Conservative media coverage of Hillary Clinton's health has been borderline hysterical. Okay, not even borderline — just plain hysterical. Amateur diagnoses of the Democratic presidential nominee on various news sites range from Parkinson's disease and cancer to radiation poisoning and aphasia. Mainstream outlets have generally dismissed such conjecture.
The bigger issue is the secretive manner in which Clinton's campaign managed the incident. It is an approach that is sure to prove counterproductive than if reporters had been allowed to follow Clinton out of the ceremony or if aides had been faster to address her condition. A lack of information always makes journalists wonder whether something more serious is being kept hidden. It just does.
In the immediate aftermath of Clinton's exit, reporters tweeted their frustration at not knowing what was going on — and being prevented from finding out.
@HillaryClinton did leave the 9/11 ceremony viewing area 45+ m ago. Her poolers not taken w her and we cannot verify status or location.
— Margaret Talev (@margarettalev) September 11, 2016
Why it's important to have a fully protective pool for a nominee, something her campaign hasn't made possible https://t.co/AzjcxZM8WC
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) September 11, 2016
First information from the campaign on Clinton's whereabouts came around 11:00 am to the press pool https://t.co/XuPLc68I8G
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) September 11, 2016
Clinton is heading home to Chappaqua, per the campaign. But the press pool is not being permitted to travel with her.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) September 11, 2016
Sure, anyone can start to feel lightheaded in 80-degree heat, of course. I'll never forget watching a saxophone player in my high school marching band (yes, I was cool) drop to the ground during a Memorial Day ceremony. We weren't even marching or playing at the time. She just hadn't hydrated properly, locked out her knees and ... boom. And she was perfectly healthy.
So Clinton's overheating on its own doesn't prove anything. But her campaign's unwillingness to be instantly forthcoming may well make people in the media who had previously laughed off talk of a health problem suddenly take it a bit more seriously.
"We don't scrutinize her coughing fits," Fox News host Bill O'Reilly told me last week, drawing a contrast between his program and others. "We don't do any of that."
Think that will still be true on Monday's edition of the "O'Reilly Factor"? It's hard to imagine it will be.
It's also hard to imagine that O'Reilly will be alone in treating Clinton's health as a legitimate campaign issue going forward.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign comes to an end
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