Bloomberg News worried over how it would cover candidate-owner: report

Some reporters at Bloomberg News worry about how they would cover would cover their boss Michael Bloomberg should he launch a bid for the presidency, Buzzfeed News reported. 

The escalating concern stems from comments Bloomberg made on a radio show on Tuesday, during which he spoke about the challenges his news operation would face if he ran for president. He is opening eyeing a 2020 bid.

{mosads}”Quite honestly, I don’t want all the reporters I’m paying to write a bad story about me,” Bloomberg said during the Radio Iowa interview.

He discussed some options for coverage, should he run: reporters could “not cover politics at all,” instead relying on wire stories, or political reporters at Bloomberg could include a caveat in every story about Bloomberg. 

 “You can cover us, and anytime say that Mike Bloomberg is the owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent of this radio station, television station, newswire, magazine, internet site, whatever the case may be,” Bloomberg said. 

The outlet already does this when reporters mention Bloomberg in articles. 

Bloomberg also said he would consider selling Bloomberg LP or putting it into a blind trust.

Bloomberg News declined to comment to The Hill’s request for comment. Bloomberg spokespeople declined to comment for Buzzfeed’s report.

“I’m not a candidate yet, so I’ve got plenty of time to think about it, but I have thought a lot about that, because the news part of our business is a very big part of our business,” Bloomberg said during the interview, adding that he has engaged in conversation with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait. 

Sources told Buzzfeed News that there is some anxiety around Bloomberg’s possible run.

“A lot of people are confused and don’t really know what to expect in the next two years,” one Bloomberg News staffer told the online outlet. 

Another source said the attitude is “semi but not acutely anxious.”