‘Aren’t We Part of the Problem?’ Brian Stelter Questions Whether Media Treats Democracy Like a ‘Reality Show’

On the morning after the glitz and glamour of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, CNN’s Brian Stelter initiated a sober self-analysis of whether the fourth estate treats democracy like a “reality show.”

During the opening segment of Sunday’s Reliable Sources, Stelter played a clip from the dinner in which President Joe Biden called for the press not to treat democracy as entertainment.

“The first amendment grants the free press extraordinary protection,” Biden said. “But with it comes, as many of you know, a very heavy obligation to seek the truth as best you can. Not to inflame or entertain, but illuminate and educate. I know it’s tough, and I’m not being solicitous. The industry is changing immensely. There’s pressure on you all to deliver heat, instead of shed light, as technology changes so much. The system is changing, but it matters. No kidding, it matters. Truth matters. American democracy is not a reality show. It’s not a reality show.”

“America’s democracy is not a reality show,” Stelter said, at the conclusion of the soundbite. “But is the media guilty of making it seem that way?

CNN contributor David Zurawik, seated on the Stelter-led panel, highlighted the president’s remark, and argued that the media writ large is indeed guilty of framing political coverage more like entertainment.

“The key phrase was that one you just had up there,” Zurawik said. “Democracy is not a reality show. That’s what is wrong with the culture.”

“But don’t we treat it like that?” Stelter said — reflecting on the profession on the morning after the Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson-attended gala. “Aren’t we part of the problem?”

“I try not to, and I think you try not to on this show. A lot of us do,” Zurawik told Stelter. “But a lot of people don’t. That’s the problem.”

Watch above, via CNN.