From the New York Times, “Sometimes, There’s News in the Gutter” by Clark Hoyt In an unintentionally laugh-out-loud essay, the Times’ ombudsman provides some insight into how the Grey Lady and her fellow media travelers managed to overlook the John Edwards story:
Please note the bolded terms – “cursory inquiries.” Did I promise you laugh-out-loud material or what? As a thought experiment, try to imagine that the philandering pol in question wasn’t a tireless warrior against poverty imprisoned in 28,000 square foot mansion. Instead, let’s pretend it was a Republican. Let’s even give our mythical Republican a name – Mitt Romney. Like Edwards, Romney finished third in his party’s presidential primaries and made his family a central theme of his campaign, although Romney was considerable more demure regarding his uxorious nature than Edwards was. As if those aren’t enough similarities, Romney also has an ill wife. If Mitt Romney were the subject of a well-sourced National Enquirer exposé, can anyone imagine the Times holding its nose at the accusations and pronouncing them “not a Times-like story?” And can one imagine the Times devoting mere “cursory resources” (whatever that term of art means) to confirming the story and then taking a pass? And lastly, can you picture the mainstream media fomenting a “Protect Ann” movement? As if addressing my critiques, Hoyt authoritatively dismisses our darkest suspicions: “I do not think liberal bias had anything to do with it.” Now don’t you feel a touch guilty for thinking the worst?
