Our vaunted 4th estate spent the last 18 months setting up to conduct a concerted assault on the first term of Hillary Clinton—our first female President—with endless re-litigation of discredited, false scandals and smears. Prepping to turn every nomination, every appointment, every proposal, every negotiation, every handshake and meeting into breathless speculation about potential “-gates” and “scandals.”
News organizations were recently (finally) shamed into doing their jobs vetting Donald Trump. The enormous, grateful outpouring of public approval (appropriately) showered on Kurt Eichenwald, David Fahrenthold and their editors/organizations brought home the point. The public is dying for, desperate for and open to honest, old fashioned NEWS reporting. Information! Sick of vacuous celebrity “analysis” that mostly just revels in horserace and regurgitates longstanding “narratives.”
Having been properly smacked down for their proven anti-Clinton bias, some in the media are champing at the bit to prove themselves “right all along” about HER. To make or cap off their careers by bringing down a Clinton, while escaping derision and blame for foisting a Trump presidency on the nation.
(I’m writing as if Hillary Clinton will win election on November 8 because we must deal with this potential now. Not because we are done! It’s far from won, folks. We must keep working, donating, calling, door-knocking on her behalf, and to give her a Congress she can make progress with. Go to HillaryClinton.com to volunteer—put your zip in the window at “events” below “more” to find opportunities and needs in your area—and donate!)
Mark my words, like the GOP’s that is coming, this press assault will commence the moment she is elected, not even waiting for Inauguration Day. In fact, the GOP has already begun. And I BET those news stories are already half-written and just waiting in drafts—like an obituary.
Obama inauguration.
When people protest all lack of a “honeymoon” for Hillary they will ask—lugubriously, with false innocence—what, are we not supposed to cover HER, as any other President-elect? The fact is they have NEVER covered Hillary Clinton like any other person. They have not been fair.
Do not let them get away with it. WE are her bulwark.
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Obama inauguration.
Put news executives and old DC hands on notice that, as we no longer put up with the double standard, false narrative reinforcement and follow-the-leader “reporting” that has been the hallmark of the political press’ behavior toward Hillary Clinton, we will not stand for them pre-hamstringing our first woman President. We won’t stand by as the venal press further damages the country by putting their careers, their profits, their petty personal, and shocking institutional, vendettas ahead of addressing and solving the nation’s problems.
Highly placed news executives at some of our most important institutions, like the New York Times and the Associated Press are heavily invested in their bias against Hillary, as they have spent the better part of a quarter century engaged in Clinton Rules.
For good background and many references, see Digby’s 9/6/16 article in Salon:
Press, lies and Hillary’s campaign: Years of smears have created a fictional version of Clinton. They’re also a disservice to voters. Many Americans think Clinton is a congenital liar — that's because of the right and the media, not her.
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Please be alert and put them on notice NOW.
AP 212-621-1500, email: info@ap.org , tweet: @ap @AP_politics , Editor Kathleen Carroll @Kathleenatap Politics Editor David Scott @DavidThornhill (yes.) Julie Pace @JPaceDC
New York Times 212-556-1234, DC bureau 202-862-0300, Editor Dean Baquet letters@nytimes.com, Liz Spayd public@nytimes.com (ombudsman), Tweet: @nytopinion @NYTPolitics @maggieNYT @jmartNYT (Jonathan Martin, Politics editor) @amychozick @SusanneCraig (Trump tax story!) @Yamiche (Alcindor)
Washington Post 202-334-7410 Editor, Martin Baron @PostBaron Letters, @washingtonpost @Fahrenthold @TheFix @DanBalz @ktumulty @RuthMarcus @wpjenna (Jenna Johnson/Trump) @abbydphillip (Clinton)
USA Today @SusanPage (DC bureau chief) Bill Sternberg Editor, Editorial page @Bsternbe @HeidiPrysbyla @bjonesusat (Brent Jones-standards ed.) @USATODAYmoney @USATODAY @usatodaylife
Wall St Journal 212-416-2000 @WSJ @WSJpolitics @ReidEpstein reid.epstein@wsj.com @GeraldSeib DC bureau chief
NPR 202-513-2000 @nprpolitics @tamarakeithNPR @npratc @morningEdition @nprInskeep @nprgreene @MaraLiasson @drshow (Diane Rehm) @CokieRoberts
ABC 212-456-7777 JAMES GOLDSTON President-ABC News, BEN SHERWOOD Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks President, Disney|ABC Television Group Tweet: @ABCpolitics , News:@ABC @ThisWeekABC @MarthaRaddatz @gstephanopoulos
CBS 212-975-4321 Les Moonves-CEO @CBSpolitics @CBSnews @FaceTheNation @cbseveningnews @60Minutes
CNN 404-827-1500 Jeff Zucker-CEO @CNN @CNNPolitics @CNNPoliticsdesk @jeffzeleny @danmericaCNN @JakeTapper @CNNsotu @ReliableSources @BrianStelter
NBC/MSNBC 212-664-4444 STEVE BURKE-CEO, DEBORAH TURNESS president, NBC News, ANDREW LACK Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group
Tweet: @NBCpolitics, @NBCNews @TODAYshow @ChuckTodd @MeetThePress @MTP @NBCnightlynews @hardballChris @BWilliams @ MitchellReports, @Maddow @chrislhayes @lawrence @TamronMSNBC @KatyTurNBC @JoyAnnReid @kwelkernbc @morning_joe @MattLauer
PBS 703-998-2150 @NewsHour @gwenifill @JudyWoodruff @hari (Sreenivasan) @kovach (Bob, politics prod.) @MargaretWarner
Bloomberg @jeneps (Jennifer Epstein) @MarkHalperin @jheil (John Heilemann)
@UnivisionNews @hispanic411 @TelemundoNews
Politico @politico @GlennThrush, Stat News @rickberke , @HuffPostPol , @KurtEichenwald (Newsweek, Vanity Fair)