Radiolab – "I Don't Have To Answer That"

Original Air Date: January 30, 2016
Hosts: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Main Guests: Matt Bai, Tom Fiedler, Lesley Stahl, Kevin Sweeney, Cokie Roberts

Episode Overview

This episode of Radiolab delves into the pivotal moment in American political journalism when private lives of public figures—specifically presidential candidates—became fair game for reporting. Anchored around the story of Gary Hart's 1987 presidential campaign and the media frenzy that followed allegations of an extramarital affair, the episode investigates how the definition of what’s "newsworthy" shifted, the ensuing fallout, and what it means for both politics and journalism today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Gary Hart Scandal

• [00:41]–[02:13]
  The episode opens with a moment in 1987: Tom Fiedler, a Miami Herald reporter, receives a late-night tip implicating Democratic presidential frontrunner Gary Hart in an extramarital affair. That tip would ignite a national media firestorm.

• Jad Abumrad:
  “The story we’re going to tell...is about a moment, a shockingly recent moment, when what reporters decide to tell and what people decide to value really changed.” (00:49)

2. Hart's Rise and Appeal

• [03:21]–[05:56]
  Gary Hart, once a relatively unknown senator from Colorado, quickly gains celebrity status after his strong showing in the 1984 primaries. By 1987, he is the presumed Democratic frontrunner for 1988.

• Lesley Stahl:
  “He was cool and smart. Women liked him too.” (04:08)

3. Private Lives and Old Journalistic Boundaries

• [06:45]–[07:54]
  There is historical precedent for the media looking the other way regarding a politician's private affairs (FDR, LBJ, Eisenhower, JFK)—the “zone of privacy.”

• Lesley Stahl:
  “Knew that John Kennedy was cheating...but we wouldn’t have dreamed of printing that.” (07:09)

4. The Post-Watergate Shift

• [08:02]–[09:36]
  Watergate fundamentally changes expectations of journalists—“character” becomes synonymous with suitability for office.

• Matt Bai:
  “Suddenly your makeup, your personal behavior, who you are in your private moments, matters a whole hell of a lot.” (09:19)

5. The Rumors about Hart

• [10:09]–[11:04]
  Hart is dogged by endless questions about his personal life, and his staff recognize the landscape is shifting.

• Kevin Sweeney:
  “I don’t care what you think their job is. This is the new context that exists now...The rules have changed.” (10:56)

6. Press Ethics and the Decision to Investigate

• [11:31]–[13:47]
  Tom Fiedler grapples with whether it’s ethical to investigate and publicize rumors of Hart’s affair—but if Hart is both denying rumors and carrying out the affair, Fiedler sees a question of integrity.

• Tom Fiedler:
  “If in fact there was proof...then that was a relevant issue, relevant to his performance as future president.” (13:47)

7. The Stakeout and Confrontation

• [18:17]–[22:53]
  The Miami Herald team follows a tip and stakes out Hart’s townhouse in D.C., ultimately confronting Hart after witnessing him with Donna Rice.

• Tom Fiedler:
  “He asked, ‘Well, who are you?’...So I told him that we wanted to know why he was meeting with this woman in his townhouse, a woman who...we knew had spent the night with him.” (21:35)

8. Media Firestorm and Culture Shock

• [23:18]–[25:49]
  The story breaks. Debate spreads across the nation about whether media have gone too far by reporting on politicians’ private lives—polls suggest the public is divided.

• Matt Bai:
  “Not only is Hart in trouble, but the entire culture of media around politics has changed in some very dramatic way.” (24:21)

9. The Press Conference: "I Don’t Have To Answer That"

• [27:02]–[29:31]
  In New Hampshire, reporter Paul Taylor bluntly asks Hart, “Have you ever committed adultery?” Hart refuses to answer—a moment described as both historically shocking and devastating for his campaign.

• Kevin Sweeney:
  “I don’t have to answer that question. When I heard that response, I felt it. The tone was such that it felt like defeat.” (29:31)

10. The Aftermath: Hart’s Withdrawal and Its Meaning

• [30:19]–[31:36]
  Gary Hart withdraws from the race. New standards for candidate scrutiny are entrenched in American journalism.

