President Trump is forever declaring the media the “most dishonest” life form on the planet.
And in some cases, he’s right.
On March 3, The Mirror published a report that The Washington Post‘s “The Fix” blog was in search of a new managing editor. The blog’s founder, Chris Cillizza, was on the job posting for future candidates, making it seem like he’d be handling aspects of the new hire.
Naturally I had questions. The main one being: Was Cillizza saying goodbye to WaPo?
YouTube/screenshot.
Those around him, including a publicist, insisted that no, he’s not going anywhere. “The Fix” has had managing editors for a few years with Cillizza there as a fixture.
But some 11 days later the truth came out — Cillizza actually is leaving WaPo for CNN, another favorite of Trump’s.
Which frankly pisses me off. Why it seems that the publicist and those closest to the blog were not told the truth from the beginning is WaPo‘s problem.
But it’s also troubling for whoever thought they were applying for a job that would involve overseeing, or, at the very least, working with the folksy Cillizza when he had know he was fleeing to CNN.
When I asked the publicist if she knew the other day that Cillizza was leaving WaPo, the individual remarked: “No.” I told her I appreciated her brevity. I also believe her when she says she didn’t know.
If more people in Washington could be honest with those in positions that dispel information, the world would be a better place.
Even WaPo‘s own fact checker Glenn Kessler might give his own management — or Cillizza — three big fat Pinocchios for this.
During the 2016 presidential election, Cillizza had loads of predictions — most of which were wrong. He even sympathized with Hillary Clinton for having allergies when she wasn’t being honest about her pneumonia. He then made himself look really stupid by writing a lot of mea culpas. To be sure, he’s skilled at bragging. And he knows how to whine.
There were some kisses for Cillizza on Twitter.
There were also virtual slaps across his face:
@mac_dog wrote, “I dislike you intensely.”
And @ArrowofArtemis: “Bye. Now I can like WaPo more.”
@fsstgrrl didn’t beat around the bush. She said, “I now feel better about my WaPo subscription!”
Finally there’s @ambrishrk, who snarked, “Yay! I can browse WaPo without cringing now.”
Good luck, CNN. He’s all yours.
