N.Y. backyard press blows up
It’s about an hour’s drive from the Trenton Statehouse to the studio of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where the hosts referred to the New Jersey governor as the show’s “friend” — or to David Letterman’s couch, where he ate donuts in front of everyone. other. America. The New York Times is considered one of the local papers of the Garden State, and the Manhattan tabloids paid considerable attention to Christie’s theatrical politics and big personality.
For four years, that proximity has been a boon to Christie’s political ambitions, boosting his national profile ahead of the 2016 presidential race and giving him the kind of attention that provincial politicians elsewhere in the country would envy. Then it backfired: in the wake of the George Washington Bridge scandal, Christie felt the kind of anger that can only come from having the merciless mass media universe in his backyard. The anchors, editors and reporters who once marveled at his blunt style or gently mocked his surroundings have now turned to examining issues of far greater importance, including whether the presumptive presidential candidate is even fit to run his own state.
The avalanche of press was not only due to proximity: Christie’s larger-than-life personality also played a significant role in his relationship with the national media. He has charisma. His blunt demeanor, aggressive attitude, and willingness to fight in public—and often with reporters—set a good example. “I’m not a focus group tested, blown candidate or governor,” Christie said at a recent news conference. seven.
And now he’s making even better copy when his skyrocketing political career has hit a bit of a snag.” Christie has benefited from the media spotlight for four years. Now the tide is turning the other way,” said John Heilemann, national editor of New York Magazine and Game Changer. ” co-authored in an interview. “The combination of the Republican front-runner and proximity to the national media brings scrutiny to a new level.
Christie’s once close proximity to the center of the media universe now seems like a cruel joke. Bridgegate emails released by the New Jersey Legislature last week show the Port Authority vice chairman claiming Wall Street Journal reporter Ted Mann was “instructed by editors stuck in traffic from Christie aides to sniff out this story”. (Mann later said his editors were “on the train” and didn’t know where the vice president’s comment came from.)
“I think there’s an old journalistic maxim for that — or I remember hearing it once on a news station: ‘Tomorrow’s front page will be what the editor-in-chief drives past on his way to work,'” said Mark Leibovich of the New York Times. Chief national correspondent for the magazine and author of “This Town”.
