Many critics of the “MSM” (mainstream media), including Newt Gingrich himself, believe John King was offside in leading off Thursday’s debate with a question to Newt Gingrich about his ex-wife’s allegation that he asked her for an “open marriage.” As a journalist who thinks you ought to do your best to ask what voters are talking about rather than blindly take the spin from campaigns, I’m 100% behind King (left). Good question. Asked in a respectful manner.
Now, for those who think King was “piling on” and trying to hurt Gingrich’s campaign, consider this reaction to “the question” from Gingrich rival Rick Santorum:
Speaking on Fox News on Saturday, Mr. Santorum seemed to be absorbing the possibility that Mr. Gingrich might pull ahead of him in the vote. And as he sought to explain why that might happen, he identified the moment in the debate when Mr. Gingrich turned back a question about his previous marriage and scolded the media with controlled fury.
Mr. Santorum called the question a “gift” from John King, the CNN moderator, to Mr. Gingrich.
“I don’t know whether Newt paid him to ask that question,” Mr. Santorum said of Mr. King, “but that’s about the nicest thing he’s done for a Republican in a long, long time.”
Read the rest: Sedate Stroll to South Carolina Polls Turns Into a Brawl – NYTimes.com.
“As a journalist who thinks you ought to do your best to ask what voters are talking about rather than blindly take the spin from campaigns …”
Well, judging from the audience reaction, King obviously hadn’t accurately gauged the pulse of the South Carolina voters.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending Gingrich’s past. If John King was trying to bring up the topics uppermost in the audience’s mind, he should have led with a question about jobs, the economy, or foreign affairs — not Gingrich’s personal ones. That question could have been asked later on in the debate, if need be. And the timing of ABC’s airing of that interview is also questionable.