Blue-Check Twitter Cheers and Jeers CBS Reporter Biden Scolded for Asking About NY Post ‘Smear Campaign’

Tommy ChristopherOct 17th, 2020, 9:48 am
 

Blue-check Twitter waged war over whether CBS News reporter Bo Erickson was the victim of a “vicious attack” by former Vice President Joe Biden, or the recipient of valid criticism over a question that elevated discredited disinformation.

On Friday night, Erickson asked the ex-VP for his response to a New York Post report on his son Hunter Biden that has been widely discredited and banned or restricted by Twitter and Facebook.

“I know you’d ask it,” Biden said. “I have no response, it’s another smear campaign. Right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask.”

Erickson has generated a lot of favorable coverage of Biden, but also relishes highlighting his contentious exchanges with Biden, one of which is his “pinned” tweet. The two have a history of butting heads.

The exchange drew a distinct variety of responses, with some congratulating Erickson for asking the question and excoriating Biden’s response as an attack similar to those made by President Donald Trump, and others asserting that Biden’s critique was warranted and entirely dissimilar to Trump’s relentless and violent rhetoric against the press.

Erickson’s CBS colleagues were among the first group, but even CBS News’ Paula Reid pointed out that the story is likely Russian disinformation — while still defending Erickson and accusing Biden of “adopt[ing the] Trump playbook”:

Erickson’s colleagues were joined by a variety of conservative figures in slamming Biden for criticizing the question, to varying degrees. Fine company, indeed.

But many others pointed out the obvious differences between legitimately criticizing a reporter for amplifying disinformation and inciting violence against the press.

Personally, I’m not generally a fan of people whining about the questions that get asked of politicians, which is often a way of papering over insufficient answers to those questions. But amplifying disinformation — especially after what we went through in 2016 — is a serious error in judgment that is fair game for criticism.

Biden can, on occasion, be prickly when it’s not necessary, but he’s never come close to demonizing the press the way Trump has, and in this case was entirely justified.

Watch the exchange above.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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