IMPORTANT UPDATE: DNC boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz has resigned.
The embarrassing Wikileaks document dump of the Democratic National Committee’s private emails reveals how its communications staff derided journalists from news organizations they perceived as unfriendly. At the same time, the DNC was cooperating with friendlier journalists—doling out talking points and pre-approving articles in what appears to be a breach of journalistic ethics.
Much of the DNC’s private bile was reserved for Fox News.
“Is there a Fuck You emoji?” Communications Director Luis Miranda wrote a colleague who forwarded him FoxNews.com freelance reporter Fred Lucas’ questions about Donald Trump bringing up Bill Clinton’s dalliances.
DNC Press Assistant Rachel Palermo then replied: “hahahahahahhahahaha”.
Lucas politely e-mailed the DNC again three days later asking, “I hoped the DNC could weigh in on the appropriateness of Trump attacking along these lines? I would really appreciate any response you have. Thanks very much.”
Palermo then e-mailed Miranda and Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach: “The asshole from fox e-mailed us again. I did some research and there’s still no ‘fuck you’ emoji, unfortunately.”
Similarly, in April, Business Insider’s Maxwell Tani reached out about scheduling an interview with DNC boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “After the hit job he did on the [Amy] Dacey piece? Hell no,” wrote Miranda.
Sean Sorbie, a DNC researcher, took umbrage with a National Review fundraising email he’d received entitled “Defending Our Western Heritage.” He wrote: “The subject line of this email is unsettling . . . ‘heritage.’”
By contrast, the Wikileaks dumps also show examples of how the DNC worked closely with friendly outlets like Politico to ensure a favorable spin on stories.
Politico reporter Kenneth Vogel appears to have allowed the DNC to review a draft of an article, which is widely considered a violation of journalistic ethics.
“Vogel gave me his story ahead of time/before it goes to his editors as long as I didn’t share it. Let me know if you see anything that’s missing and I’ll push back,” Paustenbach wrote his colleagues.
Vogel had sent the draft of his story to Paustenbach with the subject line “Per agreement … any thoughts appreciated.” The article looked at whether the Clinton fundraising practices were potentially corrupt.
Another DNC email mentions how Huffington Post reporter Samantha Lachman “definitely used our messaging from some of our recent press releases in her article.”
In May, the DNC was prepping for an “off the record” meeting with friendly cable network MSNBC with the goal of “greater collaboration with their team on having the Democratic Party represented on their shows.” Miranda wrote to Paustenbach about the need to “lower the temperature and seek common ground” with embattled MSNBC President Phil Griffin in a meeting at Griffin’s private office in New York’s Rockefeller Center.
“There had been stories suggesting that MSNBC was in turmoil last year, and they underwent a major shift on programming. There had been rumors that Griffin was going to be fired. However, internal sources suggest he is fine and not going anywhere,” Miranda wrote Paustenbach.
Miranda went on to praise liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow to Paustenbach, while making more derogatory comments about Fox News:
“Fox News doesn’t have a Rachel Maddow type star who appeals to younger viewers. Maddow is a unique talent who is the foundation of MSNBC. As much as the network wishes that Morning Joe was their star, the real straw that stirs the drink is Maddow. In the midst of a critical election year, younger viewers are flocking to Maddow. While Fox News continues to deceive and misinform, Rachel Maddow is helping to build a more education [sic] electorate that will lead this country in the years to come.”
