On Tuesday night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow rushed to defend Hillary Clinton following a corrected story in the New York Times that initially alleged that a “criminal inquiry” had been sought in her use of a private e-mail.
Maddow argued that Clinton’s latest clash with the press was “a reminder of the utterly bizarre relationship that the national media has with Hillary Clinton specifically.”
The MSNBC host ripped into the Times for its reporting rather than address the substantive questions surrounding Clinton’s private e-mail issues:
So, within a couple of days it goes from being how Hillary Clinton is the subject of a criminal inquiry by the Justice Department to Hillary Clinton is not the subject of any criminal inquiry to there is no criminal inquiry. The Times changes the headline, they change the lead, they publish not one but two corrections.
And over the weekend, the New York Times public editor, which is sort of the reader’s advocate at the paper weighed in. “A Clinton story fraught with inaccuracies.” And then after that, today we get this editor’s note about how the paper got a whole bunch of stuff wrong, how they mishandled even the corrections and still don’t now how it all happened.
In her rush to provide cover for the Democratic frontrunner, Maddow failed to acknowledge that by solely using a private e-mail server to conduct official State Department business Clinton had created the media frenzy. Instead, the MSNBC host deflected any criticism of Clinton and made the Times the focus of her attack:
So, this was a big high-profile disaster for the New York Times. It was also a reminder of the utterly bizarre relationship that the national media has with Hillary Clinton specifically. Basically in the national media, everything Hillary Clinton does is a scandal, right? Remember when she was super guilty in Whitewater.
Hillary Clinton is covered as if she is a convicted felon, right, who has to prove her innocence every time she is accused of something. And even then, she is still guilty. She just got away with it. That’s basically the attitude of the whole national press with Hillary Clinton for this whole phase of her national political career.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show
July 28, 2015
MADDOW: So, this was the bombshell headline, quote, “Criminal inquiry sought in Hillary Clinton’s use of e-mail.” When you look ate it looks like someone is seeking a criminal inquiry in to Hillary Clinton actions, to Hillary Clinton herself. Several hours after the New York Times published that super inflammatory headline and story, they quietly and without notice changed the first few sentences of the story. In the second iteration, there was no investigation into Hillary Clinton herself. It was an investigation into whether information was mishandled by someone but not her.
A little while later, they started issuing the first in what would end up being a string of corrections. “An earlier version of this article and earl general headline using information from senior government officials misstated the nature of the referral to the Justice Department regarding Hillary Clinton’s personal e-mail account. The referral did not specifically request an investigation in to Mrs. Clinton.” So, that was the first correction. Then the second correction, issued the following day. It was even more of a jaw hitting the floor discovery. It turns out that possible criminal investigation in to Hillary Clinton not only was it not a criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton, there was no criminal investigation, period.
The senior government officials, whoever they are, they were wrong about that. There was no criminal referral. So, within a couple of days it goes from being how Hillary Clinton is the subject of a criminal inquiry by the Justice Department to Hillary Clinton is not the subject of any criminal inquiry to there is no criminal inquiry. The Times changes the headline, they change the lead, they publish not one but two corrections. And over the weekend, the New York Times public editor, which is sort of the reader’s advocate at the paper weighed in. “A Clinton story fraught with inaccuracies.” And then after that, today we get this editor’s note about how the paper got a whole bunch of stuff wrong, how they mishandled even the corrections and still don’t now how it all happened.
So, this was a big high-profile disaster for the New York Times. It was also a reminder of the utterly bizarre relationship that the national media has with Hillary Clinton specifically. Basically in the national media, everything Hillary Clinton does is a scandal, right? Remember when she was super guilty in Whitewater. Hillary Clinton is covered as if she is a convicted felon, right, who has to prove her innocence every time she is accused of something. And even then, she is still guilty. She just got away with it. That’s basically the attitude of the whole national press with Hillary Clinton for this whole phase of her national political career.
