Media top headlines June 17
Biden snapping at a reporter, being mocked for again using a prepared list of journalists to call on in Geneva, and a New York Times reporter claiming that teachers can’t explain Juneteenth to students for fear of ‘critical race theory backlash' round out today’s top media headlines
Journalists largely praised President Joe Biden for standing "tough" in his first face-to-face meeting since becoming commander-in-chief with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday.
CNN consistently lauded Biden's performance in Geneva, including into early Thursday morning when the network editorialized in a chyron that read, "Biden adds to his legacy of talking tough with Putin." In the segment, guests praised Biden for his supposed history of forceful statements against the Russian leader.
The Washington Post's Max Boot penned an op-ed similarly claiming "Biden wiped the smirk off Putin's face" – that smirk, Boot alleges, was what Putin wore when former President Trump met with him in Helsinki, Finland in 2018.
In his piece, Boot praises Biden's "sure-footed, gaffe-free trip" and said the president "hit all the right notes."
Critics noted that Boot's article omits mention of Nord Stream 2, a controversial pipeline from Russia to Germany. Biden recently drew ire for waiving sanctions on the corporation and CEO overseeing construction on the project because, he argued, it was nearly finished. If completed, the pipeline would double the amount of natural gas Russia transports directly to Europe, effectively handing Putin a win.
ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir also heralded Biden for delivering what he called a "clear" speech on Wednesday.
"He made it clear today that he says he's not confident that Putin will change, he says he doesn't trust Putin, in fact, he repeatedly said many different ways that it will take months, it’ll take time to see whether relations between the U.S. and Russia actually improve," Muir said.
Other personalities praised Biden's body language. CNN's Jim Sciutto gushed over Biden's handshake with the Russian president. Sciutto marveled how "notable" it was that when Biden shook Putin's hand, he "looked him in the eye with a smile" and Putin "immediately looked away." Observers were quick to note that video of the encounter told a different story, as Putin looked back at Biden and waved to the press.
BIDEN MOCKED FOR AGAIN USING PREPARED LIST OF REPORTERS AFTER GENEVA SUMMIT: ‘EMBARRASSING’
Some media and foreign policy experts disagreed with the media's glowing reviews and called Wednesday's summit a loss for the U.S.
Rebekah Koffler, former Defense Intelligence Agency covering Russia and author of the forthcoming book, "Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America," told Fox News that China is "elated" at the summit.
"Allowing Putin to berate and discredit us in a solo press conference is quite a mistake for the Biden administration," she said. "To give them that ability, China comes out on top."
Koffler added that she believes Biden began the summit at a disadvantage because he had already extended the Start II treaty and removed Nord Stream 2 sanctions which left him without much to use in negotiations.
"I think our president is in the losing position and Putin is in the winning position, and that was even before the summit," she said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News contributor Kayleigh McEnany said that the media's coverage of Biden's visit to Geneva had "no grounding in reality."
"The media's fawning coverage of President Biden's summit with Vladimir Putin has no grounding in reality," McEnany said on Thursday. "Refusing to stand alongside Putin in a joint press conference and hold him accountable, Biden instead gave Putin a nearly hour-long platform to spew Russian propaganda in a solo news conference. Biden gave Putin aviators, a pipeline, and a list of critical infrastructure not to attack -- as if all infrastructure should not be off limits. Sadly, this was not the victory the media portrayed."
The Biden-Putin meeting was nothing more than a "fiasco," the Media Research Center's Dan Gainor told Fox News on Thursday.
"The press are spinning this fiasco of a summit because that’s the only way to make it look successful," Gainor said. "They can’t rely on what actually happened because nothing did. Biden didn’t stand tough on cyber-terrorism. He didn’t oppose Russia’s pipeline that gives it massive power over our European allies. And he didn’t even look competent when he gave his tiny press conference."
"The only person Biden really stood up to was CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, and he apologized for that," Gainor added, referencing the moment Biden snapped at Collins over a question at his press conference. "This is why the White House press team tries to keep Biden in the basement as much as possible."
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox