Jeff Mason, President of The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) and Reuters’ White House correspondent, denied the existence of widespread left-wing and partisan Democrat biases across the news media landscape.
Speaking with Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson on Monday, Mason repeatedly suggested that reporters and journalists at news media outlets such as The New York Times and Reuters operate in a “neutral” manner without “bias.”
Both Carlson and Mason agreed that political and partisan objectivity are both attainable and desirable standards upon which reporters and journalists should operate.
“I think it is important to report the facts and the news, and to stay neutral. Full stop,” said Mason, sharing his expectations for news media figures that present themselves as politically objective and non-partisan. “We stand up for the values of truth.”
Mason refused to state that political diversity was an important feature of a healthy news media, despite several invitations from Carlson for him to do so.
A recent survey via Politico of sixty-three members of the White House press corps indicated that 5% are registered as Republicans, with 16% registered as Democrats.
During last week’s WHCA Dinner, Mason rebuked President Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of the news media, framing criticisms of his industry and colleagues as somehow undermining the First Amendment:
“We cannot ignore the rhetoric that has been employed by the president about who we are and what we do. Freedom of the press is a building block of our democracy. Undermining that by seeking to delegitimize journalists is dangerous to a healthy republic. It is our job to report on facts and to hold leaders accountable. That is who we are. We are not fake news. We are not failing news organizations. And we are not the enemy of the American people.”
Mason’s defense of the pretenses of political objectivity and non-partisanship upon which left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media organizations operate was well-received by the WHCA Dinner’s attendants; it sparked a standing ovation.
Mason presents himself as a political objective and non-partisan news media figure.
Watch the interview below.
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