MediaWatch: April 1992
Table of Contents:
- MediaWatch: April 1992
- House Bank: Networks Miss Plenty
- NewsBites: A Book Gone Wrong
- Revolving Door: Fox Guarding the Democratic Coop
- TV, Magazines Avoid Covering Clinton Finances
- Reporters Take Cue from Left-Wing Class War Specialists
- Look Who's Advising PBS
- Thomas Trashed Again
- The Watchdog Yawns
- Janet Cooke Award: CBS on CBO: Numbers Fumblers
TV, Magazines Avoid Covering Clinton Finances
SHILLING FOR BILL AND HILLARY
While reporters mourned the rough-and-tumble media coverage Bill Clinton received from the New York tabloids, they continued to cover for Clinton. On March 20, The Washington Times reported that contrary to Hillary Clinton's claim that she never got "one dime" from state business, she received $2,000 a month in legal fees for at least 15 months for defending business partner James McDougal's failed Madison Savings & Loan before a state agency. This charge has been totally ignored, while Time and Newsweek wrote apologetic articles about unfair scrutiny of working political wives.
Hillary's critics came under fire from the media. As returns came in March 17, NBC commentator John Chancellor took sides: "Jerry Brown's inaccurate attack on Hillary Clinton's legal fees did not work." On March 23, after The Washington Times report appeared, ABC's Chris Bury asserted: "Brown repeated claims that Clinton made money by directing state business to his wife's law firm. Those claims have never been proven."
Even reporters who specialize in critiquing the media ignored the Washington Times story. In a March 27 story complaining about unfair scrutiny of Clinton, Washington Post reporter Howard Kurtz suggested Hillary "generally declines her share of fees from clients with state business." In the April 6 Newsweek, Jonathan Alter argued: "Jerry Brown was grossly wrong about Clinton 'funneling money' into his wife's law practice....Hillary Clinton takes no share of state fees, but if she did, it would be peanuts."
The same pattern happened earlier in the month. On March 8, The New York Times first reported on the partnership with McDougal. One week later, The Washington Post reported on Hillary's law firm and its dealings with state agencies. In both cases, the networks aired snippets of arguments, but did nothing to investigate the claims independently From March 8 to 31, the four networks did only five full stories and mentioned the financial questions in only nine stories.
NBC aired only one story, on the 16th. CBS made a brief mention of the New York Times story on the 8th, and then dismissed financial questions on the 16th. Reporter Richard Threlkeld portrayed it as an invasion of privacy: "And now, as Hillary Clinton is asking, must a wife sacrifice her career if it might interfere with her husband's? Not the sort of campaign issue the voters were expecting."
The newsmagazines were even less interested. In their March 23 editions, Newsweek devoted one clause; Time reported nothing; and U.S. News & World Report, which did a big report on the dealings of presidential son George W. Bush the week before, left the Clintons alone.
