Hillary Clinton's last "press conference" didn't go too well. She took a few questions from supposedly friendly minority journalists at a convention but ended up having to explain the email controviersy.

To avoid such uncomfortable situations, the Clinton campaign launched a podcast on Friday that promises an account “straight from Hillary [of] what life is like on the campaign trail.”  The podcast is being moderated by a self-described Clinton supporter.

Politico: 

The series is being produced by the campaign and hosted by Max Linsky, a founding editor of Longform.org and a co-host of the well-respected Longform podcast. The debut episode features Linsky’s 15-minute interview with the nominee.

The result is a casual conversation that steers clear of politics -- and it's the latest example of how Clinton is trying to control her storyline. She has been criticized for limiting press access by not participating in press conferences and being slow to grant reporters the level of access that has become common and expected of candidates vying for the Oval Office.

Now, she has gone a step further, creating a safe space from which to present the image of herself that she wants voters to see.

“You can call me whatever you want to call me,” a relaxed-sounding Clinton tells Linsky. “You can call me Hillary, you can call me Madam Secretary. You can call me, ‘hey you.’” (He settles for “Hillary.”)

With 87 days to go to until the election, Donald Trump’s name does not come up once in the conversation. Nor is there any discussion of new emails that have once again raised questions about the relationship between the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton-lead State Department.

Instead, Linsky appears more interested in getting Clinton to discuss the emotional and human experience of running for president. He asks her what was going through her mind after hugging her daughter on stage at the convention (spoiler alert: “such a rush of emotion”), how she keeps up her stamina, how she stays engaged with the people she’s meeting and what she thinks about before she goes to bed.

Clinton holds no "press avails." She won't chat up reporters on her campaign plane. She rarely does interviews - and then only with local reporters grateful for the opportunity to interview her.

The "journalists" covering her rarely complain about the lack of access, or even make note of it in their stories. She is truly flying below the radar - something unprecedented for a candidate for president. 

So the roll out of a podcast dealing with touchy-feely issues and moderated by a friend is hardly surprising. No doubt, the next impertinent reporter who asks about the press's lack of access will be told that Clinton faces the "press" via her podcast.

And that will be the end of that.