Like it or not — and Clinton surely does not — political reporters retain some power to adjudicate partisan conflicts. They choose whether to treat a lumpen rehash as journalistic caviar, or whether to focus attention on a candidate’s appearance and vocal tics instead of policy prescriptions. The attention that mainstream media devote to a scandal signals to partisan media whether to continue beating the drum, or to switch instruments.  

So at various points in this campaign, despite the best efforts of Clinton’s team to create a sealed universe of unmediated interaction with the electorate, mainstream political reporters will sit in judgment of Clinton, with variable power to influence public opinion.

Perhaps that inevitability is what’s driving a nascent glasnost in the Clinton campaign. But instead of being slightly less hostile to reporters, Clinton would do better to smother them — with attention if not love. She should take a week or two and let reporters hang around her for as long as — no, longer than — they dare. Conversation should follow a single ground rule: only public policy questions allowed. It needn’t all be on-the-record: The goal is to achieve an ecstatic boredom, with sporadic instances of genuine human interaction, as Clinton diligently grinds reporters into a substantive stupor.