The Media Research Center spent much of the winter being bummed that it had to walk back a major part of its anti-Hunter Biden jihad when it turned out the main witness to his purported business shenanigans was a liar (though it still hasn’t disclosed to its readers that it was forced to alter dozens of posts to reflect that information). But there was more, relatively minor legal activity on the horizon, so the MRC tried to get geared up for that. A May 9 post by Jorge Bonilla whined that most non-right-wing media failed to report on a relatively minor procedural motion by Biden’s attorneys to dismiss the gun charges against him. Bonilla did concede that the appeal involved a “Bruen defense against the gun charges, which puts many Second Amendment advocates in the unusual position of being sympathetic to the younger Biden” — not that he expressed any of that sympathy, of course.
Bonilla returned for a May 19 post trying to split hairs once more about whether the Hunter laptop story was “censored” in 2020: “In fact, the Hunter Biden laptop story was blacked out by the media.” Apaprently, Bonilla doesn’t consider Fox News, the New York Post or any other right-wing media outlet that obsessed over the laptop to be part of “the media.” He then cited the MRC’s so-called study that “confirms as much- textbook election interference by the media in conjunction with Big Tech.” In fact, that bogus “study” was based on a pair of dubious polls the MRC bought from right-wing polling firms, including Trump’s own election pollster.
As Hunter’s trial drew nearer, Curtis Houck was excited for it in a June 3 post — but angry that non-right-wing outlets treated Hunter as a human being instead of the partisan punching bag he and his fellow right-wingers demand (and that this right-wing narrative was called out):
Surprisingly, the major broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC had full reports on their flagship morning news shows about the start of the first Hunter Biden trial to the tune of eight minutes and 43 seconds, but was well short of the 14 minutes and three seconds on April 15 to kick off the Trump trial.
And, while they were giddy at Trump’s starting, they were crestfallen over the “sad and sordid” trial getting underway that’s already taken “a real personal toll” on President Biden as a lead GOP “political punching bag”.
ABC’s Good Morning America was the most excited at the Trump trial (as well as the guilty verdict of the former President), so it came as no surprise they downplayed the trial, acting like Hunter’s a child and Joe a powerless father.
Senior national correspondent Terry Moran was beside himself: “This is a historic case, but it is also a sad and sordid tale of drug addiction and its consequences in the Biden family, as in so many American families. And it carries the very real potential of personal and political pain for the President.”
Leaning into the attempts at sympathy, Moran emphasized Hunter is “President Joe Biden’s only living son” and “spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction.”
[…]After noting the witness list includes his ex-girlfriend/late brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden, [NBC correspondent Ryan] Nobles trumpeted President Biden’s coziness with his son and time at the White House as endearing, which certainly wouldn’t be the case if one of President Trump’s adult sons or daughters were tried during his first term.
Another post that day by Tim Graham whined that NBC’s “Meet the Press” asked House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries only one question about Hunter and didn’t go all Fox News on him: “‘Fact-based’ reporters don’t point out that Hunter Biden has done many things wrong, starting with the crack cocaine and hookers.” This from the guy who still hasn’t told MRC readers about the dozens of posts that were altered to reflect the discredited witness.
Bonilla returned for a June 4 post whining that non-right-wing media weren’t trying to personally destroy Hunter the way right-wing outlets like the MRC are:
The networks must have collective whiplash. The brutality and edge of their coverage of former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan business records trial is eclipsed by the collective tenderness with which they’re handling Hunter Biden’s federal trial on gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware.
[…]The rest of the coverage was essentially a love letter to a father’s undying love for his troubled son. Or “child”, as the networks ridiculously characterized 54-year-old Hunter Biden- a deference never accorded to the Bush twins when they were busted for underaged drinking.
Bonilla went on to hope for the laptop to be introduced as evidence: “If Special Counsel David Weiss is intending to enter the laptop as evidence, he’ll need to elicit testimony authenticating the laptop, which per the (also media-suppressed) IRS whistleblowers happened in November of 2019.” Bonilla offered no reason why laptop should be referenced in court.