A story making the rounds in the media world Thursday was “The Petty Feud Between the NYT and the White House” from Politico’s Eli Stokols.
In his piece, Stokols writes, “According to interviews with two dozen people on both sides who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject, the relationship between the Democratic president and the country’s newspaper of record — for years the epitome of a liberal press in the eyes of conservatives — remains remarkably tense, beset by misunderstandings, grudges and a general lack of trust.”
Stokols writes that Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger and other top editors are bothered that President Joe Biden hasn’t sat down for a one-on-one interview with the paper.
One unnamed Times journalist told Stokols, “All these Biden people think that the problem is (White House reporter) Peter Baker or whatever reporter they’re mad at that day. It’s A.G. He’s the one who is (peeved that) Biden hasn’t done any interviews and quietly encourages all the tough reporting on his age.”
Stokols wrote, “In Sulzberger’s view, according to two people familiar with his private comments on the subject, only an interview with a paper like the Times can verify that the 81-year-old Biden is still fit to hold the presidency. Beyond that, he has voiced concerns that Biden doing so few expansive interviews with experienced reporters could set a dangerous precedent for future administrations, according to a third person familiar with the publisher’s thinking. Sulzberger himself was part of a group from the Times that sat down with Trump, who gave the paper several interviews despite his rantings about its coverage. If Trump could do it, Sulzberger believes, so can Biden.”
However, a pair of high-profile Times reporters spoke out on Twitter, defending the paper and their publisher.
Jonathan Swain tweeted, “Fwiw, I have spoken to AG over the past year about this topic & this caricature is unrecognizable. I never usually comment on media stories but this irritated me bc it's such a bs mischaracterization of his views about the importance of serious longform presidential interviews.”
Baker retweeted Swain and wrote, “Agreed. I’ve never heard AG say anything like that nor anyone else at the @nytimes. It's just not the way it works. AG wants us to cover this president – and every president – as fully, fairly and aggressively as we can because that's our role. That's true regardless of whether we get an interview. AG takes our responsibility very seriously and is a complete straight shooter.”
Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for the Times, said in a statement after the Politico piece was published, “The notion that any line of coverage has been ordered up or encouraged in retaliation for declining an interview, or any other reason, is outrageous and untrue.” Stadtlander added that Sulzberger also has urged Biden to do interviews with other news organizations, such as Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN and others.
There’s no question that Biden has done fewer one-on-one interviews than many of his predecessors.
Stadtlander said in his statement, “It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with President Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century. If the President chooses not to sit down with The Times because he dislikes our independent coverage, that is his right, and we will continue to cover him fully and fairly either way.”
Stadtlander added, “For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that the President has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists over the course of his term. The president occupies the most important office in our nation and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess the president’s record and hold him to account.”
