Published Friday, April 6, 2001
Sen. Clinton fields questions, wins praise
BY ANGELIQUE SOENARIE
ASNE Reporter
EEven before her role as first lady, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., has been called many things in politics – from the best first lady next to Jackie Kennedy to a “femi-Nazi.”
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| Sen. Clinton speaks to editors at the 2001 ASNE conference in Washington, D.C. |
But “she’s one smart cookie even if she doesn’t bake them,” said Deborah Howell, editor and Washington bureau chief of Newhouse News Service, who introduced New York’s junior senator Thursday at ASNE’s convention.
After Ms. Clinton spoke for about 30 minutes on the budget, editors tested her handle on current issues by asking her questions ranging from foreign policy to dredging the Hudson River.
Overall, her quick-witted responses impressed some ASNE members:
“I think Hillary is adept in her politics,” said Laurence M. Paul, executive editor of The New York Times News Service. “I was impressed how she presented herself. I think she has all the tools she needs to succeed.”
Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, agreed. “I think she is a very accomplished junior senator. She presents herself well. She is a very classy woman, and she was very gracious with the editors,” he said.
For some, Ms. Clinton delivered a speech they expected. “It was partisan and substantive, and she stuck to the issues, said Alan Shearer, General Manager/ Editorial Director of The Washington Post Writers Group. “I’ve seen her speak before. She is remarkable, and she’s quick on her feet.
As a journalist who has covered Ms. Clinton, Rita Jenson, editor-in-chief of Women’s News, said the senator has always preached balance and working together. “Her intellect has always impressed me, and her command of the facts. I disagree with her on some issues, but I have to admit, she does her homework.”
One editor thought Ms. Clinton was well informed on local and foreign issues but concentrated too much of the speech on her own agenda.
“It was a speech that could have been delivered to dentists…or anybody else,” said Jorge Zepeda, managing editor of El Universal in Mexico City.
