Refreshing honesty or megalomania? 

Michael Bloomberg could have gilded the lily or evaded the central point, instead of essentially saying that his reporters will do what he tells them because he’s signing their paychecks. 

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg says employees at his news organization need to accept restrictions with their paycheck, including the ban on investigating their boss.

Bloomberg, billionaire founder of Bloomberg News, was asked in a CBS News interview about rules put in place when he announced his candidacy: The organization’s reporters are not allowed to probe him and his finances, or any of his Democratic rivals.

Bloomberg News says the restriction does not apply to President Donald Trump as the government’s leader. That prompted Trump’s campaign to say it would not allow Bloomberg reporters to cover its events.

“We just have to learn to live with some things,” Bloomberg told CBS. His reporters “get a paycheck. But with your paycheck comes some restrictions and responsibilities.”

Bloomberg made it official that his namesake organization will respond to the campaign by producing hit pieces on Trump, without being allowed to do the same to Bloomy and other 2020 Dems. That defines the news outlet very clearly as a partisan influence operation.

And that’s fine.

Bloomberg is being honest. He’s a Democrat. And his own media will help Democrats and attack Republicans. He has the right to do that. And the only sad thing is he’s not being more honest about it. Should Bloomberg be banned? Then why not CNN, which does the same thing, as does the New York Times, the Washington Post, and virtually every national (and many local) media entities?

Honest dishonesty is preferable to dishonest honesty.

The media is a political operation. Bloomberg is just being open and transparent about it. Good. 

The entire media, not just Bloomberg, should be treated like the partisan political operation that it is. And it should be challenged to admit that it does the same thing covertly that Michael Bloomberg is saying openly. 

Media objectivity is a lie. There’s no journalism here. There are political operatives peddling ads and smears. Let them be honest about it.