The Hill ^ | March 23, 2015 | Cameron Joseph Posted on Monday, March 23, 2015 19:55:49
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took time to hang out with the press Monday night, joking with a room packed with national political reporters about their sometimes-testy relationship.
"I'm well aware that some of you may be a little surprised to see me here tonight. My relationship with the press has been at times, shall we say, complicated,'" Clinton said to laughs at a dinner for the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting in downtown Washington, D.C.
"But I am all about new beginnings: A new grandchild, another new hairstyle, a new email account, a new relationship with the press," she continued to guffaws from the reporters in the room, referencing her recent email scandal. "So here goes. No more secrecy. No more 'zone of privacy,' after all, what good did that do me? But first of all if you'll look under your chairs you'll find a simple non-disclosure agreement. My attorneys drew it up. Old habits last."
The stop is the latest effort from Clinton to turn over a new leaf and rebuild her relationship with reporters as she prepares for a presidential campaign launch many expect is imminent. The Clinton campaign has rolled out a cadre of new hires known for their strong relationships with the press and lack of campaign drama, a shift from the often-hostile relationships Clinton's 2008 team had with many reporters.
But while Clinton was willing to knock herself, she used the speech to challenge the reporters in the room to live up to the example former New York Times reporter Robin Toner, who covered her for decades and died a few years ago.
Clinton described Toner as a reporter "who really liked to delve into the substance of the issues" and "understood the details really mattered," before lamenting the modern state of media.
"It's gotten even harder to do the kind of work that she did," she said.