Whatever one thinks of Rep. Devin Nunes’, R-Calif., leadership on the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes’ family deserves better treatment from the media.
Speaking on Saturday at the Washington Examiner‘s Sea Island Summit in Sea Island, Ga., Nunes documented numerous incidents of harassment that his family has faced from various journalists. The congressman explained how his family members have had random journalists turn up at their homes and businesses demanding information and disrupting their daily lives. Even more concerning, Nunes noted that his wife’s school board has faced freedom of information requests related to her emails. Nunes’ wife is a third-grade school teacher, and her colleagues have also faced similar requests. What possible justification could there be for these emails to be sought?
It may be a simple point, but evidently it is one that needs making: Members of Congress deserve great scrutiny from the media. In most cases (there are exceptions), their families deserve the same privacy that the media affords to other members of the public. Where that right is capriciously disregarded in the pursuit of blind fishing for news stories, the media fails in its ultimate responsibility: serving the public interest.
