The Media Play the Blame Game But Come Up Empty
March 19, 2015

When the New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton used a private server for her email correspondence while serving as Secretary of State, others in the media and all who were slightly interested in the Presidential “horse race” panicked or celebrated.    Was this the mortal wound to HRC’s likely candidacy?  In very short order, the media sent out pulses of interpretation – starting with declarations that her actions were illegal.   Nothing says illegal better than framing the argument with dates and Federal Register codes, and so we saw small print about the 2009 Federal Register – section 1236.22b.  It looked clearly authentic.   But, closer reading of this code showed that personal emails were in fact permitted, and that those who used them only needed to be conscientious.  And so began the feeble search for something dramatic to say – to find scandal where there was none.   And when there were no laws or rules to hold up, still some rang their hands to remind us that the email story showed Hillary can’t be trusted – a conclusion without any support.