The 24-Second News Cycle
I’ve grown impatient with those rushing to judgment on President Biden’s performance.
In less than eight months the man has shored up our economy with emphasis on equity for the most vulnerable; dealt wisely with a rekindled pandemic fueled by his predecessor’s inflammatory rhetoric; rescued some 90,000-and-counting Afghans from the wrath of the Taliban and begun the restoration of our nation’s battered image in the eyes of the civilized world. A brutal act of terrorism killing Americans and Afghans was not his doing, especially in this 20-year war. I’d call his opening months a good start.
When I worked in broadcasting and, later, at the White House, we contended with a 24-hour news cycle. Once a day we’d have new stories, new headlines and new reasons to keep a paying audience. The news cycle is now 60-minutes long, on a good day, 20-minutes on a regular basis — thus requiring somewhere between 24 and 72 new sets of stories and headlines daily. Daily! No wonder producers and editors scrambling for leads grab “Biden’s failures” as a theme.
We need some patience and a collective deep breath, a moment of recognition that Joe Biden has done what he promised, and more.
On the other hand…there are limits. I’m with Edith Sitwell who admitted, “I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it.” Amen, Ms. Sitwell; amen!
