A recent publication from CNN’s Jake Tapper has stirred up chatter regarding a possible obfuscation of ex-President Joe Biden’s suspected cognitive deterioration. In May, ‘The Lead with Jake Tapper’ plummeted to its minimal viewership since August 2015, as noted by The Wrap. The three ensuing shows — ‘Erin Burnett Upfront,’ ‘Anderson Cooper 360,’ and ‘The Source with Kaitlan Collins’ — all confronted a decline of 18% or more in comparison to the previous year.
‘The Lead with Jake Tapper’ presented a 25% decline in viewership, receiving only 525,000 viewers last month, a stark contrast from its 701,000 viewers in May 2024 according to Nielsen data. Cooper and Burnett respectively lost 100,000 viewers during the same period, while Collins’ show experienced a fall by 149,000 viewers. The ratings plunge coincided with Tapper promoting his freshly published book across the nation.
Upon inauguration, Tapper’s book immediately claimed the top spot in The New York Times bestseller list, heavily propelled by the network. This recent publication, released in May, explores Biden’s defiant pursuit for re-election amidst supposed ‘proof of his significant downfall and frantic attempts to veil the severity of the decay.’
Biden, after formally proclaiming his non-participation in the Presidential race last July, proceeded to support then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite Biden’s endorsement, Harris proved to be unsuccessful against Trump. Biden, now revealed to be grappling with a recent diagnosis of prostate cancer, responded to the accusations of mental deterioration during his tenure.
Asserting mockery on his cognitive faculties, Biden ironically retorted, ‘You can witness my mental incompetence, I am unable to walk, but I am confident that I can trounce both of them.’ This came after his appearance at a Memorial Day event during the previous week.
Despite claims from some Democrats who labelled the book as an unwarranted attack on Biden, criticism intensified more than ever with the promotion of the book subsequent to Biden’s cancer announcement in early May. A slew of Republicans have also berated Tapper for disregarding real-time coverage of these supposed declines.
Tapper, however, postures in defense of his book, even going as far as admitting that he might have missed covering these significant issues during Biden’s administration. In a striking analogy, Tapper compared the alleged concealment as possibly ‘worse’ than the renowned Watergate scandal that shook former President Richard Nixon’s presidency.
At the core of the controversy, the conversation revolves around the previously unaddressed concerns about Biden’s mental decline. An issue, largely debated, yet it took the publication of a TV anchor’s book to thoroughly propel it into the limelight. Remarkably, the same anchor who was broadcasting during the alleged decline refrained from raising this issue at the time, prompting speculations about his objectivity.
Noteworthily, while such criticisms paint a negative picture, they truly underline the importance of unbiased and timely journalism. The media plays a vital role in shaping public opinion and ensuring transparency. It is fascinating to observe how the roles have been reversed and the journalist is now at the receiving end of critique.
Additionally, the reaction towards this book has drawn attention to the volatility of viewership numbers and their correlation with public sentiment. Perhaps, viewers have shown their displeasure towards what they perceive as biased journalism or unaddressed issues.
As Tapper’s acknowledgment of ‘dropping the ball’ takes center stage, it is important to reconsider the media’s commitment to fact-checking and accountability. Especially when influential figures such as Biden and Harris are involved, their every move, from policy decisions to health status, are of public importance and demands scrutiny.
This recent event poses a delicate question; how essential is it for the media to remain unbiased, especially when covering influential public figures? The fact that Tapper’s book has caused such a stir points towards the public’s apparent need for unbiased, bare fact reporting, more than ever.
In the end, Tapper’s book and the impact it has had, not just on Biden and Harris, but also on his own show’s viewership and reputation, exhibit the potency of perspective and its varying mediums in the public domain. To borrow Tapper’s own words, the impact might be even ‘worse’ than predicted initially.
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