Iowa Waitress Puts Media In Its Place
Nov 09,2007 00:00 by Jake

An Iowa waitress put the media in its place over its coverage of the alleged failure of the Hillary Clinton campaign to leave a tip on their dinner tab. This non-story got legs after postings on several web sites, including ABC News. NPR also carried it on their broad cast.

The waitress, Anita Esterday, had this to say about the coverage:

“You people are really nuts,” she told a reporter during a phone interview. “There’s kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now — there’s better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn’t get a tip.”

The restaurant manager confirmed that a tip had been left.

After NPR broadcast the report, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign responded by saying the candidate and her aides had in fact left a tip: $100 on a $157 check at the diner. The restaurant manager, Brad Crawford, confirmed in interviews, including with The New York Times, that Mrs. Clinton, of New York, and her retinue had indeed left a tip, though he did not say how much.

 Do you think the media will learn from this experience? Nah.