PBS White House Reporter Warmly Welcomes Truth-Telling, Press-Respecting Biden

Alex Christy
January 21st, 2021 10:20 AM

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PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor's reaction to President Biden's inaugural address on Wednesday gave insight into how the press will treat him over the next four years. Gone are the days of hostile questioning and in are the days where the White House press corps can take the president at his word, because he is not a serial spreader of lies and misinformation.

After praising Biden for "leaning in to both optimism, while also having a much bit of realism," Alcindor heaped more praise on him, "He also said something that was really important related to his predecessor whose name he did not utter. He said, truth is truth and people have lied for power and politics."

 

 

Continuing, Alcindor agreed with Biden that he will be a teller of the truth, whereas Donald Trump was not:

But he said, before God, leaning into his religion, and also before all of you, leaning into the crowd of lawmakers, the bipartisan crowd there, that I will level with you. I will tell you the truth. I will tell you what is right. That is a big departure from his predecessor here who of course has spread misinformation and disinformation and who at one point was trying to upend and block us from this peaceful transfer of power by saying without evidence that the election was stolen.  

If the media continuously points to Trump's misinformation and misdeeds as a cover for Biden's misinformation and misdeeds then it just proves the media's alleged desire for truth and decency only goes one way.

Alcindor concluded by declaring, "So, this was Joe Biden, yes, being the person we all expected him to be, emotional, leaning in on his own experiences. But he was also being very direct and saying America, we can and should do better."

When Jen Psaki held her first White House briefing, Yamiche celebrated on Twitter: 

Here is a transcript o the January 20 coverage:

PBS Inauguration Coverage

12:54 PM ET

JUDY WOODRUFF: Let's go back now to the White House, to our Yamiche Alcindor, who is going to be covering a different president starting this afternoon, starting now, Yamiche. 

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right. The White House is now in anticipation of President Biden and Vice President Harris coming here. Military officials have been rehearsing to try to escort them into the White House. Now, I want to think about Joe Biden's inaugural address. It was a foreshadowing of the way he wants to govern. He was leaning in to both optimism, while also having a much bit of realism. He was talking about the, of course, the idea that Americans need to unify, and united we can get through the pandemic and get through our racial divisions. 

But he also said something that was really important, and that was he understands that some people think talking about unity looks foolish. And he said America has struggled. It's been in a constant struggle to live up to its ideal of treating every man and woman equally because of racism and nativism, and because of hate and ugliness. 

He also said something that was really important related to his predecessor, whose name he did not utter. He said, truth is truth and that people have lied for power and politics. But he said, before God, leaning into his religion, and also before all of you, leaning into the crowd of lawmakers, the bipartisan crowd there, that I will level with you. I will tell you the truth. I will tell you what is right. That is a big departure from his predecessor here who of course has spread misinformation and disinformation and who at one point was trying to upend and block us from this peaceful transfer of power by saying without evidence that the election was stolen. 

So, this was Joe Biden, yes, being the person we all expected him to be, emotional, leaning in on his own experiences. But he was also being very direct and saying America, we can and should do better.

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