Katie Couric: Sexist Media Hurt Hillary Clinton's Chances

Adding to her comments last night in Washington — "that Sen. Clinton received some of the most unfair, hostile coverage I've ever seen" — Katie Couric has filmed a Keith Olbermann-style special commentary (called ner "Notebook") slamming the media for its sexist coverage of Hillary Clinton and claiming that the sexist coverage hurt her chances at becoming the Democratic party nominee. The Notebook will air tonight on CBS affiliates and on CBS radio, and will live on CBSNews.com.

"One of the great lessons of [Hillary Clinton's] campaign is the continued and accepted role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media....It isn't just Hillary Clinton who needs to learn a lesson from this primary season — it's all the people who crossed the line, and all the women and men who let them get away with it."

Watch the video below:

Couric's reference in the video to "mainstream pundits saying they instinctively cross their legs at the mention of her name" is specifically about Tucker Carlson, who often made such a claim while still on MSNBC during the campaign.

Last night, without naming names, Couric seemed to excoriate both MSNBC's Chris Matthews — who has come under fire for sexist remarks against Hillary Clinton — and NBC's Lee Cowan — who reportedly said he found it "hard to stay objective" covering Obama — saying, "That's your job...find another line of work." Matthews notoriously announced that he "felt [a] thrill going up [his] leg" while listening to Obama speak, and was forced to apologize for sexist remarks against Clinton in January.

Comments

[AngFL]

Good for Katie. As a journalist she has a right to express commenatry now and then, or as she called it - her notebook. I don't mind the editorial viewpoint when it deals with a hot topic that leads to a discussion - debate - conversation... Yet, after watching Olbermann's reaction last night, I feel he needs to get a grip and allow his female counterparts the choice to have an opinion as he so heartily advocates every night on Countdown. Keith your diatribe back fired and stressed the reality our country can't handle a conversation about sexism. I am disappointed and don't agree with you on this one...
Come on folks, why is it so easy to point at racism but not at sexism? We witnessed the daily barrage of media attacks against Hilary leading up to Obama's win. Women are once again forced to have their place and are expected to be victims without a voice. The media propogates the sexist POV by the way they present the news in a very macho-centric way. Take a look at all the men dominating the news with their bellowing voices like big daddy yelling at us, and then we have the bimbo blond anchors who stumble to find a coherent question because they are afraid to speak their minds. It's transparent and yes, we still live in a sexist society. Hillary's run was just another reminder of this fact.

[WFV]

Hillary allowed herself to be put in this position by playing the good old boy game and by letting them make her more masculine when she isn't. She had the opportunity to run a different type of campaign, one that advanced women's concerns and elevated the discussion. Instead, she allowed references to herself as 'Rocky' and how she has 'testicular fortitude'. She never once spoke out against these things, never pointed out the differences between herself and the other candidates. You come to play, then play. Her advocacy could have been constructive and helpful to women throughout America. Instead, she played along until she thought about calling 'sexism' and by then it was too late. She blew it.

[messy]

"victim" is not a reason to vote for somebody. Granted Curic's ratings have pretty much ruined the CBS evening News" and that's why she's so bitter. those evil sexists aren't watching her program and she's mad at them.

[HDR]

I, too, saw Olbermann's piece last night on Couric's comments and I do not recall anywhere in the piece where he denied, as if he has the power to do so, Couric's "choice" to opine on ANY subject. He specifically was coming to the defense of a colleague when Couric suggested he should find another line of work. (Who do you really think is a more geniune journalist - even based solely on work experience, Couric or Cowan?)

The sexism card has two sides just like the race card. Hillary and her on air supporters have stated in the past that women voters owed it women to vote for her. How is that NOT sexism. The FOX news transmitters would overload and explode if Obama and/or his supporters stated the same.

Cynic alert: Couric's numbers are in the toilet . Is this "commentary" ploy a way of boosting almost flatline numbers?

[Fabienne]

I also have heard Senator Clinton say many times that it is important for the country to know what it is like to have a woman as President. Considering that she ran her campaign as if she were a part of the good ole boys' network, I find this disingenuous.

[2Nurselady]

Well said, ANGfl.

[IndieVisible]

While I agree there is sexism present, and racism. I do not believe that is what hurt Hillary Clinton the most. I believe being Hillay hurt her the most, second being a Clinton hurt her the second most, followed by having her husband campaign for her where Bill made a complete ass out of himself several times.

Lets not forget the wide lead she had in the beginning, and she was the media's darling too! So what happened? Hillary began campaigning thats what happened! Bill began campaigning too! We will see a woman president, there is no doubt we are ready for it! It could have been this time if not for the terrible campaign she ran. So if you want to blame any one, blame the Clinton's.

