Blackout on Biden corruption allegations 'markings of a state media,' top law professor says

The establishment media blackout on corruption within the Biden family is the sign of a state-run media even as stories on the issue could easily win journalism awards, George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley says.

Congressional Republicans unveiled evidence last week that nine members of the first family were allegedly receiving funds from figures in multiple foreign countries, but "the media is insisting that this is no scandal because there is not directly proof of payments to Joe Biden," Turley wrote in an opinion article Friday for The Hill.

"Putting aside that this is only the fourth month of an investigation, the media’s demand of a direct payment to President Biden is laughably absurd. The payments were going to his family, but he was the object of the influence peddling," Turley also wrote. He explained that the purpose of influence peddling is to pay family members of politicians rather than the officials themselves, which could be viewed as a bribe.

After House Republicans issued their report last week about the Biden family's questionable business deals, The New York Times published an article with the headline, "House Republican Report Finds No Evidence of Wrongdoing by President Biden."

Turley pointed out that the Times' headline signals that the paper "may indeed be trying for another Pulitzer Prize" after it won the esteemed journalism award for reporting on the since-debunked story that the Trump 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.

Turning to discuss how the U.S. media reflects state propaganda in foreign countries, he cited how researchers at the nonprofit think tank the Rand Corporation found that modern Russian propaganda has "two distinctive features: high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions."

"The coverage this week has all the markings of a state media. The consistent spin. The almost universal lack of details. The absurd distinctions," Turley also wrote.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.