pool, the President took questions from wire reporters, one print outlet and a few network correspondents today and will look forward to taking additional questions again soon."

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Biden's presser whitens in contrast to the daily press briefings held by Psaki, who has taken questions from essentially all reporters in the room, even providing some to ask another round of questions.

Psaki previously served in President Barack Obama's administration as a press spokesperson. She also was the spokesperson for the State Department between 2013 and 2015.

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