The White House reportedly is "extremely upset" about the New York Times' coverage of President Joe Biden's age, but the publisher of the "newspaper of record" defended the coverage.
A.G. Sulzberger on Monday said the Times will "continue to report fully and fairly not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden," arguing it was a matter of trust.
The comments came during an interview The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Politico reported.
"He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We've reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it," Sulzberger said, Politico reported.
Criticism over coverage of the 81-year-old's low approval ratings and age has drawn criticism not only from the Biden campaign — which fired off a letter titled "Are Y'all Actually Paying Attention?" — but even some press members.
The age scrutiny was further fueled by special counsel Robert Hur's report in which he described Biden as "an elderly man with a poor memory."
Former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan, however, wrote that she found the age coverage obsessive, saying she wishes Sulzberger would instruct his opinion editor and the top news editor to cease "going overboard with both coverage and commentary about Biden's age" and "tone it down."
Sulzberger denied that the coverage is lopsided.
"We are not saying that this is the same as [former President Donald] Trump's five court cases or that they are even," he said in the interview, Politico reported.
"They are different. But they are both true, and the public needs to know both those things. And if you are hyping up one side or downplaying the other, no side has a reason to trust you in the long run."