[notthistime]

She was not supported well by her campaign. They did her a disservice and it took her awhile to catch her "flow'. But by then it was too late.

[WFV]

Who, exactly, was in charge of her campaign?

For being such an experienced, professional politician, she should have known the flow going in - her husband competed in two presidential elections. This isn't new to them.

Stop grasping for justification. She blew it and she lost.

[olivia]

60% of Americans believed she was not trustworthy from the get-go.

She said things during the campaign to make people distrust her even more.

She ran a dirty campaign.

That's why she lost.

[RedBirdy]

And about 50% of whites believe Obama is a muslim. Does't make it right, or true, does it?

[SmokinJobaman]

Let's face it -- the MSM is in the tank for Obama. That makes all of his opponents fair game for whatever attack can employed. Watch for a steady stream of stories about McCain's temper, McCain's age, etc. Now that Hillary is seemingly on BO's side, she'll now be sainted, pushed as a Supreme Court candidate, etc. Bill will become human again (other than when he's a God saving the world from itself). At the same time, BO's radical liberalism will be ignored or simply framed as "helping people". Let this be a lesson to all those who support McCain-Feingold.

[olivia]

How quickly people have forgotten the beating he took over Rev. Wright, bitter people, and his wife's remarks.

The pressure is on him now from the media insisting HRC has to be his VP.

Did you see Jon Stewart's schtick with end to end clips of anchors saying Hillary had the nomination bagged? The media made her the nominee months ago.

[SmokinJobaman]

They made her the presumptive nominee months ago because she was the liberal favorite at that time. When Obama became the flavor of the month, they dumped her on the side walk and fell in love with BO faster than an uninformed electorate can say "Barack's smile beats Hillary's cackle".

[POINT84]

why do republicans keep coming here to recruit on negative terms?

[Tropiholic]

why does huff post keep publishing their posts while ignoring and censoring others?

[SmokinJobaman]

My apologies. I thought discussion groups were supposed to include discussion. Did I miss the ground rule where we're all supposed to agree on every topic?

[jhamm1]

She would. Besides, those of us who have been around long enough to deduce Katie Couric as being as bright as a forty watt bulb recognize any assertions she makes mean absolutely nothing other than solidifying her own propensity for self-delusion.

[obamanation31]

Yes. there's sexism just as there is racism. But that's not why she lost. As a mtter of fact, in some instances, it actually helped her get some sympathy votes. She used the sexism to drum up support among women.
She lost because her campaign was run poorly, she ran out of money, and she didn't have a good strategy.
When this campaign started, I thought she was qualified, but I always felt that she would be too polarizing and she and her husband have always been full of drama. As the campaign continued, I did not like her negative attacks and her lies. So, I lost respect for her. I never undrestood why she stood by her man knowing all his fooling around.
As a white har working woman, I don't like being and acting like a victim.

[obamanation31]

Correction: As a hard working white woman, I refuse to be a victim.

[mhoiles]

Thanks Katie - we will remember in November.

[olivia]

Never mind the racism. Obama had to endure seeing his figure in rifle scope crosshairs on a magazine cover, a brown money with a banana on a T-shirt, threats against his life, slurs and threats against his volunteers in the more racist southern states, and now Fox bimbos making racist comments almost daily.

How small a person do you have to be not to feel joy for the milestone America just made? Slavery and racial discrimination are our national shame. Black people have suffered like no white person can understand.

How small do you have to be not to be happy about America's giant step out of darkness into the light?

This is a milestone for our nation, not just for people of color.

[indc]

This is Couric whining for herself using a surrogate...she is awful as the news anchor...her forte and what she trained herself to be was an early morning entertainment and light news host... she could not make the transition and, like with Clinton, it is not her fault it is something and someone else's fault.... men do the same thing... Bush for example... it is psychology and character not gender.

[arvay]

Why would anyone care what this washed-up embarrassment of a failed newscaster (not a journalist, a reader) thinks or says?

Charges of sexism are significant matters, and they should be examined, but by people who the rest of us can take seriously.

[candyperfumegirl]

Katie is absolutely right. If commentators issued the same kind of slurs against Obama as they did to Hillary, there would have been a storm of controversy. Perhaps this illustrates the reality that sexism is more accepted than racism in our society. It does seem that explicit sexism is tolerated in a way that explicit racism is not. Disagreeing with Hillary’s politics does not justify sexist remarks, such as “iron my shirt”, in the same way that disagreeing with Obama would not justify similar explicitly racist remarks.

