If you had any doubts why people think the New York Times is a liberal paper (it's second only to MSNBC in a recent Cato Institute survey on what the public thinks of the media) here’s another data point: The paper’s dismissal so far of the latest scandal involving presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
A new book by former Democratic National Committee chairman Donna Brazile, excerpted by Politico, alleges the Clinton campaign took over the day-to-day operations of the DNC and rigged the nomination process in favor of Hillary and dooming the insurgent campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the process.
Yet the Times buried the story in Friday’s edition, tucking it into a few paragraphs near the end of a hagiographic profile by reporter Katie Rogers of Hillary Clinton receiving an award from the Women’s National Democratic Club.
The unrevealing headline: “Anger, Tears, Frustration, Then a Standing Ovation.” The runevealing text box: “Hillary Clinton is named Democratic Woman of the Year.” Rogers continued her equally news-free piece:
Hillary Clinton received a Democratic Woman of the Year Award -- who else would it be? -- at the Women’s National Democratic Club on Thursday, and the first tears were shed about three minutes after she took the stage.
....
As the first anniversary of President Trump’s election win approaches, frustration and sadness over the loss of the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party has only seemed to grow more palpable among her supporters. Mrs. Clinton has frequently channeled their anger over the past 10 months, since Mr. Trump took office, and the awards ceremony was no different.
“I got more votes than anybody except Barack Obama in 2008,” Mrs. Clinton reminded her rapt crowd.
Over 55 minutes, Mrs. Clinton criticized the Trump administration’s “cavalier” approach to its dealings with Iran, attacked the administration’s apparent willingness to embrace Russia amid accusations of meddling in the election, discussed her approval ratings, promoted her election memoir and lamented a toxic environment for women across industries, especially in her own.
Even when Rogers did a drive-by on the Brazile scoop, she soon tamped down the unwelcome inner-party “tension” among the Democrats and dismissed it as campaign "drama."
Mrs. Clinton’s appearance signaled the continuation of the Democratic mourning process that has persisted since the election, even as drama continues to mark her campaign. On Thursday, Politico published a first-person article by Donna Brazile, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, who wrote that the Clinton campaign in 2016 controlled the committee and rigged the nomination process. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, made the same accusation on CNN on Thursday.
Ms. Brazile also wrote that the Clinton campaign had used a joint fund-raising agreement that would grant it control over strategy in exchange for raising funds. Ms. Brazile characterized the agreement as a “cancer” for the Democratic Party.
Through a spokeswoman, officials for the party disagreed.
....
But intraparty tension was not on the Democratic women’s club’s agenda. In the midst of stacks of copies of Mrs. Clinton’s memoir, “What Happened,” and a man outside the building selling T-shirts emblazoned with her photo and the caption “The People’s Choice,” Mrs. Clinton was more focused on the external forces she believed brought about her downfall.
....
Still, Mrs. Clinton also displays an edgy sense of humor. At a book tour stop in Chicago on Monday, she was asked what her Halloween costume would be.
“I think I will maybe come as the president!” she said to laughter from the crowd.
At the Women’s National Democratic Club, Mrs. Clinton received a standing ovation as she left the room.
How edgy!
(Earlier this year Rogers wrote an embarrassing, news-free gusher on Chelsea Clinton’s Twitter account, avoiding controversy or any actual journalism.)
A single paragraph in a Times piece on Trump posted Friday from Eileen Sullivan and Peter Baker was equally dismissive of the story's import:
A recent first-person book excerpt in Politico by Donna Brazile, the former interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, offered new ammunition for Mr. Trump. Ms. Brazile wrote a stinging account of the Hillary Clinton campaign’s controlling grip of the party during the election.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post treated the revelations as a serious political story with three stories, including this one: “Democrats express outrage over allegations of early party control for Clinton in 2016.”
Many Democrats expressed outrage Thursday at allegations from a former party chairwoman that an agreement with the Democratic National Committee gave the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton some day-to-day control over the party early in the 2016 campaign.
Donna Brazile, a former interim chairwoman of the party, says in a forthcoming book that an August 2015 agreement gave the Clinton campaign a measure of direct influence over the party’s finances and strategy, along with a say over staff decisions and consultation rights over issues like mailings, budgets and analytics.
