It was a challenging task but an esteemed panel of NewsBusters editors led by MRC President L.Brent Bozell and MRC’s Vice President for Research and Publications Brent Baker boiled down all the biased outbursts from lefty hack hosts, anchors, reporters and pundits in 2024 and on December 18 announced The Brian Stelter Award for Quote of the Year.
Of course, every year there is way too much bias for just one category. So Baker led a panel of NewsBusters editors to break down the Worst of 2024 into eight additional categories (The Craziest Analysis Award; The Trashing Trump Award; The Damn Those Conservatives Award; The Joy of Hate Award for Joy Reid Rants; The Praising and Protecting Old Joe Award; Carrying Kamala’s Water Award for Helping Harris; The Cursing the Conservative Court Award and the Celebrity Freak-Outs Award).
Today we present the WORST OF 2024: The Praising and Protecting Old Joe Award.
Without further ado here is the winner (followed by the top runners-up):
WINNER
“I think it shows what a statesman he is. I think it shows what a patriot he is. I think it shows he can put his country before his ego, because he had such a great record as president….I think that history will note him as one of the greatest presidents that we’ve had.”
— Co-host Sunny Hostin on ABC’s The View, July 22.
RUNNERS-UP
“Mr. Biden has spent a lifetime trying to do right by the nation, and he did so in the most epic of ways when he chose to end his campaign for re-election. His decision is one of the most remarkable acts of leadership in our history. An act of self-sacrifice that places him in the company of George Washington, who also stepped away from the presidency.”
— Former Newsweek editor/presidential historian Jon Meacham in July 22 New York Times column “Joe Biden, My Friend and an American Hero”
“I think there is a lot of trepidation and concern about his age, but like, let’s be real. Biden has done a bang-up job with the economy, he has canceled student loan debt….he has done more on climate than any other American president….His record, given a one-seat majority in the Senate is bonkers….The fact that the dude is old should not erase what is a formidable record for his first three years in office.”
— MSNBC host Alex Wagner on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, January 24.
“Tonight gratitude is the word for so many people in this country, pointing to Joe Biden now and calling him a patriot who stepped in when democracy needed it.”
— Anchor David Muir on ABC’s live coverage of President Joe Biden’s speech, July 24.
“Here is somebody giving up power, okay, somebody who their whole career was counted out, so it’s giving up power and moving against personal instinct, which is ‘I’m going to show ‘em when they count me out’ and it’s worked for him. And that’s quite a contrast to Donald Trump, who was so desirous to hang on to power that according to the leaders in his own party, he inspired an attack on the Capitol. So to the extent you celebrate this decision by Joe Biden in this period of time and don’t immediately get on to [Kamala] Harris, it actually works to the Democratic party’s benefit.”
— Correspondent John Dickerson on CBS News’s live coverage of President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race, July 22.
