Did the Media Go Easy on Biden‘s “Where’s Jackie?” Moment? One Critic Thinks So

You know how sometimes a politician says something awkward and suddenly everyone’s talking about it? Well, when President Biden asked “Where’s Jackie?” at that hunger conference—referring to the late Rep. Jackie Walorski—it wasn’t just another cringe moment. It became this whole thing about whether journalists are doing their jobs right. And let me tell you, Erik Wemple from The Washington Post wasn’t having any of the excuses.

The Gaffe Heard ‘Round the Newsrooms

So here’s what went down: Biden’s at this White House event in September, talking about hunger or whatever, and he goes looking for Jackie Walorski. Problem is, she’d died in a car crash weeks earlier. Awkward? Oh yeah. But what’s wild is how most big news outlets reacted—or didn’t react. Like, they mentioned it sure, but then kinda shrugged it off as “just Biden being Biden.” Meanwhile, conservative sites were having a field day. And you can’t blame people for noticing the difference.

Wemple’s Take: The Media Dropped the Ball

Now Wemple—this guy doesn’t pull punches. His column basically asked: “Since when do we give presidents a free pass on stuff we’d grill others about?” He’s got a point. Imagine if Trump had done this. We’d still be hearing about it on CNN. But with Biden? Most reporters acted like it wasn’t even news. Makes you wonder—are we so tired of chaos that we’ll ignore anything that doesn’t fit the “return to normalcy” narrative?

Here’s the thing that gets me: It’s not necessarily about left vs right. It’s about consistency. Remember when Trump tweeted “covfefe” and suddenly every news channel became English professors analyzing it for days? But Biden forgets a congresswoman died and… crickets. That’s the kind of double standard that makes people distrust the media.

Why This Isn’t Just Inside Baseball

Let me put it this way—when my cousin in Pune watches CNN and Fox cover the same story completely differently, guess what he thinks? That none of them can be trusted. And that’s dangerous. Journalism’s whole job is to call balls and strikes fairly, no matter who’s at bat. Wemple’s basically saying: “Hey guys, we’re supposed to be umpires here, not cheerleaders.”

How People Are Reacting

Not surprisingly, reactions split right down party lines. Some journalists were like “Yeah, we probably should’ve covered that differently.” Others? Total deflection—”It’s different when Biden does it because [insert reason here].” Twitter exploded, obviously. Conservatives loved Wemple’s piece (shocking), while liberals accused him of feeding the right-wing outrage machine. But here’s the kicker—that exact split proves Wemple’s point about media framing mattering more than facts sometimes.

The Big Picture: Trust Is Everything

At the end of the day, this isn’t really about one gaffe. It’s about whether people can still believe what they see on the news. When coverage feels inconsistent—when some mistakes get microscope treatment and others get a free pass—regular folks start tuning out. Or worse, they only listen to outlets that confirm what they already believe. Wemple’s solution? Simple: “Admit when we mess up and do better.” Radical idea, right?

Look, I’m not saying Biden’s the worst president ever because he forgot someone died. People make mistakes. But when the press rushes to explain away those mistakes instead of just reporting them? That’s how you end up with half the country thinking the media’s fake news. And that’s way scarier than any presidential slip-up.

Final thought? The “Where’s Jackie” moment could’ve been a chance for real introspection. Instead, it became another example of why so many Americans roll their eyes at the news. If journalists want to rebuild trust, maybe start by being as tough on your favorites as you are on the guys you hate.

Source: NY Post – US News