• Gary Hart:
  “There was simply no putting the genie back in the bottle. His appearances yesterday were mob Z. Garret Hart campaign has been hammered to its knees...” (30:19)

11. Women in Political Journalism Weigh In

• [31:36]–[34:54]
  Cokie Roberts and Lesley Stahl reflect on the gender dynamics in political coverage, the rise of women reporters on the campaign trail, and the complexity of judging "character" by private conduct.

• Cokie Roberts:
  “...there were many more women covering candidates at that point...In the case of Gary, several...had personal encounters with him...he treated women like Kleenex.” (32:00)

• Lesley Stahl:
  “I just didn’t want to ask about it. I didn’t want to go there.” (34:12)

12. Hart’s Own Perspective and Reflections

• [35:05]–[36:23]
  Hart’s post-scandal statement underscores his bitterness and belief that politics had become a blood sport.

• Gary Hart:
  “Politics in this country, take it from me, is on the verge of becoming another form of athletic competition or sporting match.” (35:15)

13. Epilogue/Legacy

• [36:23]–[36:58]
  Hart declines to be interviewed for the episode but writes:
  “Though I did not become president, my life continues to be extraordinarily rich...But for now, I have no interest in revisiting what many consider a turning point for the nation and a few an injustice. I do believe that the full and accurate story of that event remains to be told.” (36:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-------------|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:49 | Jad Abumrad | “A moment, a shockingly recent moment...when what reporters...tell...changed.” | | 04:08 | Lesley Stahl | “He was cool and smart. Women liked him too.” | | 07:09 | Lesley Stahl | "We wouldn't have dreamed of printing that [JFK’s affairs]...it just wasn't done."| | 10:56 | Kevin Sweeney | “I don’t care what you think their job is. This is the new context...The rules have changed.” | | 13:47 | Tom Fiedler | “If in fact there was proof...then that was a relevant issue, relevant to his performance as future president.” | | 21:35 | Tom Fiedler | “We wanted to know why he was meeting with this woman...who...had spent the night with him.” | | 24:21 | Matt Bai | "Not only is Hart in trouble, but the entire culture... has changed in some very dramatic way." | | 29:31 | Kevin Sweeney | “I don’t have to answer that question. When I heard that response, I felt it. The tone was such that it felt like defeat.” | | 32:00 | Cokie Roberts | “There were women on the bus...he treated women like Kleenex.” | | 35:15 | Gary Hart | "Politics in this country...is on the verge of becoming another form of athletic competition..." | | 36:23 | Gary Hart (letter) | “I do believe the full and accurate story of that event remains to be told.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Intro of episode and main theme: [00:34]–[01:03]
• Tom Fiedler gets the tip: [01:15]–[01:59]
• Media attitudes in the Kennedy era: [06:45]–[07:54]
• Post-Watergate journalism: [08:02]–[09:36]
• Hart’s staff grapples with the “new rules”: [10:09]–[10:56]
• Reporter stakeout and confrontation: [18:17]–[22:53]
• Press conference—“I don’t have to answer that”: [27:02]–[29:31]
• Hart’s withdrawal and public statement: [30:19]–[36:23]
• Women in journalism respond: [31:36]–[34:54]
• Hart’s letter to Radiolab: [36:23]–[36:58]

Language & Tone Notes

• The episode is conversational, weaving together firsthand interviews, archival reporting, and thoughtful retrospection.
• There is an undercurrent of nostalgia, regret, and reflection, particularly in recalling pre-1987 political journalism.
• Several voices—especially Hart’s, Sweeney’s, and Fiedler’s—express a sense of bewilderment or reluctance at the rapid shift in journalistic ethics.

Flow & Value for Non-Listeners

This episode serves as a compelling narrative of how American political journalism crossed a fundamental ethical boundary, with wide-reaching consequences. Listeners explore the personal, professional, and societal fallout of that shift, through the lens of a single, scandalous campaign. The show contextualizes not just the tragedy of Gary Hart’s campaign, but also the transformation of political media—a transformation that has shaped American democracy ever since.