Bad news for anyone still holding out hope that the media will eventually start blaming Biden for record-breaking gas prices and inflation: it’s not going to happen.
For months the media’s talking points on skyrocketing energy costs have been in lockstep with the Biden administration’s own blame-shifting, and that trend doesn’t show any signs of letting up.
Recall that back in late 2021, the administration held meetings with top network executives in order to coach them on how to frame their economic coverage. Shortly after those meetings concluded, CNN started running daily news briefs about “relief at the pump,” in which anchors attempted to get their viewers excited about a fleeting three-cent drop in average national gasoline prices.
Fast-forward to lat February 2022, when so-called “relief at the pump” had evaporated and prices have soared to well over $4 per gallon. The media quickly shifted to blaming Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, just as the Biden administration attempted to coin the phrase “Putin’s price hike.”
The White House has since moved to blaming gas companies, and lo and behold, compliant talking heads on CNN and MSNBC have abruptly developed a fascination with price gouging. It’s all so terribly predictable.
