At 81 years old, Joe Biden is currently the oldest sitting president in the United States. With the 2024 election quickly approaching and Biden’s plans to run for reelection despite his performance at the presidential debate in June, many Americans are concerned that he may be declining mentally and are unsure if he would be able to take on the strenuous job as president for another four years should he win the 2024 election-where he would be 86 years old at the end of a second term. While this has been widely reported on, American media coverage has remained divided in their perspectives on this matter. This analysis aims to provide an unbiased comparison in the way major news outlets Fox News and CNN go about reporting President Biden’s suspected mental decline. Before getting into the differences in the way this story has been reported, we will first consider the similarities of the two media outlets. Both Fox News and CNN have continued to provide extensive live coverage of Biden’s public appearances and major speeches, as these events spark discussion on his mental decline. Each network also highlights and report on certain moments from his appearances/speeches in a way that fits their opinion on the subject matter. Another similarity is that both networks regularly bring on medical professionals to weigh in on the topic, however their opinions on the topic align with the message that each news outlet is trying to deliver. Finally, while Fox News and CNN are quite divided in their political perspectives, both media outlets have expressed concern regarding Biden’s cognitive abilities and the ability to serve a second term as president.
We can now examine the differences between the two news outlets.
Fox news tends to criticize Biden’s mental decline and criticized those defending Biden. Their coverage has an emphasis on mistakes Biden has made during his appearances/speeches such as forgetting names, losing his train of thought, and appearing disoriented. To show the audience that Biden is declining mentally; recent clips of Biden’s appearances are compared with clips of Biden’s appearances when he first took office. Anchors for the network use these clips to report on his mental decline by questioning his ability to lead the country, and express concern on what would happen in the United States should he be reelected and call for Biden to pull out of the 2024 election. Fox News also criticize Biden’s team and white house reporters for not answering questions regarding his mental decline and speculate on what is happening to Biden is being “covered up” by white house officials and call for transparency regarding the matter. To add credibility to their claims, Fox News invite medical professionals and relevant republican/conservative politicians with views aligning with the media outlet onto various segments or articles regarding the topic to further analyze Bidens mental decline and frame it as a serious issue.
Great article, Angela. I thought you worded it in a way that doesn't favor one political side or the other. I did want to add that I noticed, especially after the debate between Biden and former President Trump, both political parties could finally agree on one thing: that President Biden is no longer fit for the job as President of the United States. I think that this united criticism on both sides of President Biden is what pushed him to make the decision to step down as President 28 days after the disastrous debate against former President Trump. I think that regarding political issues like this, it is really important to have an unbiased point of view. Extremism, even in political beliefs, gets us nowhere as a country but only divides us more.
ReplyDeleteI throughly enjoyed this article Angela! It definitely makes sense that fox news takes a negative approach to Bidens mental decline, emphasizing many of his mistakes, as they often tend to be more political rather than sympathetic. CNN seems to be more understanding of Bidens health and acknowledge the efforts that he has made as president. While discussing concepts like these, its extremely difficult to not be biased, but I think you did a great job with your choice of wording. Weather you are republican or democratic, I think everyone should appreciate Bidens decision to step down from the election as a gesture of responsibility and self-awareness, emphasizing the importance of effective leadership and the impact of such a decision on the country’s future.
ReplyDeleteNice work Angela! This was very well-written as well as informative. I really appreciated how you presented the information without leaning toward one side. One additional thought I had is that, beyond just the media coverage, public perception of Biden's capability has been a big topic of conversation. Many people, regardless of their political affiliation, are genuinely concerned about whether he has the stamina for another term, especially after some of the recent debates and public appearances. This collective concern might have influenced his decision to step down, as maintaining confidence in leadership is crucial for any administration.
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