Press Tougher on Clinton, Veterans Say

Hillary Clinton's campaign is convinced that the media skew coverage to favor Barack Obama, and the Washington Post reports that top reporters agree. Not only do veteran commentators Mark Halperin and Howard Fineman say it’s so—Time's Halperin: “It’s not a level playing field”—but many journalists admit they’re excited about Clinton’s slippage, as it gives them an interesting narrative.

The press has swung from a year’s worth of anointing Clinton the inevitable Democratic nominee to building up her falling numbers as a sign of campaign apocalypse. But Obama’s people dispute he gets a free ride—the Post points to several mini-scandals that found no legs—and complain that Clinton’s succeeded in making that narrative “part of the chatter.” (More Barack Obama stories.)