On Friday, August 20th, Biden addressed the nation and took questions from the press about the Afghanistan evacuation efforts. Here are some of the stories about it from mass media outlets, organized by the typical political orientation assigned to them by the Ad Fontes & AllSides Media Bias charts.
Tends to skew right:
Breitbart: “Bumbling Contradiction: Joe Biden Promises Every American in Afghanistan Will Get Home but Cannot Guarantee Safety”
This article shows bias right in the headline as it characterizes Biden's actions negatively before even stating its topic. The reader's judgment is further influenced by the article's photo, which shows Biden looking remorseful. The article itself highlights the uncertainty surrounding the Afghanistan evacuation, using language like "tried to reassure" and "admitted that he could not guarantee,,,success." This is not at all a dishonest or inaccurate take, but it is a particular framing choice that has the ability to influence how the reader feels about the events. I find it interesting that the author characterized Biden’s claim that “this is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history” as boasting. This seems misleading to me. Perhaps I interpreted President Biden's comments incorrectly, but that statement signaled to me that the airlift will be a challenge, and therefore the public should not set their expectations too high. Quite the opposite of boasting. Overall, the content of the article itself did not come across as overly partisan to me, but the headline and the accompanying picture tells the reader to take a negative view of Biden’s handling of the situation before they have even read the article. Many probably won’t even read the article and will form their opinion simply from the headline.
Fox News: “Biden says 'we will get you home' to Americans trapped in Afghanistan exit, but not sure how many still there”
I appreciate the use of an in-context quote in the headline, as it grounds the article in reality. I did notice that the authors put the word "trapped" in the headline, which carries a negative connotation that the reader will take with them as they read the article. Like the Breitbart story, this article focuses heavily on the uncertainty of the situation. It uses a quote from Defense Secretary John Kirby to emphasize that the US is unsure about the exact number of Americans left in Afghanistan. Additionally, I noticed a few instances throughout where the author calls Biden's leadership into judgment. Along with the second portion of the headline, the article's by-line notes that there is no requirement for American citizens to register when they travel to Afghanistan. Putting these two facts in highly visible places puts a greater emphasis on these issues. Similarly, the article says that Biden "notably" took questions from the press after not doing so during his previous two conferences. While this is not a major show of bias, the addition of the adverb elevates the statement from simple fact to a judgment and is something I've observed in many of this post's articles. Ultimately, this article reports the facts while incorporating subtle questioning about the quality of the Biden administration.
Trends toward the center:
BBC: “Biden warns lives could be lost in Kabul airlift”
This headline is notable to me as it's both factually honest and striking in an attention-getting way. It essentially performs the same function as the previous two headlines without, as far as I can tell, showing any bias. The article itself notes that some of Biden's claims from the speech have been contradicted by the defense secretary and describes international criticism that Biden has faced. That said, it also mentions that Biden cut short his planned vacation to address the crisis. It's the least he could do, but dedicating a sentence to that in the article lends a sense of credibility to his leadership. It mentions Republican Senator Lindsey Graham's statement that Biden should be impeached if even one US citizen is left in Afghanistan, then balances that with Democratic Senator Bob Menendez's comment that he and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will seek a "full accounting" of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Interestingly, it is the only of these articles to note that Biden's approval rating, 49%, is at its lowest point of his presidency so far. Overall, I found this article to bring a straightforward international perspective to the matter.
Associated Press: “Biden vows to evacuate all Americans--and Afghan helpers”
The use of "vows" in this headline is a rather strong language choice that suggests that Biden is very committed to the evacuation effort. This trend is continued in the opening sentence, which notes that Biden "pledged firmly" to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan. In my opinion, the word choice here colors the reader's impression of Biden's leadership efforts more than a story from an organization that prides itself on being non-partisan should. I was, however, impressed by how comprehensive the reporting was. It is the first of the articles to incorporate original reporting, and it also uses numerous statistics to demonstrate the extent of the evacuation efforts. It provides background on Afghanistan President Ghani fleeing and is the only article to mention that the Trump administration set up the original plans for US troop departure from Afghanistan. It shows balance by quoting from Republican House Representative Peter Meijer and Democratic House Representative Seth Moulton. Overall, this is the most detailed of the sources in terms of providing facts and evidence to back up the claims.
