Read These Tweets To Understand How The Media Are Screwing Up Their Clinton Foundation Coverage

Written by Nina Mast

Published

Journalist and Yale political science lecturer John Stoehr criticized the media for picking up the latest accusations of pay-to-play behavior at the Clinton Foundation when there is “no evidence to suggest” that such a scheme was established.

After the conservative activist group Judicial Watch published emails showing supposed pay-to-play behavior by then-Secretary of State and current Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation, media outlets quickly repeated the story despite a lack of evidence that anything improprietous happened. Judicial Watch has a history of conning media into covering bogus Clinton-related stories, leading outlets to ignore new evidence and even undermine their own reporting in the process.

In a series of tweets, Stoehr criticized the media coverage of Judicial Watch’s allegations, saying it proves the thesis of a 1996 Atlantic piece called “Why Americans Hate the Media.” Midway into his argument, he addressed the idea that Clinton’s actions constitute pay-to-play misbehavior, saying “This is not pay-to play. There’s no evidence to suggest it, no matter how much the right-wing group Judicial Watch urges to the contrary":

1. 20 years ago, James Fallows (@JamesFallows) wrote an essay for @TheAtlantic about “Why Americans Hate the Media.” I'll post a link later.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

2. Yesterday's & this morning's new reports on the latest batch of #HillaryClinton emails while Sec of State illustrates Fallows' thesis.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

3. Fallows' thesis was this: instead of reporting what ppl care about - problems, issues, & their solutions - the press covers “politics.”

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

4. Here's how you would apply that thesis to the latest news on the latest batch of #HillaryClinton's emails.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

5. The WaPo wrote about 3 high-level donors seeking access to HRC. What was the result of that effort. 1 got a meeting, and 2 got nothing.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

6. Bono, the singer, wanted help with something. When he asked if HRC could help, aide Huma Abedin said, “No clue.”

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

7. Donor Casey Wasserman wanted help getting a visa for a soccer player. Emails his aide taking back request for meeting with HRC. Plus ...

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

8. Plus no visa was ever issued for the soccer player.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

9. The Crown Prince of Bahrain got a meeting. That's it. 1 donor got a meeting, the others got nothing. Even tho they tried to access HRC.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

10. This is not #PayToPlay. There's no evidence to suggest it. No matter how much the right-wing group Judicial Watch urges to the contrary.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

11. Indeed, what you do see is two things. 1) normal demand for the attention of high-level diplomats & 2) efforts to deflect that demand.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

12.As @kdrum today noted: Abedin was tasked w/ running interference on favor seekers, & she seems to have done that. https://t.co/S0AqLK0J2x

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

13. I don't expect reporters to judge the ethics of HRC's State Dept, but they can report the facts with honestly, w/o fetish for politics.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

14. I don't mean bias. That's something different. I'm talking reporting what ppl want to know & take responsibility for that info. So if ..

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

15. So if Judicial Watch or #DonaldTrump accuse #HRC of #PayToPlay, while pointing to evidence (the emails), then reporters can look ...

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

16. at the evidence to assess the merits of the accusation. And we know from their reporting that there is no evidence to suggest #PayToPlay

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

16. Asking for something is not the same as getting something. Reasonable ppl know this. So reporters should report weak evidence. IOW, ...

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

18, tell us the truth. That's what Americans want and that's what we need. But instead, reporters focus on how HRC will to “handle” emails.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

19. That's what @JamesFallows was talking about in “Why Americans Hate the Media.” Instead of facts and truth, reporters chase “politics.”

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

20. One of the effects of focusing “politics” instead of the truth is that truth becomes partisan. Let me try to explain what I mean.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

21. The press is expected to report the truth independent of party & ideology. It must also take responsibility for the truth.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

22. In being responsible for the truth, it can be held accountable.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

23. But often, as we saw today, the press does not to the basic job of prioritizing evidence that casts doubts on political accusations.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

24. The result is that those who *do* tell the truth becomes partisans. For instance, Judicial Watch.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

25. It really is a right wing group. But HRC's campaign spokesman is the only one the point that out, then the truth becomes partisan. IOW,

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

26. The fact that Judicial Watch *really is* a right wing group ends up sounding like a cheap smear coming from HRC's spokesman.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

27. Or when the State Dept. steps in, as it did with this WaPo piece, to say there's “no clear sign” donors received special access. Then ..

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

28. It also looks partisan, because reporters did step to the center and say, yeah, I don't see any evidence of #PayToPlay either.

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

29. The result is everything looks partisan, even the truth, & that's ridiculous. No wonder, as Fallows said, Americans hate the media. /End

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016

30. Appendix: So sorry, I forgot to post @JamesFallows magisterial essay: https://t.co/RlwE0snPhV

— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) August 23, 2016