Jack Shafer has spent his most of his 40 years of adult life as what passes for a journalist these days. Those two facts alone should give you a clear understanding of why he writes for Politico, the US Weekly of the decline of the American political press. Yes, like most successful Washington political writers, he too was caught up a ridiculous hoax as actual news, didn't do his job as editor, and like the politicians he covers just failed right on up the ladder.
Mr. Shafer has some advice for Hillary Clinton on how she can improve her coverage with...you guessed it...people like Jack Shafer. In his piece which he trumpets as a guide to winning over the political press in 14 easy steps, he pours the Washington on nice and thick:
Psst! Mrs. Clinton! May I chew on your ear for a minute? I have no business giving you advice—unsolicited or otherwise. It isn’t a journalist’s job to help politicians improve relations with the press or otherwise assist them in winning elections. If anything, journalistic duty commands us to find the most revelatory material about you—and run with it as fast and far as we can.
Still, the press corps owes you something for the mountains of high-grade news ore you’ve dumped into our smelters over the years.
Typical of the kind of people who are the press corps, he then goes on to do what he says he has no business doing. I'll save you the sickened stomach of reading it by giving you a quick summary:
- Be sincerely nice to us, emphasis on sincere because "above all, you must be sincere, because if there is one thing the press can’t tolerate, it’s a phony." I swear that's a quote.
- Get a hobby we find interesting. He recommended she become a home brewer. I kid you not: “ 'Hils for Pils' would be an excellent 2016 slogan."
- Buy us food. "Menu: craft beers, pork rinds and canapés. If you don’t feed the press, the press will feed on you."
- Do yoga. "Embrace it. Make it the golf of your presidency—should the campaign gods look favorably on your candidacy."
- Be a dear to Bill O'Reilly and Fox News. "Make yourself a Fox regular: You won’t lose any votes and may actually win a few. Besides, potential voters can be found via Fox News!"
Yes, it is going to be a very, very long election season for everyone outside of the male dominated, lilly white, circle jerking press corps. During that time, a few of them might even get around to covering Hillary Clinton the way a journalist ought too. But if you have any suspicion that that head you see babbling on your TV is a decent human being and a real professional, just read this. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Washington Media Establishment. Vapid. Self-centered. Dumb. Completely uninterested in journalism of any kind.