Marty Baron, who spent over two decades at the top of American journalism, first as the editor of the Boston Globe and then as editor of the Washington Post from 2013 to 2021, now admits the media went easy on old Joe Biden.

Baron gave the keynote address to a major journalism ethics conference. He dropped this bomb on the media’s failure covering the Biden White House:

Did we live up to our truth-seeking mission early this decade as we saw Joe Biden struggling cognitively and physically while holding the most powerful position on earth? I don’t believe we did.

Did some among us shy from aggressively exploring his intellectual acuity and physical health for fear of aiding Donald Trump’s campaign and alienating loyal readers, viewers and listeners? My guess is yes. If so, would that be an ethical breakdown in our profession? Again, I’d say yes. One thing is for sure: Our credibility was damaged.

Two points. The Washington Post paraded its slogan “Democracy Dies In Darkness” on its front page for years at the same time that its former top editor says it concealed Joe Biden’s infirmities. “Truth Dies In Darkness” indeed.

Second, the Post saw a newsroom revolt just before the election when owner Jeff Bezos declared that the Post wouldn’t explicitly endorse Kamala Harris for president. Apparently, the Posties couldn’t bear not having their biases made clear in BOTH the editorial and news columns.

Since then, happily, Bezos has declared his independence from his “woke” newsroom and the editorial page has shifted to support “free speech and free markets.” Even the newsroom has seen more balance injected into its coverage.

The takeaway is that “media bias” in elite newsrooms is real as ever.