The establishment media avoided blaming President Biden for Friday’s underperforming jobs report.
While Biden promised in 2020 he would create many jobs and shut down the virus, the establishment media avoided mentioning Biden’s culpability for December’s poor jobs report, produced in large part by an ever-raging virus and subsequent cumbersome health guidelines.
“Hiring slowed in December in a sign the economic recovery was moderating ahead of disruptions from the Omicron variant of Covid-19,” the Wall Street Journal wrote in an article titled, “U.S. Jobs Report Shows Gains Slowed to 199,000 in December.”
With no mention of Biden’s mismanagement of the economy or pandemic, the New York Times just blamed the rampant coronavirus for an anemic jobs report in an article titled, “The U.S. added 199,000 jobs in December, a weak rise before Omicron’s grip.”
“America’s hiring slowdown continued in December as employers struggled to find workers, even before the labor market faced a new threat from the coronavirus — underscoring the tumultuous path ahead as the economy enters 2022,” the Times warned.
The Washington Post’s headline was similar, “U.S. economy added just 199,000 jobs in December, before labor market confronted omicron surge.”
The Post did not blame Biden for the poor jobs report, nor did they report Biden failed to shut down the omicron variant. The paper did, however, cite polling that Americans are unhappy with Biden’s economic performance.
“The new labor market numbers come as polls continue to show that voters disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy, as concerns about inflation and labor shortages overshadow other achievements,” the story read.
The media’s framing of Friday’s jobs report comes as Biden’s economy only added 199,000 jobs in December, well below the forecasted 422,000 predictions. Breitbart News reported:
U.S. employers have been attempting to hire workers at a record pace in recent months. Job openings were above 10 million in November, when a record number of workers quit their jobs. The unemployment rate has fallen far faster than anticipated.
But the virus has made hiring more complicated and some workers may be hesitant to return to in-person work because they fear infection or want to avoid masking and vaccination requirements. Decades-high levels of inflation, which reduces the value of a worker’s wages, may also make employment less attractive for some Americans.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø
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