Hillary Clinton
Hillary ClintonReuters

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has raised a media storm after she roped off reporters in a New Hampshire 4th of July parade, in an apparent bid to prevent uncomfortable and unsolicited questions.

New York Times reporter Peter Baker on Sunday condemned Clinton for the move while speaking on CBS's Face the Nation TV program.

"It reinforces our role as the herd," Baker said, referencing Clinton's treatment of the journalists.

"It’s unfortunate for her, because I think it definitely provides an image that looks scripted, it looks controlled...she’s a very cautious candidate at the moment. She’s not out there answering a lot of questions."

By comparison, Baker noted that Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush in a similar event went "wading into the crowd, and even if the questions are uncomfortable, he’s going to answer them. She has not given that impression, and the rope doesn’t help that image."

Clinton has been under fire for several blunders during her period as US Secretary of State under President Barack Obama.

She is undergoing a probe for her involvement in the 2012 Benghazi attacks in which the American ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were murdered, after saying she took responsibility for the mishandling. She has been accused of purposely preventing the public release of details pertaining to the attack.

Clinton has also been criticized for her wide-reaching usage of a private email account during her time as Secretary of State in a breach of protocols, and in a move that could prevent the objective documentation of her actions in office.

Other criticism has focused on her key role in the pullout from Iraq which left a void that Islamic State (ISIS) filled, and her waffling on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.