Comments on: TNR’s new owner crosses a line with Obama interview

By: Alan Potkin

Alan Potkin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:19:57 +0000

Chris Hughes, who also got a ten-minute video tongue bath in today’s online NY Times, regarding his great plans for the venerable New Republic –which he’s owned outright since last March– was, of course, one of the original FaceBook developers which led in due course to him becoming a wealthy fellow indeed.

He was also in charge, during the run-up to the 2008 elections, of all the Social Media projects at the Obama for President campaign’s national HQ in Chicago.

I have much to say on Mr. Hughes’s likely responsibility for the outrageous DOS attack organized by the Obama for President HQ in Chicago just prior to the 2008 election on Milt Rosenberg’s WGN radio interview with Stanley Kurtz on the failed Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC) educational initiative, of which Obama was the Executive Director, and the role in the CAC of the despicable Bill Ayers. See:

http://www.sethathirath.com/chris_hughes.pdf

By: Dan Adams

Dan Adams — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:01:45 +0000

I don’t think asking an open-ended, non-confrontational question is necessarily “fawning.” Even the question that mentions how Obama “inspired a lot of people” ends up asking him to reconcile that vision of a post-partisan America with the reality of hyper-partisan America today. Also, most news stories don’t let the reader see the journalist’s questions… I’m sure most journalists have asked a few softball questions, even while doing meaty pieces–to build rapport, to get their source’s verbal momentum going, etc.

But–and this is a big “but”–TNR absolutely should have disclosed Hughes’s history with Obama. When in doubt, opt for transparency. Let the readers decide if his past connection tainted the story. I shouldn’t have had to find that out from your blog (great as it may be).

Lastly: To my eyes, if there was bias in this TNR piece, it was the questions that didn’t get asked at all: the drone program, wiretapping, etc.

By: Paul Bass

Paul Bass — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:01:59 +0000

At least based on the NYT account, I’m encouraged by the kind of reporters he has hired. I’m interested enough to read it if they’d send it to me free the way the Weekly Standard does.

By: Sean Carr

Sean Carr — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:20:24 +0000

Fair point, but I doubt many TNR readers will not already be aware of Hughes’ Obama connection anyway. It’s not the same as a general newspaper audience.

By: Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:16:16 +0000

The death of journalism…or, when journalism is indistinguishable from propaganda.

By: The New New Republic | Campaign Outsider

The New New Republic | Campaign Outsider — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:40:59 +0000

[...] The redoubtable Dan Kennedy has an interesting post up today at Media Nation about the inherent conflict of interest involved in Chris Hughes’ interviewing his former [...]

By: jeff apfel

jeff apfel — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:05:36 +0000

Who knows? Fawning may be the surest way to get back to mandatory in-flight reading on AF1.