A photo showing Lansing reporter Tim Skubick wearing a big black mask while interviewing a lawmaker outside the Capitol was recently posted on X by the Midwesterner.
Twitter (now known as X) is the worst thing that could’ve ever happened to journalists. Before Twitter, journalists like Skubick could pretend that no one could see their pro-Democrat bias. What they don’t realize is that with every word, with every choice or mannerism, their bias becomes more clear.
We don’t have to labor under the delusion that a man wearing a Covid mask in 2025 is also an objective seeker of truth. Tim Skubick is just another guy who has picked a team, no different from any of us. What did you think he was?
This week, Facebook resurfaced an unwelcome memory. It was April 2022, a full two years after Covid officially reached Michigan.
At the Detroit News offices, they blocked off and taped up the water fountains. They sent out emails warning people against congregating at the ice machine. The Detroit News printed Covid fear, because it lived in Covid fear.
Rather than do what a journalist would when their governor shreds the state constitution, the media decided to cover for Whitmer instead.
The Detroit News Lansing bureau tragically died in that fire, never to be seen again.
The phoenix that re-emerged from its ashes was the Detroit News Press Office. “We’re all in this together” was its mantra. Now, all of Lansing sings in unison.
Anyone who questioned the actions of Queen Whitmer was presented as Public Enemy No 1, whether it was a top lawmaker, like then Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who tried to negotiate the end of lockdowns, or a 77-year old barber named Karl, who dared to try to keep his bills paid during a man-made panic.
Or Ian Murphy, a restaurateur in Gaylord who decided to risk it for the brisket. These are the same risks Whitmer took when she flew to Florida to see her dad, or flew with her daughters to Washington at the height of Covid deaths for Biden’s inauguration.
When Whitmer did this, it was fine. When Murphy and the others did it, they were putting lives at risk. And our media bleated and repeated that company line for years.
Once upon a time, the news was the voice of the people. During the pandemic, it became the voice of Whitmer, an explainer of her actions. Never there to question her, just there to block and tackle anyone who doubted the cover story. Now they’re auditioning Jocelyn Benson for the same role.
Would you trust a reporter who wears a Covid mask? I don’t. Especially if that man tells you his work is objective and neutral.
Turns out we didn’t need 200 executive orders from Whitmer, masked faces, or lockdowns to survive Covid. We just needed the common sense we learned as kids: If you are sick, stay home.
James David Dickson is host of the Enjoyer Podcast. Join him in conversation on X @downi75.
