Media Treated Joe Biden’s Assault Accuser Differently Than Brett Kavanaugh’s

There are similarities in the sexual assault allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford and Tara Reade. Ford accuses Justice Brett Kavanaugh of pinning her to a bed, groping her over her clothes, and covering her mouth at a high school party in the early 1980s. Reade accuses Biden of forcibly penetrating her with his fingers when she worked for his Senate office in 1993.

The allegations are both decades old. Both are denied by the accused men. That does not render them false. It does, however, offer an instructive case study in media bias.

Reade’s allegation is against a Democrat, Ford’s is against a Republican-appointed justice. Reade supported Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, and came forward as the contest narrowed to Sanders and Biden. Ford is a registered Democrat, who made her allegation public after Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court. Both say they hesitated to step forward earlier for fear of retaliation.

Reade’s story went untouched by The New York Times, the Washington Post, and most of the legacy media for 19 days. The Post reported Ford’s allegation shortly after she agreed to go on the record, which took months and came after other outlets were closing in on the story.