On Thursday, CNN anchor and former Fox News host Alisyn Camerota spoke with White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield on “New Day.”
As reported by Mediaite, “Camerota concluded the interview by quoting President Biden, who said in his inaugural address that ‘Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit.’”
Camerota then continued to ask Bedingfield whether the Biden administration would retaliate or punish conservative outlets if they “engage in lies.”
“I heard that as a direct shot at some of the media companies that lied about the election results, we know who they are. They are right-wing companies, some are more fringe than others, at this point, or more extreme than others,” said Camerota.
“And so if they continue to engage in lies, something that he is trying to combat, what is your communication strategy, will you deny those networks any interviews, I mean, what happens if they revert to form immediately?”
Bedingfield — who served as communications director for then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 — first responded by saying that the Biden administration is “committed to reaching every American,” that during his Inaugural address, Biden “called on all Americans to work together,” and that her focus as communications director is “making sure we’re reaching everybody.”
Bedingfield then continued to discuss the outlets Camerota alluded to.
“Now obviously, if media companies are willfully lying or are not carrying forth straightforward, honest information from the president when we make him available, or from administration officials when we make them available, then, of course, that’s something that we are going to think about and we’re going to factor in,” Bedingfield said.
“But our hope writ large is that we’re going to be able to use all sorts of creative platforms, that we’re going to be able to reach out in all sorts of ways to meet people where they are,” Bedingfield said as she returned to Biden’s message of “unity.”
“We love viewers who watch CNN, but we also love viewers who don’t watch CNN. People who are online, who are on Twitter, who are on digital platforms. So, we’re going to think comprehensively about how we can make sure that everybody across the political spectrum and in all communities all across the country are hearing from President Biden, from Vice President Harris, and are hearing about the Biden agenda.”
The notion of effective censorship of right-wing outlets like Fox News, One America News Network, and Newsmax are at the forefront of the conversation regarding news coverage and free speech, with former Facebook official Alex Stamos recently calling for providers like Verizon and AT&T to “turn down the capability” of conservatives to reach “huge audiences.”