At a recent major press conference, his first since January, Biden revealed that he had been given a list of 10 journalists from a variety of left-leaning media establishments to call upon for questions, with many of them getting to ask multiple questions.
There were almost 100 different media outlets in the room, the vast majority of whom were not allowed to ask a question.
Many of these journalists expressed frustration to the Daily Caller at the level of "disservice" this action is doing for the press and the American public by only allowing a specially selected pool of journalists question the president.
"The whole press briefing was an incestuous liberal orgy, all made to stroke Biden’s ego," said one correspondent who wished to remain annonymous out of fear of professional reprisal. "Fox News, which is the main right-leaning outlet that usually gets called on, didn’t even make the list".
Another reporter, who also wished to remain annonymous, expressed that "President Biden missed an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to answer tough questions, especially as critics openly question his mental acuity."
"It is sad and it breaks my heart daily that press briefings or press conferences at the White House are clearly rigged," lamented Simon Ateba, a reporter for Today News Africa. "On the surface, they appear to be transparent, but in reality it’s all about the illusion of transparency."
There was also a feeling of frustration about the relatively small number of major press conferences that Biden holds.
"It’s understandable the president leans on the same TV, wires, and legacy outlets in his press conferences, as they have the largest reach," Washington Examiner correspondent Christian Datoc told the Daily Caller. "The only way for more outlets and reporters to get opportunities to question the president, is if he holds more press conferences, something we all hope the White House will commit to now that the midterms are over "
Compared to some his predecessors, Biden holds considerably fewer press conferences, an average of .8 per month according to the New York Post. This is compared to Trump's 2.6 per month, Obama's 1.7, George W. Bush and Clinton held more than 2 per month, and George H. W. Bush averaged 3 per month.
It was also expressed that Biden himself "makes it very clear that that the staff made the decision as to who will be called on and who won’t, and he says he has to abide by it," according to former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. He "makes it sound like the staff are running the place."
The White House has repeatedly refused to respond to questions regarding who determines which journalists make the list.
