Tony Snow: Reporters more liberal than average Americans

They're not crusaders, the departing White House press secretary says, but their outlook makes it harder for GOP administrations to communicate.

posted September 14, 2007 at 2:13 p.m. EST

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"Snow's own life in many ways symbolizes the downside of the ownership society – and suggests how much a government role in health and retirement benefits is necessary," opined a Sept. 4 essay in Slate. While touting policies that encouraged workers to fund their own retirements, Snow failed to take out his own 401(k) plan, it alleged. While advocating health-savings accounts and high-deductible medical plans as a solution to healthcare, Snow relied on the comprehensive medical insurance available to White House workers, it pointed out.

Asked about the essay at the breakfast, Snow replied that some facts were wrong. For example, he did have a 401(k) plan when he worked as a radio host but not when he belonged to a union as a Fox News TV host. "Please call the person you are writing about before trying to comment sagely about their life and times," he quipped.

And on the health-insurance issue, Snow said, "It is a mistake to confuse high government expenditure with compassion, which is the embedded assumption there."

One of Snow's most interesting responses concerned how the nature of White House press coverage has changed. Here is an extended excerpt of what he said on that topic:

"Something very interesting and somewhat troubling is taking place, which is that the advent of 24-hour cable has everybody so eager to get the scoop – by scoop it means some new piece of information that hasn't been reported in the previous hour – that you see a change in the approach of many reporters to what is going on.

"Rather than having some in depth and thoughtful analysis pieces, you've got process, process, process. And a lot of times you have people doing the process piece as opposed to trying to sort of get into the guts of the thing. It is difficult. News organizations don't have the resources they used to have to set people free to do a lot of those long investigative pieces and series that they used to do. But it doesn't change my thinking that the profession is poorer for it. So I do think a lot of times, if I have a frustration, it is that ... I love working with the White House press corps and sometimes we do end up speaking different languages.

"I do think there is something to the fact that, in general terms, members of the press tend to be more liberal. That's just the way it is. If you doubt it, just look around and think how many people in this room voted for a Republican the last time around. On the other hand, it is not something where reporters get into the business to be anti-Republican crusaders. I don't think that is true at all. I just think that sometimes there is, to quote Cool Hand Luke, 'a failure to communicate.'

"And it is incumbent on those who work in Republican White Houses to try to bridge that gap by trying to talk about things in a way that allows reporters to understand intellectually the underpinnings of what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we think it is going to play out. And I think if there is a shortcoming, sometimes it is a shortcoming on our part.

"But again, in overall terms, I think the one thing that maybe is most frustrating is sometimes everybody swoops in on the process questions and never gets to the deeper questions."

Snow lingered after the session chatting with reporters and said he is considering writing two books. It is clear that the soon-to-be-former press secretary intends to stay active in political life. One goal, he says, is to "play some constructive role in lowering the temperature" of the country's political dialogue.

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