Liberal Washington Post columnist calls on Harris to talk to journalists, says silent treatment is ‘mistake’
A liberal Washington Post columnist said Vice President Kamala Harris needs to speak to the press, because her weeks-long silent treatment erodes democracy and the strategy breaks with "democratic values of treating the press as an important institution."
Columnist Perry Bacon Jr. penned a piece headlined, "Harris should talk to journalists more. Particularly the wonky ones," that features the scathing subhead "Not talking to the media or taking questions from virtually anyone for weeks further erodes democracy."
The liberal columnist noted that Harris hasn’t done a formal interview or press conference since emerging as the Democratic presidential nominee, as she has only answered a handful of questions during informal press gaggles.
"Harris is making a mistake. She should be doing interviews and other engagements with journalists, in recognition of their important role in democracy. In particular, she should speak to journalists who specialize in policy reporting," Bacon wrote.
Bacon, who recently wrote that Cori Bush’s primary defeat was a "disappointing loss for progressives" and called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a "bold, smart choice" for Harris’ running mate, isn’t shy about where he stands politically. He noted that some Democrats are irked that the press harped on President Biden’s advanced age and wrote that others feel the press helped then-candidate Trump by spotlighting Hillary Clinton’s use of a nongovernmental email server in 2016.
He feels Harris "should talk to journalists more" despite concerns that they will use interviews and news conferences to prove that they aren’t "in the tank" for her.
KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTERS UNSURE WHEN ASKED ABOUT VP'S POLICY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
"A presidential campaign is a national conversation about the state of the country. The candidate giving the same speech over and over again is a monologue, not a conversation. Harris isn’t taking questions from voters at her events on the campaign trail or in other forums either," Bacon wrote.
"At the risk of sounding elitist and overly defensive of my profession, answering questions from journalists is particularly vital. They are paid to study policy issues and scrutinize politicians," he continued. "Their questions will often — but not always — be more detailed and specific than those of voters."
He suggested that Harris sit down for "an interview with journalists who specialize in foreign affairs, such as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour or Fareed Zakaria," or economic policy, immigration, education or criminal justice experts.
"Talking to reporters who know their subjects well creates some risk for a candidate. But Harris’s strong start over the past few weeks suggests she has been underestimated by Democratic Party elites. I hope her aides (many of whom are from that elite) aren’t overly worried about the candidate making a mistake because she is speaking extemporaneously," Bacon wrote.
He assumes Harris will respond to the criticism by sitting down with a favorable media outlet, such as MSNBC, but he hopes the vice president instead talks to "journalists who can and will challenge her."
"I’m frustrated that the main anti-Trump candidate has started her candidacy by breaking with the democratic values of treating the press as an important institution and answering questions from reporters and the public," Bacon wrote.