Running from the Media II

Like his opponent, John Kerry has also been less than accessible to the media in recent days. John Hanchette writes, "Democratic candidate for president John Kerry decided last month to stop unscheduled conversations with reporters on his campaign plane. The decision, which gained wide attention only last week, followed a precipitous drop in the polls that some political analysts blame on just such an informal chat.

Er, um, ahem...three words of advice from an aging professor who once covered half a dozen campaigns for the White House: Not a good idea...

The problem with shutting off reportorial access to so-called 'spontaneous' moments of give and take is that it indicates to veteran journalists a loss of confidence on the part of the candidate, be he incumbent or challenger. It portends a possible smell of death in the campaign, a bow to the political grim reaper. At least reporters often interpret it that way."