A paper by Michael Goldfarb, spring 1999 fellow, explores the differences in coverage of the Clinton administration between the American and British press. While the American press covered health care reform and the war in Bosnia in 1994, the British press – including quality outlets such as The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph – seemed focused on the sexual harassment lawsuit against the President being made by Paula Jones, to the exclusion of other news about the administration, argues Goldfarb. To find the answer as to why the British press appeared to be so antagonistic to President Clinton, this paper examines the competitive nature of the British press, the increasingly symbiotic relations of the media and political elites in London and Washington, and the way Clinton opponents tried to use the media – including the British press – to get their stories into American discourse.
Our President/Their Scandal: The Role of the British Press in Keeping the Clinton Scandals Alive
By Michael Goldfarb
