America, as I recall, used to love a good joke—even at its own expense. These days, however, the legacy media would prefer we all sit down, keep quiet, and stop asking inconvenient questions about their supposed objectivity. Take Norah O’Donnell of CBS as a case in point. Recently, she seemed a touch miffed that Trump supporters aren’t extending Joe Biden what she calls “grace” after he labeled half the country “garbage.” O’Donnell’s case for “grace,” mind you, hinges on framing Biden’s comment as an accidental slip—a little oopsie from Uncle Joe.
But let us unpack this media maneuver, shall we? O’Donnell claims Biden’s gaffe was inadvertent. One might ask: how does she know that? Did Biden clarify this himself, say in a public mea culpa? Or are we just to take the word of a news anchor who, for whatever reason, seems bound and determined to ensure Biden comes off as a harmless elder statesman who sometimes speaks too bluntly? Not a chance that it was a Freudian slip revealing what he really thinks about his political opponents. Not a chance.
Did O’Donnell afford Trump supporters the same benefit of the doubt—that perhaps it was just an off-color joke by one individual, not reflective of the rally’s attendees or the campaign itself? Of course not. CBS simply could not resist the easy lure of sarcasm over substance, especially when it reinforces the preferred narrative of their partisan allies. But it goes beyond sarcasm—it’s an attempt to cast Trump and his supporters as racists.
I’m linking the video of this segment here, given that so few Americans even get their news from evening broadcasts anymore—and little wonder. For decades, the three major networks have spoon-fed far-left gruel to viewers, expecting Americans to lap it up with humble obedience and a smile.
When Trump shows up in a reflector vest next to a garbage truck, O’Donnell dismisses it as a “stunt,” implying it was staged solely for attention. Yet, where was that skepticism when Kamala Harris’s campaign whispered about a potential appearance from Taylor Swift or Beyoncé at the DNC, stirring up excitement without confirmation? And what about the recent ‘non-concert’ in Houston, where Beyoncé’s rumored show had a city abuzz before vanishing into thin air? Somehow, those teases are deemed engagement—even crafty ways to reach out to younger voters—while Trump’s support for blue-collar workers is belittled as pandering. Funny how the media’s lens can change, depending on who’s behind the scenes.
For O’Donnell and her legacy media counterparts, journalistic grace is dispensed according to strict ideological quotas. Consider the coverage of an alleged racist comment from one speaker, which quickly became a broad brush to paint Trump and his supporters as a whole, in contrast to the actual labeling of Trump supporters as “garbage” by the sitting President of the United States. In one case, a tasteless joke gets global coverage as a social failing; in the other, a demeaning slur gets swept under the rug with a delicate cough.
As reported in the story linked here on Fox News, O’Donnell appears almost indignant that people would demand an ounce of self-awareness from Biden’s camp. According to her narrative, Americans should grit their teeth and forgive Biden for minor oversights (such as maligning millions) but take every Trump-related incident as if it were an apocalyptic event.
To say this is “gaslighting” feels like an understatement. O’Donnell is not even the most strident newsreader in the legacy media, yet her particular brand of selectivity paints a revealing picture. The bias here is not even subtle. Trump supporters are recast as villains simply for showing up; Biden is absolved of nearly any infraction, no matter the scale. These are not just different standards—they’re rules written by the ruling class for their own convenience—all with the goal of shepherding the flock to the desired political objective.
Look, Americans are sharper than the media gives them credit for. If the average voter seems disenchanted, disgusted even, with the legacy media, it is not due to some ideological misunderstanding. Rather, they see what O’Donnell and her colleagues are doing and are turning away. When “grace” means bending over backward for a gaffe-prone politician and “condemnation” applies to everyone who disagrees, there is no longer any question of fair reporting. There is only an agenda, thinly disguised as truth.
It’s time the legacy media learned that grace is not simply a privilege they can demand from the viewing public—especially from those on the right. True grace is a two-way street—it should not be freely given to one side of the aisle while being ruthlessly withheld from the other. When only certain leaders are given the benefit of the doubt, and others are hounded for every misstep, it’s no longer journalism; it’s advocacy thinly veiled as news. Until journalists apply the same standard to all, the American public will keep tuning out, and the mainstream narrative will continue to unravel, thread by thread.
Charlton Allen is the founder and editor-in-chief of The American Salient and the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc. Learn more about him at charltonallen.org.
