Billionaire former NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg's entrance into the 2020 Democratic primary raises a thorny media issue because he owns the eponymous Bloomberg News empire. Bloomberg's leadership recently said it would cover his campaign, but won't investigate him or any of his democratic rivals. Although supposedly in the name of fairness, the move essentially assumes that Bloomberg reporters cannot be objective when covering their publication's owner or his competitors (despite the fact that major news organizations regularly cover — and write stories critical over — their ownership).
According to CNN's media newsletter "Reliable Sources," Bloomberg staffers aren't happy. They said it's "damaging" and "embarrassing," and they're frustrated that Bloomberg isn't stepping away from the company and saying it should be editorially independent.
Bloomberg News' reporter covering the Bloomberg campaign isn't taking it easy on his boss, though. He emphasized the "significant hurdles" that Bloomberg faces, and his background as a Wall Street billionaire and former Republican.
Also, in a striking example of crossover between news media and politics, multiple leaders of Bloomberg's opinion section are moving over for the campaign cycle to work as Bloomberg campaign staffers. Reporters are also reportedly frustrated by this development.
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