OPINION:
Reporters covering Hillary Clinton gathered in Washington on Monday and talked — for two hours — about their frustrations with the Democratic front runner’s secretive ways, everything from access to speeches to simple scheduling information.
The private meeting was held at the Los Angeles Times-Tribune offices in DC, according to the Huffington Post. Reporter Michael Calderone wrote that reporters complained that the Clinton campaign keeps “an excessively tight grip on information, even when it comes to logistical details that don’t seem particularly sensitive or revelatory.”
“Among the problems discussed were the campaign’s failure to provide adequate notice prior to events, the lack of a clear standard for whether fundraisers are open or closed press and the reflexive tendency to opt to speak anonymously,” he wrote.
Hillary, who went nearly a month without fielding a question from reporters following her campaign, has tightly controlled her campaign so far. Reporteres often have less than a day’s notice that she will be making an appearance, and few can get close enough to even shout a question to her.
What’s more, Clinton officials often demand to go off the record, even when providing basic — even mundane — information, and the campaign sometimes offers to answer questions as long as the official can be anonymous.
At least 17 reporters attended the impromptu meeting, “from outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Time and McClatchy,” Calderone wrote.
“Attendees discussed the feeling that the campaign hasn’t provided enough notice for events, resulting in logistical difficulties for those trying to cover them. It’s still too early in the election cycle for the campaign to be chartering the flights and buses that news organizations, at the cost of thousands of dollars, can sign up for to follow the candidate from stop to stop.
“For now, reporters are booking commercial flights to reach Clinton’s events, and networks need to make sure satellite trucks and camera equipment make it there on time. The group discussed urging the Clinton campaign to provide information outlining the upcoming week so they can plan accordingly.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.