See no scandal, report no scandal. Jill Abramson, Executive Editor of the New York Times, came down to DC on Sunday to defend President Obama on the scandals and the economy, stressing the leaks cases is the only supposed scandal she cares about as she contended “I’m just not sure” the leaks cases, IRS and Benghazi “come together and create, you know -- quote, unquote -- ‘an atmosphere of scandal.’”
An atmosphere the New York Times is working to prevent.
Audio: MP3 clip [1]
Asked by Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer about how “nobody seems to know anything” in the administration, so the scandals may go beyond just the leaks prosecutions involving journalists, Abramson hit back: “I’m not sure how much any of these particular issues has absorbed the American public who I think are hoping against hope that the economy is at last showing some strength and maybe giving the President some credit for the fact that there are some hopeful signs.”
Schieffer responded: “You wouldn’t say that you think it’s not something we ought to be concerned about?”
Abramson skipped IRS and Benghazi as she affirmed how “clearly I’m very concerned about the leak cases,” explaining that’s “why I came here to talk to you this morning,” but insisted: “I’m just not sure, you know, they come together and create, you know -- quote, unquote -- ‘an atmosphere of scandal.’”
Washington Post veteran Bob Woodward agreed: “No, that’s absolutely true. But we need facts. We need evidence...”
Not that anyone was, but don’t count on “all the news that’s fit to print” New York Times to change its tune and aggressively pursue the IRS or Benghazi, scandals in which it does not have a personal stake.
From the Sunday, June 2 Face the Nation:
BOB SCHIEFFER: It’s also about nobody seems to know anything. Officials at the White House didn’t know about the IRS and the troubles they were having. Who knows who knew what was going on in Benghazi when they were trying to draw up these things. And then we get to this leak investigation. It seems to me this might go beyond the Justice Department.
JILL ABRAMSON: It’s very easy to lump all of these issues together. I know that they absorb journalists inside of Washington. But I’m not sure how much any of these particular issues has absorbed the American public who I think are hoping against hope that the economy is at last showing some strength and maybe giving the President some credit for the fact that there are some hopeful signs and who are concerned about things like the continued soaring costs of health care, which the Times had on the front page [2] today.
SCHIEFFER: But you don’t, you wouldn’t say that you think it’s not something we ought to be concerned about?
ABRAMSON: No, I mean, clearly I’m very concerned about the leak cases, which is why I came here to talk to you this morning. But I’m just not sure, you know, they come together and create, you know -- quote, unquote -- “an atmosphere of scandal.”
BOB WOODWARD: No, that’s absolutely true. But we need facts. We need evidence...
As for the New York Times' focus on concerns about health care costs, maybe more Americans would be “giving the President some credit” on the economy if he weren’t suppressing it with ObamaCare, a massive new regulatory nightmare that the New York Times supports.
-- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow Brent Baker on Twitter.