How Did News Outlets Miss Senator's Arrest for Nearly Three Months?

[antiimperialist]

Published: August 28, 2007 by Editor & Publisher


The revelation late Monday that Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested nearly three months ago for allegedly making sexual advances in a men's room raises the issue of how such an action could occur without the press reporting it.

Even Roll Call reporter John McArdle, who broke the story late Monday, admits he only received word of the arrest and subsequent guilty plea via a tip last week.

"You would think in the 24-hour news cycle, something like this would slip through," said McArdle, a four-year veteran of the Capitol Hill daily. "He wanted to keep it quiet, and he almost got away with it."

Even more surprising is that the unreported arrest occurred at a time when Craig was under scrutiny following previous allegations of gay relationships and sexual advances dating back to late 2006, when a blogger accused Craig of having relationships with men. The conservative senator has long denied the allegations.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003632075

[Warpy]

1. They just trotted him out to keep the heat of Gonzo

After all, Gonzo has about 3 weeks left before he really goes bye bye.

It seems to have worked.

[napi21]

3. Don't worry, Gonzo will be back in the HL as soon as Congress

returns to DC.

[MADem]

12. Gonzo isn't GONE yet. He's here till the 17th. They didn't trot this out, it's just that

Larry Craig is a common name, and it didn't happen in his HOME state.

We'll get more Gonzopalooza when he walks out the door, and when BushCo names his replacement, never fear.

That "cover up" dog just won't hunt. What's the point, really, in shrinking one's minority in the Senate? In outing Mitt Romney's Senate Campaign chair? There's no upside to it.

[Stewie]

16. Yes, it was all a conspiracy...

...to reduce the amount of media coverage of someone who is resigning already, by destroying one of their most conservative senators and making it even harder for them to take back the Senate. :eyes:

[napi21]

2. He wwas under scrutiny by the Idaho paper, and this happened in

a Mn. airport. I also suspect the cops did the Senator a favor by keeping it quiet. It was after al;l just an arrest up to that point. Once he plead guilty it becaame public.

[antiimperialist]

5. I wouldnt call the arrest of a senator "just an arrest"

The arrest of a US Senator is huge news.

[Jim Sagle]

8. It's only huge news if he's a Democrat. If he's a Republican, not so much.

[napi21]

11. Don't you think that's the reason Craig tossed his Senate ID card

onto the desk? I don't know if it happens anymore, but years ago, when our closest friend was a township cop, we were all riding with him in his car and he got pulled over for speeding out of State. The standard procedure was to hand your DL to the officer along with your police ID. It worked THAT TIME. I suspect lots of that still goes on. Kind of Government Service brothers, if you know what I mean.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. It is called

"complicity".

It's what the corporate media does to please their masters.

[antiimperialist]

10. Cynthia McCkinney wasn't even arrested and she was all over the news

Fox News:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=9&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C189553%2C00.html&ei=7uLURqG4KZnOgQLNzN2jDQ&usg=AFQjCNE1vuYVXfCGfYlDHUakmiNm0a-CHA&sig2=Fap3CsUJtpnBvXWnOliXeQ

The New Republic:
http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=12372

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101720.html

Etcetera.

[MADem]

13. She caused a commotion, though--this guy tried to fly under the radar.

They aren't the same at all.

[mike_c]

6. frankly, I suspect there were some more important things to report...

...than the tawdry gropings of some dude in a public restroom. Not that they actually reported them, of course, but still-- if it's the expectation was that the M$M should go all breathless and insane over Craig's arrest for public lewdness when there were actual, important events happening somewhere in the world, then that says something rather discouraging about the press.

I guess they should have been aware of it. But was it worth reporting, at least as a story of any real importance? I doubt it.

[EST]

7. The local paper and reporter had all of it well in hand,

but were not yet publishing it, further shoring up what they knew to be true and reinforcing suspicions, when the other story broke, forcing their hand.

And yes, Craig nearly skated, at least temporarily. Had he done so, Rove & company would now seriously own him ---even more than they do now.

[Democrats_win]

9. What is "the MSM is modest and would never talk about a person's sex life."

Did I get the "Senators & MSM" question right? Now I'll take "M2M and x-Senators" for $100, Alex.

[0007]

14. Don't ya think a call to the governor's office or a call to Norm Coleman

was the reason this was put on the back burner?

[DeeDeeNY]

15. The news media had more important items to report on anyway

There was Paris spending a few days in jail, not to mention the important news about Nicole and Lindsay and Britney this summer.

[Dr Fate]

17. I would also ask what our own DEM opposition researchers were doing the whole time.

Were they sitting on this too, or is it that our own opposition researchers are really this incompetent?

If this had been a DEM, every Republican strategist with media access would be talking about this.

Where were/are our guys?

Based on past examples from the past 7 or so years (See Jeff Gannon, Mark Foley, Downing Street Memo, and anything else DEMS apparently ignored on purpose) my guess is that DEMS knew about it too, and sat on it as much as the media did.

In other words- why do we constantly expect the Republican ownded media to talk about things that DEMS are supposed to talk about?(ie Republican hypocrisy & corruption)...