Katie is pointing this out now, I think, in response to the media’s rabid speculation concerning what Hillary did wrong. Sexism is a systemic issue in much the same way as racism. Any one instance might seem a small affront, but when looking at the larger pattern, a clear bias emerges. The explicit sexism Hillary experienced was unjustified regardless of her political stance.

The democratic primary shows that we have made progress as a society. The fact that a woman and a black man are able to be serious presidential candidates is in itself an indicator of just how far we have come. However, sexism and racism still exist and systematically disadvantage members of our society. In a time of enormous national turmoil, let’s not call names. We can do better.

[chaz]

I disagree. Hillary losing is the product of twenty years of hate news directed at her and her husband. I'm 48 years old and I remember the Clinton President years very well. During that time President Clinton Inherited a country that was in dier straights mostly do to the Reagan years.
After the Clinton years this country was doing very well but all I read in the News Paper, Heard on the Radio or Saw on TV was incredible negative stories about the Clinton's. Very serious stories leading to a number of grand juries and eventually Impeachment.
Well because of the twenty four seven negative coverage of the Clinton's I was absolutely sure they were guilty of some thing but after taking the enishative to read a few books on the Clinton years (and thanks to the internet which the Republicans are trying to take away from the average American as we speak) I found out not only were the Clinton's innocent of all charges they were also the most investigated individuals in or nations history.
Which leads to one conclusion the twenty years of lies and absolute hate news about the Clinton's had a much bigger impact on Hillary's Presidential campaign than anything else.
It's a winning game plan and it's not going to stop.
Now go out and spend five dollars on a gallon of gas before it turns to six.

[bodo]

There was sexism but it came from the Clinton campaign. To bill herself as THE candidate of women was perhaps a mistake, while Obama ran as candidate of ALL Americans. Even the 18-million glass ceiling story was a final sexist message. Actually it was a crock, for the white women of Iowa got Obama started, and his huge crowds included more women then men, while Hillary tried to appeal to the "bitter" white blue-collar men who voted for her not because she was a woman but becuase she was WHITE.

[Gmoney1]

I checked mediamatters and they would not know, want to know or report on all the racists media comments and pundit bigotry about Obama all through the primaries if it hit them in the face - Hillary began her campaign by saying she was our GIRL - then Bill Clinton was put on the scene which for many women brought back the Monica Lewinsky memories - then the women got angry all over again with Bill Clinton - so they wanted to get revenge for Hillary because of Bill Clinton -

[BushBites]

Katie:

Next time, just go vent on Hillaryis44.

[MarMom]

We finally changed our tivo recording away from the CBS news. I think Katie in her own mind equates her failure with hosting evening news in the same line as Clinton's. It was embarrassing to watch her interview Obama the day after he won. The whole interview was about Hillary. Katie, I think you also need to learn how to do news. Not everyone is wearing the same blinders as you. I guess it doesn't matter for us anymore.

[mi]

well Katie,
you could have done something courageous and
spoken out about this.
now your comments are
a lot less meaningful.

[Gmoney1]

Katie is non-essential - all these white hardworking people (like Katie) speaking out about sexism - let's hear Katie speak about racial discrimination in the news media - Katie - how many blacks are being paid as much as you are for nothing - Hillary lost because of a mirade of reasons - stop picking one that you feel benefits the female - her strategy failed - her Clinton machine was not oiled properly, her money was losing it's value and so on - sexism was Hillary's pretext for failure - face it and move on -

[Bozwellian]

...Katie has dne herself and "other" fems NO FAVOR and the "sexist" whine is being OVERDONE...well, in my humble, old hard working reality based white woman !!! Honest, yeah sure, there has been gender based descrimnation in work place for years, still exists but there too has been OTHER descrimnation as well..be it for race, religious, sexual orientation reasons/excuses or whatever. The CONSTANT whine presently heard for reasoning/excusing Hillary's loss lumped onto the "sexist existence" issue is more than a tad over fluffed and puffed for her campaign was truly flawed for reasonings/decisions and performance that quite frankly are NOT due to her "gender" as men have made MISCALCULATIONS and BAD DECISIONS in their choices of how to "perform" as well. Katie and Hilary folks are looking for "cover/excuses" why not being embraced and THEY are playing the sexist line far , far too much and inappropriately !!!

[drec1500Madrid]

Wasn't it Katie who gave that hard hitting 60 minutes interview way back in the early days of the primary where she was asking Hillary tough questions like what her favorite soda was...

KO gave her worst person in the world over this...she deserves it too....