As you may be aware, there is a journalistic technique called “pool reporting”. Simply stated, if, due to space or timing considerations, a newsworthy event cannot be covered by the full complement of reporters, one or two are designated to attend and provide the coverage which is then used by the other news organizations.
Yesterday, the designated reporter for Hillary Clinton\’s events – i.e. the one selected by other reporters – was David Martosko, who is the US Bureau Chief for London\’s Daily Mail.
Except Hillary Clinton\’s people would not allow him access to her events.
That\’s right, he was turned away.
Why? Well, their party line was to recite a couple of exceptionally lame excuses, which you can read all about in the Washington Post\’s very complete, very neutral account. The Post clearly thinks this was absolute BS, and I\’m betting most other people would agree.
Why would the Clinton camp do this? Very simply because David Martosko has no problem writing critically about Hillary Clinton. And, in this thoroughly scripted, thoroughly controlled campaign, critical commentary is not acceptable. In other words, if you\’re not writing feel-good material about Queen Hillary, you\’re not invited.
To their credit, all 14 news organizations covering the Clinton campaign have formally protested Mr. Martosko\’s summary exclusion from the Clinton events. As they should – if for no other reason because if Clinton & Co. can do it to Martosko today, they can do it other reporters from other media venues tomorrow.
Tell me: if this is the way Hillary Clinton runs her campaign, how do you suppose she would run her administration? For reference points, consider how “forthcoming” she has been about Benghazi (four months of stalling, and then “What difference does it make”), and about the huge, still-burgeoning Clinton Foundation scandal.
One other thing: I provided two links in this story – one from the Washington Post and the other from the Boston Herald. But I watched the Today show and read my print edition of the New York Times this morning, and neither had so much as one word about it.
In other words, if I relied on NBC News and/or the New York Times for information, the Clinton campaign\’s disgraceful censorship of a legitimate news reporter would be completely unknown to me.
Keep \’em ignorant and you own \’em.
