Filed under: Journalism, Washington Post, Politico, Barack Obama, Jim VandeHei, Rudy Giuliani, Ben Smith
Don’t think for a second that smiley Politico editor Jim VandeHei doesn’t have a mile-long enemy list. All of those Washington Post staffers who didn’t show up to his farewell party last December when he decided to jump ship to run the Politico are definitely on it. Which is partially why after the Washington Post ran a piece Monday highlighting Rudy Giuliani’s distaste for the Politico, it’s not that surprising that the Politico has now blatantly attacked the Post for its coverage of Barack Obama.
VandeHei’s feelings, we hear, were “deeply hurt” when the Post ran with a quote by Maria Comella, a Giuliani spokeswoman, who said that a recent Politico story by Ben Smith was “neatly packaged in a very salacious and somewhat misleading way. There are inaccuracies in the piece and a mischaracterization of the situation that lends itself to being described as the mayor described it.”
“Jim was deeply hurt and angry,” a journalist close to the situation tells Big Head DC. “He immediately began looking for ways to find revenge.”
The revenge came in the quick form of a Tuesday Politico hit piece involving a recent WaPo story that spells out clearly that Barack Obama DOES NOT having Muslim ties. However, the Politico piece makes it appear as though the Post somehow reported that Obama DOES have Muslim ties.
The Politico piece by Michael Calderone doesn’t even link to the Post’s original story.
One thing’s for sure: As VandeHei grows increasingly keen on competing with his former employer, watch out for more underhanded and biased journalism coming from his camp.
