Ocasio-Cortez slams NYT for using Hope Hicks 'glamor shot' and accuses her of 'considering committing a crime as lifetime drama'
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with multiple social media users, slammed the New York Times over the publication's weekend story on President Donald Trump's former Director of Communications Hope Hicks. AOC's objection, however, was not with the article, but with the picture that the paper put for the story.
The Times, for the article published late last week, decided to use a glamorous picture of Hicks and did not choose one out of the multiple images of Hicks available from her time in the Trump administration. The controversial flattering photograph was taken by Times staff photographer Tom Brenner. The article talked about how Hicks is considering not complying with a subpoena issued to her by Congress.
Hope Hicks, one of the best-known but least visible former members of President Trump’s White House staff, is facing an existential question: whether to comply with a congressional subpoena https://t.co/8NXpfQvxQL pic.twitter.com/L7aWVMsIdq
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) May 24, 2019
Shortly after the article was published, some critics saw the use of the photograph as an example of bias, and many of them took to social media to voice their objection.
Journalist Soledad O'Brien tweeted early on Sunday: "This is a good example of bias in the @nytimes: a picture of a person who is considering not complying with a subpoena is basically a glam shot, and it’s framed as a thoughtful, perfectly equal choice."
O'Brien also took a swipe at Times journalist Maggie Haberman, suggesting that she had intentionally selected a flattering picture of Hicks to stay in her good graces. The article was titled 'Hope's Choice'.
"Imagine having people write about your decision to answer a subpoena as an existential dilemma. The way these journalists treat the potential sources for their next book is... not surprising," O'Brien wrote. Her tweet was then picked up by AOC on Sunday, May 26, afternoon as she too slammed the NYT of bias.
The first-term New York Democrat pointed out what she thought was media hypocrisy and said that some outlets also tend to run photographs of police shooting victims, showing them in an unflattering light.
Ocasio-Cortez, in her tweet, said: "Yup. Where’s the 'no angel' take now? In the immediate aftermath of shootings, media routinely post menacing photos of people-of-color victims + dredge up any questionable thing they’d ever done. But when Hope Hicks considers not complying w a subpoena, it’s glamour shot time." The former Trump communication director stepped down from her position at the White House in March 2018.
The youngest Congresswoman in US history followed up with another tweet, asking why the NYT was portraying a woman considering committing a crime as some lifetime drama.
"What gets me is news breaks that this woman is weighing committing a crime before Congress & it's getting framed by the NYT as some Lifetime drama called 'Hope’s Choice'. This is a fmr admin official considering participating in a coverup led by the President. Treat her equally," AOC tweeted.
Hicks was subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee in April and given a June 4 deadline to turn over documents requested by the committee, including "any personal or work diary journal or other books containing notes, a record or a description of daily events." She is also expected to testify before the committee on June 19. It is not yet known whether she will defy Congress' order or comply with the subpoena.