No Fury Like A Press Corps Scorned

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Mega-Media Trends

(AP Photo)

As we've discussed before, members of the media – especially in New York – don't much seem to like Rudy Giuliani. And the feeling is, or at least was, mutual. "He didn't like us. I mean, let's just start with that," Newsday's Ellis Henican told "On The Media" last month. "He didn't like to be criticized. He took it all very personally. He was quick to anger, and he lashed out very quickly."

Anti-Rudy stories have been trickling out with increasing frequency as the campaign has heated up, even as Giuliani has been more successful in maintaining his lead in the polls than many expected. And today we get a flurry of them. Consider this Associated Press piece, headlined "Giuliani faces questions about Sept. 11" – his presumed source of political strength. Writes Larry McShane: "While the former mayor of the nation's largest city was widely lionized for his post-9/11 leadership…city firefighters and their families are renewing their attacks on him for his performance before and after the terrorist attack."

Then there is a pair of pieces in the New York Times, "Testimony by Giuliani Indicates He Was Briefed on Kerik in '00" and "In His White House, Giuliani Says, His Wife Might Have a Very Visible Role as Adviser." The former shines a light on Giuliani's embarrassing connection to Kerik, his disgraced former police commissioner; the latter stresses the "unusually overt role" Judith Giuliani would have in the White House and notes his "very public breakup with his second" wife in the second paragraph.

It's not that the press corps is making this stuff up – Giuliani has given reporters plenty of fodder for stories documenting incidents and criticisms he'd rather forget. But the evidence does keep mounting that many journalists, justifiably or not, have a bit of a distaste for "America's mayor." And they want the rest of us to see why.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by alicemarple April 1, 2007 1:21 PM EDT: That post is a great illustration of the way Rudy makes irrelevant, impotent, inconsequential little nobodies soil their undies as they screech out their envy, resentment and vitriolic hatred. To them, he personifies "The Man" who looks down on their kind with pure contempt. Go Rudy!; Reply to this comment


by sanfelz March 31, 2007 11:12 PM EDT: Rudy, the virile manly man, takes female hormone to treat prostate cancer. He would be the fourth female president, following James Buchanan, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Reagan.

Rudy is more liberal on most social issues than most Southern Democrats. Who but Rudy would invite his wife to cabinet meeting though she has expertise in nothing.

Puking and frothing at the mouth and breathlessness and early death are what Rudy and Chritie Whitman condemned first responders to by their indifferent and careless "leadership".

The press will someday ask Rudy why he put municipal emergency communications in the WTC instead of Brooklyn as consultants advised.; Reply to this comment


by alicemarple March 31, 2007 5:32 PM EDT: Rudy drives the puke left scuzzies into fits of foaming-at-the-mouth rage. He is a virile, manly man and a great leader -- in sharp contrast to squatting, shrill sissyboys like Kerry, Gore, Edwards and their kind. Rudy also doesn't bother to conceal his scorn and loathing for the dysfunctional parasitic elements of our society, on which the puke left depends for its existence.; Reply to this comment


by sanfelz March 30, 2007 7:24 PM EDT: During his years as mayor, Giuliani upset many more than cops, firefighters and reporters. You could include minorities, teachers and museum-goers to start.
But is this payback? Maybe, but there are pleny of negative stories about all the presidential candidates. Which is how it should be.; Reply to this comment