"One might as well try to ride two horses moving in different directions, as to try to maintain in equal force two opposing or contradictory sets of desires."
- Robert Collier (1885-1950), American writer
The Campaign Desk, Columbia Journalism Review's excellent segment providing critique and analysis of the 2004 campaign, weighs in on CNN's latest fair and balanced reporting entry in this piece titled "Spin Buster: Spinners Spin Selves." It seems that James Begala and James Carville, co-hosts of CNN's "Crossfire," have joined the Kerry campaign. Not a bad decision really; Kerry needs their expertise. Some would say there's a small problem, though. Both have decided to continue their affiliation with CNN:
"There are plenty of pundits practicing today who once upon a time worked for a political campaign or a presidential administration--but concurrently working for a news organization and a political campaign seems an obvious conflict of interest to us."
Not to worry, says CNN spokesman Matt Furman. There's really no conflict. Begala and Carville have, in Furman's own words:
"...an informal role advising some members of the Kerry campaign; they are unpaid, they don't have an office or desk at campaign headquarters, and they don't regularly meet with the campaign."
Well, okay. That's a start, but tell us more:
"What about CNN's viewers? What are they to make of the fact that the network which bills itself as 'America's Campaign Headquarters' now employs two Kerry campaign advisers as hosts of a daily show?"
"So will viewers be informed of the "Crossfire" co-hosts' dual roles?" Furman insists it's already being done, citing announcements by CNN's Tucker Carlson, Anderson Cooper and Larry King. Exercising a modicum of skepticism, the Campaign Desk editors review the broadcasts themselves:
"...Carlson, not suprisingly, used the news to rib his co-host...speculating on what Carville's hiring might say about the state of the Kerry campaign. The notion of a conflict of interest apparently never crossed Carlson's mind.
...Cooper noted yesterday that a 'group of familiar faces' recently joined the Kerry campaign, including Begala and Carville. He then exchanged some harmless back-and-forth with Carville, noting that Kerry is making some strategic changes and that Carville is glad to help.
Larry King asked Paul Begala...yesterday, 'Are you going to work on the Kerry campaign, that was in The New York Times yesterday?' Among Carlson, Carville, Cooper, King and Begala, only Begala seemed alive to the potential hot potato implicit in the question. His halting reply: 'Yes--no, I work for CNN, Larry, I'm going to keep working for CNN...I absolutely--I support John Kerry. And I will advise him as I would advise any Democrat who wants advice, but I do it for free and I do it for love. So I'm going to continue to advise Kerry and support him but I'm not going to work for anybody but CNN.' "
Wow. That little speech has absolutely convinced me that Begala will be able to keep his two roles completely separate. And there's no doubt in my mind that CNN is continuing to take the high ground by exercising only the highest standards of journalism. After all, I see nothing wrong with "keeping two attack dogs like Carville and Begala on the payroll even after they sign on with the Kerry campaign." Yeah, right. Nothing wrong at all.
Update: Lots of interesting comments accompany this piece. You can find them here.
Update: Fox News' Bill O'Reilly weighs in on the Begala and Carville conflict of interest in this New York Daily News op-ed.
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