For most journalists, covering Michael Bloomberg’s late entry into the 2020 presidential race will be straightforward. Some will focus on his three terms as mayor of New York City, interrogating his plutocratic style of politics and his steadfast support for racist policing. Many will write about his bizarre primary strategy (he’s skipping the first four races and banking on big wins in big states that vote later, like California and, uh, Alabama) and anti-democratic efforts to buy the Democratic nomination by flooding the airwaves with advertisements (he is spending a Steyer-ish $34 million through December 3). All will likely run elaborate behind-the-scenes ticktocks when the strategy fails to pay off and a stream of disgruntled aides start calling up their favorite reporters to bitch about all the time and money Michael Bloomberg has wasted on his vanity campaign for president.

For the 2,700 journalists and analysts who work for Bloomberg’s eponymous news organization, however, his campaign poses a serious conundrum. The conflict of interest is obvious. Reporting on any of Bloomberg’s Democratic rivals, in any way, would lead to accusations of bias. Ditto reporting on Donald Trump, who would be Bloomberg’s general election opponent if he were to win the primary.



Bloomberg has taken steps to address the issue—but, so far, they have been all the wrong steps. One of Bloomberg’s first actions as candidate was to blur the lines between his political campaign and his journalistic interests, recruiting David Shipley and Tim O’Brien, who serve as senior executive editor and executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion, to join his campaign.

Then, on Monday, Bloomberg Editor in Chief John Micklethwait announced a series of new rules in a memo to staff. Instead of declaring open season on its billionaire boss, without fear or favor, Bloomberg would cover … none of the presidential candidates. “We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and foundation), and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries,” Micklethwait wrote. “We cannot treat Mike’s Democratic competitors differently from him.” Trump will not be extended this courtesy, however.



Pity the political journalists at Bloomberg News, who will effectively have to sit out the Democratic primary. And by excluding Trump from its media blackout, Bloomberg has created yet another ethical bind that is already being attacked by conservatives. Any negative story about the president will be seen as politically motivated bias. Even stories not directly related to the president—stories that, for instance, affect markets, Bloomberg’s main area of coverage—are likely to be attacked by the president and his rivals. If the economy begins to slow, or if the Federal Reserve does something Trump doesn’t like, and Bloomberg reports those stories, it would be immediately discredited for helping the Democratic candidates for president.

