Amy Chozick: "Chasing Hillary"- Lessons from the Campaign Trail

Book Context & Motivation:

• Amy Chosick's book, Chasing Hillary, is described by a review as a hybrid of Boys on the Bus and The Devil Wears Prada, blending her personal coming-of-age narrative with a campaign chronicle.
• Chosick, a female reporter, sought to document the unique experience of a predominantly female press corps (18 of 20 traveling reporters were women) covering the first woman with a realistic shot at the presidency.
• The narrative frames her career trajectory—marriage and family decisions—as deeply intertwined with her 10-year coverage of Hillary Clinton.

Journalistic Origins & Early Career:

• Chosick transitioned from a Wall Street Journal foreign news assistant to a correspondent in Japan, covering consumer culture and "anthropological" business trends.
• During her time as a foreign assistant, she facilitated the delivery of an armored BMW to Baghdad by withdrawing $40,000 in cash from her personal savings account, an incident she humorously notes could have led to money laundering accusations.
• Her editors at the WSJ explicitly pushed her to transition from administrative assistant duties to bylined reporting, leading to her promotion.

2008 Campaign Coverage:

• Chosick was recruited by her editor, John Bussey, to cover the 2008 Iowa caucus, admitting she initially did not know the difference between a primary and a caucus.
• She reports that the Clinton campaign staff also lacked a clear understanding of the caucus system at the time.
• The experience marked her shift from covering foreign business to domestic "pack journalism," involving repeated coverage of the same speeches to extract narratives.

2016 Campaign & New York Times:

• Jill Abramson, then Times editor-in-chief, recruited Chosick in the summer of 2013 to cover Clinton's anticipated run, a move the Clinton campaign initially resented.
• The campaign feared a dedicated Times reporter would aggressively investigate stories that might damage Clinton's standing while she held 60-70% approval ratings in the State Department.
• The Clinton campaign held strong grievances regarding The New York Times' coverage of Donald Trump, feeling the paper granted him a "free pass" despite later publishing extensive investigative pieces on his bankruptcies and sexual misconduct allegations.
• Chosick disputes the claim that the media was softer on Trump, noting that critical coverage intensified, though she admits this began later than it would have for other candidates because the press did not anticipate his nomination.

Media Failure & Election Analysis:

• Major newspapers, including the Times and Post, failed to predict the 2016 election outcome, largely due to an over-reliance on erroneous data models and conventional wisdom that "Trump cannot be elected."
• Chosick recounts instances where field reporters observed a lack of Clinton yard signs and low crowd morale, only to have their observations overruled by data analysts predicting an 89-90% probability of a Clinton victory.
• The campaign and media relied on metrics like crowd size and poll numbers while ignoring "ground truth," a failure Chosick attributes to a broader reliance on data over traditional field reporting.
• In the election's aftermath, Chosick notes a renewed media emphasis on travel and direct voter interaction, recognizing the value of in-person reporting despite the rise of social media and livestreaming.

Strategic Media Dynamics:

• Donald Trump mastered media mechanics, understanding how to drive engagement through Twitter and cable news appearances, often calling reporters directly to bypass traditional press protocols.
• Trump leveraged his media access to attack Hillary Clinton, citing her infrequent press conferences (noting a 250-day gap at one point) as a sign of "lack of stamina."
• Conversely, Clinton's media strategy largely avoided the mainstream press in favor of controlled environments, such as the Ellen DeGeneres show, effectively ignoring the "march of the press" that Trump engaged with daily.
• Trump's deep familiarity with the media industry allowed him to weaponize access, often remembering reporters' names and contact information while simultaneously labeling their outlets as "fake news."

Journalism Business & Future Trends:

• The shift toward subscription-based models has led to a surge in digital subscriptions, driven in part by a public hunger for trusted journalism amidst an era of "fake news."
• The New York Times maintains a strict editorial stance that it is not an opposition party, with Executive Editor Dean Baquet asserting the need to avoid catering to a specific partisan worldview.
• Chosick warns against the "balkanization" of the press, arguing that while a variety of voices is healthy, the newsroom must maintain near-zero slant in reporting to retain public trust.

Lessons on Women in Politics:

• Chosick identifies a "no-win" dynamic for female candidates, where the requirement to be "perfect" undermines perceptions of authenticity.
• Female leaders face contradictory pressures to be simultaneously "warm" (like a drinking buddy) and "tough" (commander-in-chief) in a political landscape lacking a historical template for a woman at the presidential level.
• The 2016 election highlighted a disconnect in voter trust, noting that while the public mistrusted Hillary Clinton, they viewed Bill Clinton as being "on their side."
• Chosick learned from Clinton's life trajectory, from her early activism investigating school segregation to her role as a working mother, illustrating the unique scrutiny and sacrifices required for women in high-level politics.