(UnitedVoice.com) – The White House Press Office is an extension of the president. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and her deputy press secretaries are the mouthpieces for President Joe Biden and his administration. When they speak, they aren’t offering their personal opinions about something, but rather, vocalizing the thoughts of the commander-in-chief.
If there’s one thing that America has come to expect from the Biden Administration it’s that his press office is not going to be on the same page as the president. That was evident from the mixed messages it has been giving about the writer’s strike.
Not Taking Sides
On May 2, at 12:01 a.m., the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began. The union had been unable to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) organization which represents the major studios. Writers are asking for a restructuring of residual payments. They are currently based on the performance of programs when they air, but streaming has reduced the payments drastically. Further, they are asking for guaranteed work and want regulations put in place for the use of artificial intelligence programs like Chat GPT.
Later that day, the press secretary was asked about the strike during the Daily White House Press Briefing. A reporter pointed out that Biden has called himself “the most pro-union President in history” and asked how he can say that when he isn’t “openly offering support to the striking writers in Hollywood?”
The press secretary said the president wasn’t saying anything because the strike was ongoing. She went on to say they “don’t speak to an ongoing strike.” She also claimed that the president is a “strong supporter of workers’ rights to strike.”
Here Comes Biden
On Monday, May 8, President Biden held an event for Asian Americans at the White House. During the event, he spoke about the Hollywood strike telling attendees that he hopes the “writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.” Fox News reported that he went on to say that he believes the country needs writers and everyone else who is involved with telling the stories of the American people and the nation.
Biden also remarked that the nights like that one were “a reminder of the power of stories” and how important it is that we treat “storytellers with dignity, respect, and the value they deserve.”
The writer’s strike is ongoing. That means that despite what the press secretary said just days before, the White House does talk about strikes that are ongoing.
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