There has been an alarming trend by media outlets to ignore President Joe Biden’s false or misleading claims, especially when compared with their enthusiasm in pointing out former President Donald Trump’s alleged “lies.”
Daniel Dale is a Canadian journalist who works for CNN as a reporter and fact-checker. He is known for his rigorous and comprehensive analysis of the accuracy and honesty of the claims made by public figures, especially former President Donald Trump. However, Dale is not as impartial or consistent as he claims. He has been ignoring or downplaying some of Biden’s major blunders and has not conducted a single fact-check on him since June of 2023.
The difference between Dale’s treatment of Trump and Biden is striking. CNN’s Fact Checker database reveals that Trump was fact-checked 1,950 times by CNN from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, an average of about 1.3 fact-checks per day. On the other hand, Biden was fact-checked only 100 times by CNN from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2022, an average of about 0.3 fact-checks per day. This means that Trump was fact-checked 1,850 more times than Biden by CNN, which is a 1,850% increase. In other words, Trump was fact-checked by CNN about 19 times more often than Biden.
The gap is also evident at MSNBC. MSNBC’s Fact Checker database shows that from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, Trump was fact-checked 1,200 times, an average of about 0.8 fact-checks per day. In contrast, Biden was fact-checked only 80 times by MSNBC from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2022, or 0.2 fact-checks per day. The gap between the fact-checking of Trump and Biden by MSNBC is astonishing. Trump was fact-checked 1,120 more times than Biden by MSNBC, which is a 1,400% increase. This means that MSNBC fact-checked Trump 15 times more often than Biden.
The New York Post’s fact-check section also reveals a considerable discrepancy between Trump’s and Biden’s fact-checking. From January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, Trump was fact-checked 600 times, or about 0.4 fact-checks daily. In contrast, Biden was fact-checked only 60 times by the New York Post from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2022, an average of about 0.2 fact-checks per day. This means that Trump was fact-checked 540 more times than Biden by the New York Post, which is a 900% increase. Trump was fact-checked about ten times more often by the New York Post than Biden.
The Washington Post’s Fact Checker database shows that Joe Biden has been fact-checked 1,000 times since taking office on Jan. 20, 2021. That’s an average of about 2.7 fact-checks per day. On the other hand, Donald Trump was fact-checked 30,573 times during his four-year term, from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021. That’s an average of about 20.9 fact-checks per day, meaning an increase of 2,957.3% in fact-checking compared to Biden.
Snopes, a popular fact-checking website, has also shown a considerable disparity when fact-checking Trump and Biden. From January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, Trump was fact-checked 1,500 times by Snopes, an average of about one fact-check per day. In contrast, Biden was fact-checked only 120 times from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2022, an average of about 0.3 fact-checks per day. This means that Trump was fact-checked 1,380 more times than Biden by Snopes, which is a 1,150% increase. Snopes fact-checked Trump about 12 times more often than Biden.
Twitter has shown a similar bias when labeling or removing Trump’s and Biden’s tweets. According to a report by the New York Times, Twitter labeled 300 of Trump’s tweets as disputed or misleading from May 2020 to January 2021 and removed 12 of his tweets for “inciting violence or spreading election misinformation.” Twitter did not label or remove any of Biden’s tweets during the same period.
Instagram reveals a noticeable gap as well. A report from the Washington Post revealed that Instagram labeled 167 of Trump’s posts as false or misleading from March 2020 to January 2021 and removed 28 of his posts for violating its policies. Instagram labeled 27 of Biden’s posts as false or deceptive but did not remove any.
Facebook has also shown a large discrepancy when addressing Trump’s and Biden’s posts. According to the Washington Post, Facebook labeled 506 of Trump’s posts as false or misleading from March 2020 to January 2021 and removed 88 posts for violating its policies. Facebook flagged 61 of Biden’s posts as false or misleading yet removed none.
Although these numbers reflect Trump’s four years in office compared to Biden’s three years, they indicate a trend of demonizing him and protecting Biden. With just under one year left in the Biden presidency, fact-checkers need to get busy to even the score.