Tends to skew left:
CNN: “Biden focuses on 'getting this job done' as chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan grows desperate”
This CNN headline points out Biden's commitment to the situation while also highlighting the situation's seriousness with language like "chaotic" and "desperate." The article notes that Biden "tried to put on an optimistic face" and "sought to project calm," which implies that he did not fully succeed. Like the AP article, it quotes from multiple sources, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, and the US Embassy. It also features commentary from CNN reporters in Kabul and called out some of Biden's claims about the airport that did not match with what their reporters witnessed. Overall, the observations from reporters on the ground brought a unique perspective to this article, which takes quite a critical view of the situation in Afghanistan and Biden's handling of it.
Buzzfeed News: “Joe Biden Said He Is Committed To Helping Evacuate Afghan Allies Who Have Worked With The US Government”
This headline directly characterizes Biden as a committed leader, putting forth a positive impression of Biden's handling of the situation before the article even begins. Unlike the other articles which focused heavily on evacuating Americans, this story is framed around Biden's desire to help vulnerable Afghans seek safety outside of their country. Considering what a contentious topic immigration is, the idea of helping Afghan refugees is generally prioritized more by liberals than conservatives. Even so, the article does mention a couple of Biden's shortcomings leading up to Afghanistan's collapse; it references Biden's insistence in July that a Taliban takeover was not inevitable while also bringing up the internal State Department memo that suggested the possible fall of Afghanistan. It does not shy away from describing the situation in Kabul and wraps up with evacuation statistics. In sum, this article seems designed to appeal to Buzzfeed's core audience of young (likely liberal) people and displays some bias as a result.
My Balanced Take:
US president Joe Biden addressed the public on August 20th about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover. He reassured Americans stuck in Afghanistan that “we will get you home” while noting that he “cannot promise what the final outcome will be ... or that it will be without risk of loss.” Although the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that there are thousands of Americans and Afghans who assisted the US during the war effort who are awaiting evacuation from the conflict-ridden country. Since Afghani President Ghani retreated the country, essentially leaving it in the hands of the Taliban, the Kabul airport has been inundated with people trying to leave. Graphic videos have circulated showing people clinging to the sides of airplanes and falling to their deaths as the plane takes off.
Biden has faced criticism by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for his failure to evacuate US allies before the Taliban takeover. In a July interview, Biden stated that the Taliban was unlikely to take over after a US withdrawal. Meanwhile, a report from the State Department suggests that diplomats urged the Biden administration to speed up the evacuation process weeks ago. Despite this, Biden is defending his actions surrounding the troop withdrawal, stating that after a twenty-year war, “there’s no way in which you’d be able to leave Afghanistan without there being some of what you’re seeing now.”
Recent numbers show that the US has evacuated at least 18,000 people from Afghanistan since July. On Thursday the 19th, a total of 5,700 people were moved out by the US. As of now, evacuation efforts continue.
Biden has faced criticism by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for his failure to evacuate US allies before the Taliban takeover. In a July interview, Biden stated that the Taliban was unlikely to take over after a US withdrawal. Meanwhile, a report from the State Department suggests that diplomats urged the Biden administration to speed up the evacuation process weeks ago. Despite this, Biden is defending his actions surrounding the troop withdrawal, stating that after a twenty-year war, “there’s no way in which you’d be able to leave Afghanistan without there being some of what you’re seeing now.”
Recent numbers show that the US has evacuated at least 18,000 people from Afghanistan since July. On Thursday the 19th, a total of 5,700 people were moved out by the US. As of now, evacuation efforts continue.
What do you think? Do you agree with my assessments of the articles? Does my attempt at a balanced take avoid their flaws and bias?
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