On CNN's Reliable Sources, host Brian Stelter touted White House briefings in the age of Biden, who pledged fealty to the truth. "Of course, all of this, a contrast to the Trump years. Also a contrast in the press briefing room, where the new press secretary Jen Psaki, previously a CNN contributor, is promising to restore transparency and truth to the podium." The chyron said "(HOW REFRESHING)."
It's "refreshing" that a pile of CNN and MSNBC analysts now make their way into the new Democrat administration, where they are automatically assumed to be bringing the "truth."
Stelter was so fond of this he also tweeted simply "(How refreshing)".This inspired a round of mockery on Twitter, including one joke about firing who wrote the chyron, to which Stelter admitted: "I wrote the chyron, so [raising hand emoji]."
The CNN host then brought on three former press secretaries -- Jay Carney (who served both Obama and Biden), CNN contributor Joe Lockhart (Bill Clinton), and Scott McClellan, who served George W. Bush and then turned on him with a "tell all" book. It was a typically Reliable panel, everyone agreed on the liberal spin.
Carney, who worked as a political correspondent at Time before (officially) serving the Democrats, gushed:
CARNEY: I got the pleasure of working with Jen when I was in the Obama White House. And I -- you couldn't have a better choice, honestly. She is so ready for this, so prepared, and I think you saw that already this week. She's unbelievably knowledgeable and fluid in answering questions. She is sincere and conveys sincerity.
And she has a lot of respect for the independent, free, working press, which reflects her boss, President Biden, just as it did President Obama. And I think she set a great tone. I really am so pleased at the rollout, so far. It's not going to be easy, obviously. But I think they're hitting their marks really well.
McClellan sounded like Stelter’s hand puppet, bemoaning the “dangerous” Trump “enemy of the people” talk and endorsing Psaki: "What you saw on Wednesday at the inaugural was the beginning of a return to normalcy and decency...You saw a return to truth and accountability, a sense of truth and accountability returned to that briefing room."
Stelter complained to Lockhart: "There's obviously a lot of complaints from right-wing media, saying the questions in the briefing were softballs. That's noise. They're going to say that no matter what happens in the briefing."
Then Carney closed out the segment with sympathy: "I think the media, again, the independent media, the nonpolitical media has been through a trauma."
What group precisely IS the "nonpolitical media"??
But I'd like to point out (and post on the bulletin board) Carney's blather about Psaki putting "deposits in the integrity bank."
CARNEY: The administration telegraphed very early, this is how they were going to be honest and truthful...And I think you begin to make deposits in the integrity bank, when you're honest with the press, and therefore, the people.
"Truth and transparency" and "integrity" deposits are not words one should use for say, how the press (and the social media) buried the Hunter Biden scandal before the election. But this is the spin they'll use.
Carney hoped Biden scandals wouldn't be a thing: "I hope we'll see from the good reporters, the serious reporters a seriousness of purpose, and not that reflexive sort of, you know, running down the ball, everybody's chasing the same ball at the same time over some, you know, supposed scandal that that doesn't bear out."
