President Joe Biden vs. the media.
Name a president who hasn’t complained about the coverage of their administration or thought at some point or another that they were getting an unfair shake from journalists.
It’s nothing new.
But CNN’s Oliver Darcy did an analysis of Biden’s 2024 campaign media strategy “that bypasses the Beltway press” that has some interesting takeaways, beginning with the fact that one of Biden’s most recent interviews was not conducted by a journalist, but instead the hosts of the comedy podcast “Smartless,” by the actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett.
Darcy went on to document how it isn’t a one-off:
In fact, Biden has engaged in a number of interviews this year, particularly with the Black and Hispanic press. Facing sagging poll numbers with Black Americans, Biden has granted at least 10 interviews with media outlets reaching the community this year, most of them with local radio stations during the drive time hours. Biden has also participated in two interviews with Hispanic radio outlets in 2024 and is set to sit down with Univision’s Enrique Acevedo this week, Adrian Carrasquillo reported Monday for Vanity Fair.
“People in D.C. and New York may not always see it,” Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign communications director, told me by phone. “But you know who is seeing it? The voters we are trying to reach.”
Tyler said that the Biden campaign is prioritizing interviews with outlets reaching specific constituency groups, believing that focusing on local media will pay off in November. Tyler, who pushed back against the notion that Biden is avoiding the traditional press, said that putting their energy into outlets with targeted reach is one component of a savvy communications strategy. The campaign argues that it adds up to media playbook that is inclusive of new media entities and other platforms with broad reach.
Darcy added: “Some of Biden’s hesitation to speak with the traditional news media likely stems from his frustration with how members of the press have covered him and his campaign. The Biden White House and campaign have sharply criticized how the press has covered everything from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report to the president’s age, devoting what they believe to be a disproportionate amount of coverage to the issues even as Donald Trump rages against the country’s institutions and pushes poisonous election lies.”
Stories by Matt Arco
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.