In a representative democracy, the news media have a function to hold the government accountable on behalf of the people.

Now for the reality.

The mainstream media operate as the propaganda wing of the Democrat Washington establishment.  Their utterances are in perfect synchronicity.  They no longer care to conceal their bias, often using the pronoun "we" while referring to the Democrats.

The Bidenites are so accustomed to being pampered and worshiped that when a journalist such as Fox News's Peter Doocy asks an elementary question, they resort to abuse.

But something seems to be shifting.  Yesterday, there were two instances of journalists doing their duty by asking questions.

So how did Biden administration officials respond?

Have a look at Instance 1:

During his opening remarks ahead of a press briefing at the State Department, State Department spokesman Ned Price claimed "that Moscow might create a false flag operation" to justify an invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby had made similar claims.

Price cited a Russian intelligence propaganda video that depicts "explosions and fake corpses," "crisis actors pretending to be mourners," and "images of destroyed locations or military equipment" on the ground in Ukraine.

Following the remarks, veteran diplomatic writer Matt Lee of the Associated Press swung into action:

Reporter: “It’s an action that you say they have taken, but you have shown no evidence to confirm that. [...] This is like - crisis actors? Really? This is like Alex Jones territory you’re getting into now.”

Must-watch exchange between @APDiploWriter
Matt Lee and @StateDeptSpox pic.twitter.com/s19CeMJ7Fs

— The Hill (@thehill) February 4, 2022

In a lively exchange, Lee demanded to see evidence of Price's claim of a video and a false flag operation.

Price insisted that his statement was the equivalent of evidence.

After a back-and-forth that went nowhere, an irked Lee said the mention of false flag ops and crisis actors was Alex Jones territory and pressed for proof.

Price said his claims were factual and were "derived from information known to the U.S. government," and they were maintaining confidentiality to "protect sources and methods."

When Lee did not relent, Price condescendingly asked Lee if he would like a print-out of the transcript as physical evidence.

Lee remained steadfast in his demand for proof against Russia.

Price attempted to shut him down with this: "If you doubt the credibility of the U.S. government, of the British government, of other governments and want to, you know, find solace in the information that the Russians are putting out, that is for you to do."

We also have Instance 2:

Yesterday, it was announced that top ISIS terrorist Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi had been killed by U.S. forces on Joe Biden's orders.  That was then clarified to say the terrorist detonated a suicide vest that killed himself, his wife, and his children during a U.S. raid.  There was also news that the operation left 13 people dead, including six children and four women.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki took questions about the operation aboard Air Force One.

This time NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe swung into action.

Rascoe asked Psaki if there will be any evidence or release to support the claim that ISIS detonated the bomb themselves.

Psaki derisively asked Rascoe if she trusted ISIS information more than the U.S. government's claims.

When Rascoe pushed back that "the U.S. has not always been straightforward about what happens with civilians," Psaki resorted to citing processes that the Department of Defense has in place "to avoid civilian casualties" and that Biden has also insisted on no civilian casualties.

Psaki added that since the events occurred less than 24 hours ago, "we're going to give them time to make a final assessment.  And they'll provide every detail they can."

Both Price of the State Department and Psaki of the White House exhibited the same attitude.  They frequently repeated their claims, which is a ploy used to wear out questioners.  In their remarks, they effectively said: "It is true because the government says so.  If you doubt it, you are siding with the enemy." 

This is the kind of talk that occurs in third-world autocratic regimes, not in one of the world's largest democracies.

Both Lee and Roscoe were merely doing their duty in questioning the U.S. government.

History has also taught us that myriad U.S. government claims, such as the one about the presence of WMDs in Iraq, or the one about the Benghazi premeditated terror attack actually being a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim video that went out of hand, or the one about Kabul not going to fall, have turned out to be total falsehoods.

Also, the U.S. has on various occasions executed foreign citizens abroad and attempted to hide the information from the public.

Hence, when the U.S. government makes any claims that seem outlandish, a reporter must demand evidence and relentlessly push back when the proof is not offered.

The people have a right to know what their government is up to.  The reporter is representing the people by his questions, and answers must be provided.

It is perfectly obvious that the media-military-industrial complex that consists of governments, lobbyists, media personnel, defense contractors, and arms dealers is eager for war to make its billions.

In the past week, two articles appeared in mainstream news outlets that demanded military action against Russia in Ukraine.  One of the articles was "presented" by an arms dealer, Lockheed Martin, whose stock rose dramatically last week.  The author of the other article, Michael G. Vickers, is a former Obama official, who is currently on the board of arms dealer BAE Systems, Inc.

The loss of lives of both civilians and armed personnel and the potential destruction of countries hardly matter to them, much like how it didn't in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.

An armed conflict at this juncture will be catastrophic for the U.S. economy, which is already struggling due to COVID-19 restrictions and record-high inflation. 

Under such circumstances, a reporter needs to ask.

Image: Screen shot from Fox News via YouTube video.