Ep 33 - Missing Mitch - Media Watch - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

MIKE EMANUEL: Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell casting his vote for the first time in three months after he was hospitalised in June for a fall. 

The headline tonight at the Huffington Post quite bluntly sums up what is missing from that statement, headline: ‘Mitch McConnell’s Office Won’t Confirm If He’s Conscious’. 

High level source close to the White House tells me “Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back.” 

It was meant to answer a month of speculation about his health. Instead it did kick off a new argument over whether the photo itself is real …

And offering much grist for the mill.

IKE BARINHOLTZ: … and well wishes to Senator McConnell. I hope you get the quality healthcare you’ve fought so hard to deny everyone else … 

JOE BIDEN: … ah, with the COVID, excuse me, with, um, dealing with, everything we have to do with, ah, look, if, we finally beat Medicare.

Just how did a 2,000-member strong press corps allow a well-known lawmaker to vanish from the scene for months? It’s the kind of omission that fuels the endemic distrust toward Washington and the news media.

And, when he did return last week, was McConnell really ready to represent the good people of Kentucky?

REPORTER 1: Are you feeling good, Mitch?

JAMES MORROW: These Mitch McConnell videos, they're not great. At what point do we have to say that this kind of starts to look like elder abuse?

ELIZABETH PIPKO: I would argue we're actually past that point.

- The U.S. Report, News24, 18 Sep 2026

Of course, there should be no dancing on anyone’s grave, at least not until they’re in it.

And in the meantime, may we suggest if politicians want to promote to the media the nimbleness of their noodles, hostage-style happy snaps might be less than helpful.