D.C. Journalist in Exile
@longingforethics.substack.com
Twenty-year veteran editor for Knight Ridder, McClatchy, and Tribune in D.C. Now working in knowledge management, data analysis, and ethics from the desert Southwest.
2024: The Nation’s John Nichols argued Biden could no longer avoid questions about his fitness after the special counsel report and urged more direct exposure – including more press conferences. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
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Biden Can No Longer Avoid Questions About His Fitness for a Second Term
A long-simmering debate has boiled to the surface with the special counsel’s report. How the president responds will determine whether he is reelected.
www.thenation.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2024: The Nation’s John Nichols argued Biden could no longer avoid questions about his fitness after the special counsel report and urged more direct exposure – including more press conferences. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
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2023-2024: Reuters, among others, complained as Biden skipped the traditional Super Bowl interview two years in a row, noting it came amid heightened debate about his fitness and included criticism of limited unscripted press interaction. www.reuters.com/world/us/bid...
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www.reuters.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2023-2024: Reuters, among others, complained as Biden skipped the traditional Super Bowl interview two years in a row, noting it came amid heightened debate about his fitness and included criticism of limited unscripted press interaction. www.reuters.com/world/us/bid...
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2022: The Washington Post editorial page cited journalist Brian Karem organizing a letter (signed by 70+ journalists, per the Post) objecting to press exclusions and restricted access to Biden events. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
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Opinion | Some White House reporters object to exclusion from Biden events
Restrictions in access to presidential events prompts a letter from nearly 70 White House journalists, past and present.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2022: The Washington Post editorial page cited journalist Brian Karem organizing a letter (signed by 70+ journalists, per the Post) objecting to press exclusions and restricted access to Biden events. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
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2022: Same CPJ report: AP’s Zeke Miller described Biden sometimes leaving without taking questions, in the context of broader White House press concerns about access. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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‘Night and day’: The Biden administration and the press - Committee to Protect Journalists
President Joe Biden’s approach to U.S. media is a stark contrast to Donald Trump’s vicious rhetoric. However, one year into the Biden administration, press freedom advocates remain concerned about iss...
cpj.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2022: Same CPJ report: AP’s Zeke Miller described Biden sometimes leaving without taking questions, in the context of broader White House press concerns about access. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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2022: Same CPJ report: WaPo’s Dan Balz criticized the administration’s approach as “very choreographed – mostly scripted events,” reflecting frustration with controlled access. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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‘Night and day’: The Biden administration and the press - Committee to Protect Journalists
President Joe Biden’s approach to U.S. media is a stark contrast to Donald Trump’s vicious rhetoric. However, one year into the Biden administration, press freedom advocates remain concerned about iss...
cpj.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2022: Same CPJ report: WaPo’s Dan Balz criticized the administration’s approach as “very choreographed – mostly scripted events,” reflecting frustration with controlled access. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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2022: In a CPJ report, ABC’s Jonathan Karl complained Biden access was limited and said press conferences were “few and far between,” describing efforts to “wall him off” from the press. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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‘Night and day’: The Biden administration and the press - Committee to Protect Journalists
President Joe Biden’s approach to U.S. media is a stark contrast to Donald Trump’s vicious rhetoric. However, one year into the Biden administration, press freedom advocates remain concerned about iss...
cpj.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2022: In a CPJ report, ABC’s Jonathan Karl complained Biden access was limited and said press conferences were “few and far between,” describing efforts to “wall him off” from the press. cpj.org/reports/2022...
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2021: The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reported that after 50 days in office, Biden still hadn’t held a news conference, fueling questions from critics and allies about why. www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/me...
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After 50 days as president, Biden still hasn’t given a news conference. Critics and allies wonder why.
It’s the longest period of time that any new president in the past century has gone without a first formal Q&A session with reporters.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
2021: The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reported that after 50 days in office, Biden still hadn’t held a news conference, fueling questions from critics and allies about why. www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/me...
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Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Trump supporters:
If we believe in freedom, let's apply it consistently. That means defending it for people we do not like, speech we do not agree with, and voters who do not vote our way.
Character is what we do when we could choose resentment instead.
If we believe in freedom, let's apply it consistently. That means defending it for people we do not like, speech we do not agree with, and voters who do not vote our way.
Character is what we do when we could choose resentment instead.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Trump supporters:
If we believe in freedom, let's apply it consistently. That means defending it for people we do not like, speech we do not agree with, and voters who do not vote our way.
Character is what we do when we could choose resentment instead.
If we believe in freedom, let's apply it consistently. That means defending it for people we do not like, speech we do not agree with, and voters who do not vote our way.
Character is what we do when we could choose resentment instead.
Your support for hostages of Hamas is admirable.
Your callous cruelty toward hostages of other nations, and toward the journalism that equitably covers all sides' hostages, is not.
Your callous cruelty toward hostages of other nations, and toward the journalism that equitably covers all sides' hostages, is not.
February 6, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Your support for hostages of Hamas is admirable.
Your callous cruelty toward hostages of other nations, and toward the journalism that equitably covers all sides' hostages, is not.
Your callous cruelty toward hostages of other nations, and toward the journalism that equitably covers all sides' hostages, is not.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Detention length averages from 44 to 54.7 days.
Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Fast Facts: Expenditures (66)
The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). Get answers on Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education an...
nces.ed.gov
February 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Detention length averages from 44 to 54.7 days.
Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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