Bush/Clinton say media now harsher on politicians

PRESIDENTS SAY MEDIA NOW HARSHER ON POLITICIANS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Sinead Carew]
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton said on Thursday media coverage of politicians had grown harsher and warned that this could have a detrimental effect on future leaders as the 2008 election draws near. Bush, the 41st U.S. president and father of the current president, described what he called an increasingly adversarial relationship between the press and politicians that is "even tougher, uglier" than he remembered. "I'm afraid it will turn off a lot of good people from politics," he said. Clinton said he and Bush had received their share of tough questions when they were in office, but cited a blurring of the lines between sensationalism and mainstream journalism. Clinton said a more even discussion of politics could come from Internet sites and Web blogs. He cited the tendency of blogs to scrutinize one or two subjects rather than a full plate of issues. "They can do research and get the facts and don't have to bad-mouth people. Sometimes they do, but they don't have to," Clinton said. "I think all these blog sites are creating a whole new opportunity for public debate that may revitalize our politics in an old fashioned way." Clinton said that sensational news coverage could interfere with the ability of politicians to make good decisions. Clinton and Bush lauded the role telecommunications and technology can play in improving healthcare, spreading individual freedoms and eradicating poverty. And as for personal technology, the former presidents said they were dedicated to using cell phones or wireless devices. "The hour I'm here is about the longest I can be away from my Blackberry," Bush said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2919944120070329