The truth about Amy Klobuchar and sexism

By Nick Baumann and Samantha Storey

Molly Redden and Amanda Terkel's reporting about Sen. Amy Klobuchar's mistreatment of staff continues to be controversial. The focus on the senator and 2020 presidential candidate's employment practices is sexist, some critics say. So on Friday, Terkel published a story responding to that criticism. We asked her about it.

How did this story come about?

I had obviously been closely monitoring the reaction to our two Klobuchar scoops. Much of the reaction was positive, and the coverage clearly broke through. But I was really frustrated to see quite a few people — often Democratic women — dismissing our coverage. The criticism that stung the most was that we were sexist. Molly and I have spent years writing about the unfair standards women in politics face, and we've also had many stories on toxic men in politics. The people accusing us of sexism weren't, for the most part, acting in good faith. I wanted a way to respond to the criticism that was more productive than a tweetstorm, and I had been trying to figure out how to write a piece that responded and advanced the story. Eventually, I decided that letting our sources speak for themselves was the best way to do it. Turns out they were just as frustrated as I was!

What was the hardest part about reporting, writing or editing the piece?

This piece really was rattling around in my head for a couple of weeks. I wanted to hit back at the critics hard, and effectively, but not come off as petty and angry.

What has the reaction been like?

The reaction was fantastic. I had so many people write to me privately to tell me how grateful they were I wrote the piece because they had been just as frustrated and angry at the response to the Klobuchar coverage as I had been. Some of these people were Klobuchar staffers, but some of them were just people in politics who feel the same way that I do — toxic bosses aren't okay, no matter what their gender is.

What do you want readers to take away?

I hope readers do look closely at the coverage of the 2020 election and examine whether the female candidates are being treated differently than the male candidates, based solely on their gender. Sexism obviously still exists, and it should be called out. But every negative story about a female candidate isn't sexism. I hope that readers look closely and are able to tell the difference.

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