Twitter was in an uproar when reporters helped Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris with her choice of fashion last weekend.
Political pundits and reporters alike criticized multiple videos from CNN, CBS and NBC reporters showing the California senator trying on a sequenced jacket on her campaign stop in South Carolina.
We kind of forced @kamalaharris to try on this awesome oversized rainbow sequin jacket … She snapped it up. @alivitali perfectly named it as “the Mardi Gras Jacket” #2020 #SouthCarolina #CampaignFashionReport pic.twitter.com/2G0NFRkKL6
— Maeve Reston (@MaeveReston) February 16, 2019
.@KamalaHarris trying this amazing rainbow coat (to me this screams Mardi Gras coat!), inspired by an inquiry from @MaeveReston of #campaignfashionreport fame. pic.twitter.com/iAvcYN9l5i
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) February 16, 2019
Kamala’s new “Mardi Gras Coat” faced backlash from all angles on Twitter, including Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume, who called the coverage “embarrassing,” and Time columnist Christopher Hale, who did not see the coverage as “objective journalism.” (RELATED: Kamala Harris Stammers When Asked About Smollett ‘Lynching’ Comments)
This is just embarrassing. So now journalists are going shopping with Harris, helping pick out clothes and then putting out glowing tweets about it. https://t.co/RX2IY0B8JL
— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 16, 2019
I’m a fan of yours, but this isn’t good Maeve. It doesn’t strike me as sober, objective journalism.
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) February 16, 2019
CBS reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns defended herself on Twitter, saying that they asked the candidate about policy and other issues earlier in the day.
Hi @brithume. Harris was on an a tour of small businesses, including this boutique, in Columbia that we were covering as part of several campaign stops.
— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) February 16, 2019
The debate continued as more journalists and pundits jumped in to defend the reporters saying that the event was from Harris’s tour of small businesses in Columbia, South Carolina.
In addition, they also referenced times in the past when candidates had more casual moments with reporters during campaign trail coverage. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Claims To Have Listened To Sno0p Dogg, Tupac While Smoking Pot)
Nobody seemed to have a problem when the candidate was @ScottWalker and the activity was motorcycle riding
Or @MittRomney riding jet skis on vacation
Or skeet shooting with @LindseyGrahamSC
I’m all for female candidates expanding the list of campaign activities https://t.co/KgIgxnNW5x
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 16, 2019
We want to turn the debate over to you. What do you think about Harris’s coverage? Should this be appropriate for reporters? Vote and let us know below.