The Press And The Presidency: Exploring Bill Clinton

The 1947 report of the Commission on Freedom of the Press provides one of the most influential modern accounts of the goals of the American press. The 133-page report was written by University of Chicago president Robert Maynard Hutchins and a dozen other well-known intellectuals of the day and was published shortly after World War II. A Free and Responsible Press identifies five responsibilities which, if fulfilled, could serve as a measurement of press performance. (Bates)

First, the Hutchins Commission established that the press should provide a “truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent account of the day’s events in a context which gives them meaning;” a commitment to provide these accounts means that a reporter’s work has to be objective and unbiased. (Baker pg. 154)

Second, the press was to be “a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism,” which implies that newspapers should carry information conducive to public discussion. The views expressed in papers should not only be unbiased, but contrary to the personal views of those writing them to ensure that the public receives the most pertinent information. (Baker pg. 154)

Despite Isikoff’s ardent research into the story, it was Hollywood internet reporter Matt Drudge whose Drudge Report broke the story of Clinton’s involvement with Lewinsky. At midnight January 19, 1998, The Drudge Report’s Internet story was published: “ The ‘Drudge Report’ has learned that former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, twenty-three, has been subpoenaed to give a deposition in the Paula Jones case.” Drudge then went on to reveal that Lewinsky had worked in both the White House and the Pentagon.

d project “a representative picture of the constituent groups in the society,” which means that newspapers have a responsibility to their readers to be inclusive of all groups which patronize them. A paper such as the New York Newsday, for example, has several editions; the Queens edition covers stories that cross racial lines and include most of the major cultures that make up the very diverse borough. (Baker pg. 154)

Rather is not the only journalist who has expressed his concern for the future of journalism. Sandra Mims Rowe, former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, said in a 1998 address at an ASNE meeting, “The notion that readers have created the demand for lowest common denominator journalism is false. We are doing that ourselves. We can and must stop.” (Kalb pg. 275)

From the moment that Clinton announced his political aspirations, he forced himself into the limelight. Because he was relatively unknown, he routinely sought out reporters early in the campaign, granting interviews liberally and appearing on television frequently. On January 23, 1992, in the midst of the New Hampshire primary campaign, a supermarket tabloid named The Star broke the Gennifer Flowers story. Allegations surfaced that Clinton had had a twelve-year affair with the Arkansas television journalist. Clinton used CBS’s 60 Minutes to state his case to the American public. With his wife at his side, Clinton denied the Flowers allegation but conceded that there had been marital problems in the past. The two told viewers that the infidelity had ended. This seemed to diffuse the issue. It appeared that a strong plurality apparently believed that Clinton’s personal failings were outweighed by his intelligence, his compassion, his political skills, and the policies he advocated. (Kalb pg. 14) Clinton later skated around charges that he had evaded the Vietnam draft in his younger years and admitted that he had smoked marijuana. As the stories continued, Clinton grew distant from the press, eventually remaining at odds with reporters. Clinton’s victory in the election spelled trouble for political news correspondents. (Liebovich pg. 182)

Clinton then decided to continue his town hall talk show, a strategy he had implemented during the campaign. Despite his lack of contact with the press, new stories were continually making their way to the front pages of newspapers across the country. In December 1993, two Arkansas state troopers told reporters that they had procured women fro Clinton while has was governor and stood guard outside the rooms where the trysts took place; it was also reported that Clinton had tried to keep the reporters from speaking out. In May 1994, a former Arkansas state employee filed suit against the president, claiming that in 1991, state troopers had escorted to a hotel room where Clinton asked her to perform oral sex on him. The suit lay dormant, since presidents are “generally immune”

Some topics in this essay:
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