Newt says the audiences at debates should have the right to take part in the debates. He objected when NBC's Brian Williams dared to tell the audience to "hold its applause".
Previously, he lambasted a moderator for asking him--HIM!--a first question about his "open marriage" request of wife #2 while he was dating the woman who would become wife #3.
This is all rather textbook politicking, and rather tiring, frankly. The fact that voters allow candidates to make the media the enemy makes me think of herds of votersheep, ready to bleat their approval of any attack against the evil reporters.
This past weekend, the media fired back! Sorta. NBC sent a letter to the Romney camp objecting to a new campaign ad that is composed almost entirely of material from one of their newscasts. It was a story about Newt being reprimanded by a Congressional Committee. No immediate reaction from the campaign, but that's not a new issue either and the campaigns know it. Broadcast material is copyrighted, and it can't be used without permission.
Alabama Public Television had a similar run-in during the 1990 Paul Hubbard Campaign for Governor. Video of Guy Hunt praising the AEA chief in a For The Record interview was used in a campaign ad. The campaign refused to remove the ad and actually threatened legal action against APT if they continued to try to have it pulled!
In the end, I think it was so close to the election date that the issue died with Hubbard's campaign.
[UPDATE: Gingrich says he will not take part in any debate in which the media moderates it. Of course he has just lost Florida tonight 1-31-12, so perhaps that won't be a problem for him?]
(The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of this website.)
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