Experts note muted media reaction to alleged Russia-linked cyberattack on pipeline

The lack of media outcry over a possible Russian government link to the attack by a Russia-based ransomware gang on the Colonial Pipeline is another example of the Biden administration getting a "pass," experts tell Fox News.

President Biden has told the press there is no evidence "so far" that Russia is involved in the cyberattack by the group DarkSide. Outlets have mentioned DarkSide's Russian roots but rampant speculation about possible involvement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former spy with keen interest in disrupting U.S. operations, has been absent in coverage.

Some critics are wondering if the relative quiet has anything to do with the fact there is new leadership in the White House. For the past four years, Russia-related storylines and speculations dominated the news cycle. 

"Something tells me if Russian hackers shutdown a major fuel pipeline which is now causing gasoline shortages, any time from the years 2017-2020, the reaction in the media would be somewhat less muted," mused writer and podcast host Stephen Miller.

William Jacobson, a Clinical Professor at Cornell Law School, weighed in on the reaction.

"For four years there was a non-stop mainstream liberal media claim that Trump's supposed weakness towards Vladimir Putin meant that Putin 'had something' on Trump and that Trump was compromised," he told Fox News. "There never was any evidence for that, but it was a persistent media narrative."

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And now, despite the Biden administration response being "muted and non-confrontational," Jacobson observes, the same media "that pushed the Russia collusion conspiracy claim is downplaying the impact and mostly ignoring the Biden non-reaction." If these media outlets were "consistent," he says, they would be asking "what does Putin have on Biden?" and they would be "throwing fits." 

"This is just another example of media giving the Biden administration a pass," Jacobson said.

Jeffrey McCall, a media studies professor at DePauw University, agreed that it's been "curious" to watch the media ignore Russia's potential involvement.

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"Some news accounts simply reference ‘the ransomware attack’ without a specific origin, or point the blame generically at ‘a criminal group in Russia,’" he says. "It is curious to see this coverage appear to downplay the Russian connection, particularly whether this cyberattack could have happened without nodding approval from the Russian government." 

The media, McCall adds, is much more intent on running with the gas shortages angle, or a different news cycle altogether.

"The establishment media seems unwilling to investigate the story from the standpoint of international relations, but finds it easier to look at gas lines and gas prices," he said. "While it is true that there are other news items taking space in the news agenda, this cyberattack has many high impact implications that are missing from the reporting thus far.  The media seem more interested in the GOP squabble over Liz Cheney, for example, than this more impactful cyberattack story."

Some social media users were in agreement on both factors - that Russia was likely more involved than it is letting on, and that the media is guilty of another double standard when it comes to how outlets covered the Biden and Trump administrations.

Biden signed an executive order Wednesday intended to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses and improve the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

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Although the Colonial Pipeline is back up and running, many states are still experiencing long lines at the gas pumps.

Biden urged Americans Thursday to not panic over the shortages.