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Responsibility Frenzies in News Coverage

Dissecting a Hillary Clinton Rumor

Little attention has been paid to cases in which news media cover political controversies in a sensible and responsible manner. Unlike "feeding frenzies," which have been well documented, there has been almost no serious examination of cases in which reporters engage in "responsibility frenzies." In this article, the author discusses a case of one such responsibility frenzy: rumors during Hillary Clinton’s 2000 U.S. Senate campaign that she was a lesbian. Using interviews, personal observation, and news accounts, I explain how the press avoided irresponsible coverage and engaged in enlightened self-restraint. While responsibility frenzies admittedly are much more rare than feeding frenzies, it is important to understand the dynamics of the former and the factors that lead the press to act responsibly.

Key Words: feeding frenzy • responsibility frenzy • Hillary Clinton • Senate campaigns

References

• Bernstein, Paula. 2000. "Fox Blocks Hillary Attack." Yahoo.com Web site, Sept. 27.
• Cappella, Joseph, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. 1997. The Spiral of Cynicism: The Press and the Public Good. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Fallows, James. 1996. Breaking the News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy. New York: Pantheon.
• Harpaz, Beth. 2001. The Girls in the Van: Covering Hillary. New York: Thomas Dunne.
• Kuncl, Tom. 2000. "Sleeping Over with Hillary!" Star, Oct. 17: 18.
• Mintz, John. 2000. "In Campaign Heat, Issue Ads Mushroom," Washington Post, Sept. 19:A1.
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• Sabato, Larry. 1991. Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics. New York: Free Press.
• Salter, Stephanie. 2000. "Christian Group Resurrects ‘Hillary is Lesbian’ Rumor," San Francisco Examiner, Sept. 28:A27.
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• Thornton, Tim. 2000. "Va. Organizations Tries to Run Controversial Ad; The 30-Second Spot Implies that Hillary Clinton May Be a Lesbian," Roanoke Times, Sept. 21:B3.
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• White, Mike. 2000. "Commercial Closet: Group Asks, Is Hillary a Legislator or a Lesbian?" Gay.com Web site, October.

The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 8, No. 2, 104-114 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1081180X02251050


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This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by West, D. M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?