You’ve got to hand it to Nina Easton of the Boston Globe‘s Washington bureau. She made darn sure she didn’t fall into the same media hole that swallowed Newsweek‘s Evan Thomas earlier this year.
You’ll recall that last July Thomas, during an appearance on the TV show “Inside Washington,” uttered this assessment of his colleagues: “The media, I think, wants [John] Kerry to win.” That prompted an immediate clamor from conservatives such as syndicated columnist Cal Thomas (no relation to Evan, he was quick to note), who proclaimed: “I mean, he’s just outed, if we need any more evidence, the entire media establishment as being exactly what some of us have thought they were for a long time.”
So, you can appreciate just how careful somebody like Easton has to be about keeping her personal views to herself. You never know when or where you’ll be blindsided. Like the wedding pages of the Sunday New York Times, which offers up all sorts of personal details about the brides and grooms.
Yesterday, Easton’s marriage to Russell John Schriefer was reported in the Times. Schriefer, we learn, is a political strategist who has worked for Republicans, including President Bush. During their courtship in this election year, the couple enjoyed talking politics, Schriefer revealed to the Times reporter.
And just what closet political opinions did Easton espouse during these private pre-nup moments? Cal Thomas, you get nothing from Nina. “My sons and most of my friends were ardently pro-Kerry,” she explains. “My fiance was ardently pro-Bush. And I, being a journalist, was ardently uncommitted.”
After all, this being Washington, you never know who’d rat you out — your hubby, your kids or your best friends.
–Susan Q. Stranahan
Susan Q. Stranahan wrote for CJR.