See No Stumbles
How so much of the press badly flubbed its coverage of Biden's deterioration


About a month before the debate that upended President Joe Biden's campaign, The Wall Street Journal published a story headlined "Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping." The story was built largely on anonymous sources, with only Republicans providing the on-the-record ballast. Though the Journal's news pages have long had a reputation for studious nonpartisanship, it was roundly slammed by a cadre of media experts, who dismissed it as a hit piece filled with innuendo. The article has aged, obviously, far better than the critiques — which raises the question: Why weren't there more stories that prepared us for the shock of the debate? One theory, of course, is that many journalists didn't want to hurt Biden. I take a generous view here. The New York Times, for instance, did do many stories about the problem of Biden's age, despite the predictable savaging it got them from the Left. But there is a difference between covering Biden's age as a campaign issue and getting the straight story on his deterioration.
I think there is a more intricate underlying issue here of how reporting works today. The kind of reporting the Journal did, relying on deep and often anonymous sourcing, has become increasingly rare. Both editors and readers now expect hard evidence — documents, tapes, quotes from multiple named sources. Last week, the excellent reporter Olivia Nuzzi published a story in New York magazine detailing how Biden's decline was an open secret to insiders and to the reporters grimly following his public appearances. Commentators complained that the story could have been published earlier. My suspicion, however, is that before the debate any article like Nuzzi's would have been dismissed as "just vibes." Reporters once dealt freely in their own observations and the words of anonymous insiders. Now the rule is often that until there are documents or on-the-record quotes, there is no story. That has frequently made the news feel more professional and reliable. But it has also set the public up for shocking surprises.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Mark Gimein is a managing editor at the print edition of The Week. His work on business and culture has appeared in Bloomberg, The New Yorker, The New York Times and other outlets. A Russian immigrant, and has lived in the United States since the age of five, and now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.
-
Could Democrats lose the New Jersey governor’s race?
Today’s Big Question Democrat Mikie Sherrill stumbles against Republican Jack Ciattarelli
-
‘Porsche’s luxury credentials are now hanging by a thread’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Choose your own wellness adventure in Greater Palm Springs
The Week Recommends Hit the spa, try a sound bath or take a hike
-
The GOP: Merging flag and cross
Feature Donald Trump has launched a task force to pursue “anti-Christian policies”
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsaw
Talking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
Sarkozy behind bars: the conviction dividing France
In the Spotlight The former president of the republic has portrayed judicial investigation of his ties to Gaddafi regime as a left-wing witch-hunt
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day