Thursday, July 31, 2008

N&O finally touches Edwards affair story – sorta

That’s the way an Anon commenter described today’s Raleigh News & Observer’s first story ever reporting on former Sen. John Edwards' affair with his filmmaker friend Rielle Hunter.

The N&O put the story in the “B” section on pg. 3 with a print edition headline: “Facing questions, Edwards evades reporters.” At newsobserver.com the story’s posted a few clicks back from the main page beneath the headline: “John Edwards ducks questions on tabloid story.”

And what about the "sorta?"

The story refers to “a former campaign videographer,” but doesn’t name Rielle Hunter.

It says nothing about the “Webisodes” she made for Edwards’ presidential campaign for which she was paid more than $100,000. The “Webisodes” were supposed to show Edwards as just “a regular fella” voters could relate to and trust.

Because the N&O didn’t mention the Edwards-Hunter “Webisodes,” it couldn’t tell readers the “Webisodes” suddenly vanished from Edwards' campaign Web site just at the time last year when the National Enquirer first disclosed the affair. (I’ve been told one of the “Webisodes” shows Edwards tucking in his shirt as he hurries to a campaign appearance before a group of teachers. And yes, I'm thinking the same thing you are.)

The N&O makes absolutely no mention of Hunter’s stays at the gated Governors Club, just a few miles from Edwards home and the N&O’s Chapel Hill office.

You'll find more examples of the N&O's "sorta" reporting in the story.

I can’t commend the N&O for finally reporting a story that’s played out for more than a year during which time Edwards was first running for President, and then angling for the Vice-Presidential spot on the Dems ticket with Sen. Obama or a Cabinet post should Obama be elected.

All that while, the N&O knew Edwards' affair, if not publicly and fully exposed, left him subject to blackmailers.

Yet the N&O choose to say nothing about the affair until the day after the publication of former Durham Herald Sun editor Bob Wilson's column here and Poynter's Jim Romenesko's posting on and linking to Wilson's column.

What a newspaper.


To give the N&O its due, its story today is strong on press efforts to get Edwards to talk about the affair yesterday. Here’s some of what the N&O reports:

…On Wednesday, Edwards apparently exited through a side area used by the kitchen staff at Washington's historic Hotel Monaco.

Edwards emerged near the rear of the hotel with two men. When approached by a reporter, Edwards said, "Can't do it now, I'm sorry" and quickly walked past.

Asked about the Beverly Hilton last week, Edwards said "sorry" and got into a waiting car with the other men. Asked twice more to address the Enquirer story, Edwards was silent until the car doors were closed. …
”Sorry” is an appropriate, if understated, descriptor of Edwards' affair and the N&O’s decision to tell readers nothing about it until today.

The entire N&O story’s here.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

John: From the Newark-Star Ledger via Instapundit, "It's not merely the stench of liberal bias that bothers me but the unfortunate reality that we in the MSM are giving up a good story to the internet. And if we in the major media continue to cede such stories to the internet, we won't be major much longer." How prophetic. Steve in New Mexico

Anonymous said...

Pretty funny that Wikipedia has wrestled over what it will put up under Edwards' bio.

Seems on Wednesday they "unlocked" his entry to allow mention of the affair and love child.

Anonymous said...

Hey everybody.

Scroll down and watch this video of Edwards and Hunter whose real name is Lisa Druck.

In it, Edwards calls her "camera girl".

His goose is cooked.

Anonymous said...

Ok, here's the real video that everyone needs to look at.

This is the one John was talking about earlier.