Headline RoundupOctober 27th, 2020

Perspectives: The Media's Handling of Hunter Biden's Alleged Emails

Media Industry, Facts And Fact Checking, 2020 Election Fact Checking, Hunter Biden, Media Bias

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Hunter Biden's emails allegedly implicating his father Joe Biden in corrupt foreign business dealings, as first reported by the New York Post, have been the subject of mass media controversy and censorship since the article about them was published. The story was suppressed by Twitter and Facebook due to concerns about misinformation and sourcing (the Post is still suspended from using is Twitter account as of Oct. 27), and right-rated media outlets covered the story heavily while many left- and center-rated outlets didn't, saying they shared the social media platforms' concerns. Some left-rated voices said the alleged emails should be treated as potential disinformation from the outset and then carefully vetted, drawing comparisons between this situation and the foreign interference ahead of the 2016 election. Many right-rated voices said that mainstream media outlets are moving to protect Biden, focusing on the stated decisions by NPR (Center) and others to avoid covering the story, and arguing that questionably-sourced stories about Trump are not treated the same way.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Left

Insisting that the Hunter Biden laptop is fake is a trap. So is insisting that it’s real.

Washington Post

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Washington Post

Analysis

“You mean the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax? You got to be kidding me,” President Trump shot back at Joe Biden in the final presidential debate Thursday. The former vice president had told the president that a now-infamous story in the New York Post — sourced from leaked emails and accusing Biden of corruption in Ukraine — was “a Russian plant.”

Who is right? And how should the nation handle this leak and potential foreign interference at a critical time?

A close look at the evidence shows...

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From the Left

Hunter Biden saga dominates online debate

Axios

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Axios

News

The mainstream media turned away. But online, President Trump's charges about Hunter Biden were by far the dominant storyline about the final presidential debate, according to exclusive NewsWhip data provided to Axios.

Coverage of business dealings by Joe Biden's son — and pre-debate allegations by one of his former business associates, Tony Bobulinski — garnered more than twice as much online activity (likes, comments, shares) as the runner-up.
The second-place topic — also pushed by Republicans — was the former vice president's comments on oil and fracking.
Why...

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From the Right

Media Watchdogs Aren’t Supposed to Guard Biden

Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

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Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

Opinion

All Things, it seems, will not be Considered. In the long and dishonorable annals of journalistic cant, there have been few statements to compete with the one issued by National Public Radio last week explaining why it wouldn’t burden its listeners with any news about Hunter Biden.

“We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste our listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions,” said Terence Samuels, the network’s managing editor for news.

NPR’s might...

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