Barbaro at the Gate: Bloomberg’s Times Gadfly Lands on Romney
Bloomberg staffers and Wall Street Journal reporters can breathe a sigh of relief. The New York Times’ roving political reporter Michael Barbaro is off the city politics beat.
Mr. Barbaro has recently been called up to the national desk for the 2012 Republican primary, and for now, he’s covering its biggest player, Mitt Romney.
It’s a conspicuous but logical promotion for Mr. Barbaro, who for the past three years has made a white whale out of the city’s own superrich politician on the Times front page, even while routinely scooping the tabloids on the City Room blog.
When Mayor Bloomberg began a campaign to improve New Yorker’s diet and nutrition, rather than get every other politician’s opinion on the nanny state, Mr. Barbaro persuaded the manager of Mayor Bloomberg’s local diner to dish on Hizzoner’s snacking habits.
It wasn’t enough for Mr. Barbaro reveal that the mayor had missed a handful important city events due to his habit of skipping off to Bermuda on weekends. Oh, no. Mr. Barbaro spent a week on the island retracing the man’s steps, detailing what the mayor orders at the local four-star restaurant and relaying a choice bit of gossip from the local golf club: apparently the Mayor can be a little slow on the links. Read More
