Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Fox News Channel reports the National Enquirer’s Edwards' love child/mistress story [Edwards' Chappaquiddick?]

It has a taken a while, but the story that John Edwards, former Democratic Primary Presidential candidate, has a love child and a mistress, has now made its way to the mainstream media, if you call Brit Hume and the Fox News Channel MSM, and this reporter certainly does. [For an amusing and candid discussion of the media’s treatment of the Edwards love-child story, listen to the final segment of this Slate audio gabfest], hat tip to Chicago Tribune columnist and blogger, Eric Zorn.

MSM sings “Let it be,” when it comes to reporting on Edwards alleged “Love child.”

This reporter’s prior analysis [see here] suggested that the fact that Edwards, in contrast to Senator Larry Craig, hadn’t done anything to get himself on the police blotter, seemed to persuade the MSM to “Let the story be.” There was also the apparent fact that the reports of Edwards’ sexual peccadilloes, true or not, had removed Edwards from the Obama Veep list and probably as well, from a high level Obama cabinet appointment, e.g. attorney general.

Well, the latter hasn’t changed. Indeed, Edwards is now even more of a public non-entity than he was just a few days ago. But, the police blotter thing was ratcheted up when two National Enquirer reporters, Alan Butterfield and Alexander Hitchen, filed a criminal complaint recently with the Beverly Hills police, asserting that a hotel security guard “threatened to break their camera,” and that the officers “violated several statutes of the California penal code.”

FNC finds a way to report the Edwards Lovechild

Brit Hume, the former ABC White House correspondent and current (but not for long) FNC anchor of the popular and serious daily, national news show Special Report, used the report of the criminal complaint being filed to tell the story of John Edwards being accused of having a mistress and love child. Hume read the following copy, apparently fighting back a chuckle, on the “political grapevine,” portion of Monday night’s, FNC Special Report show:

[National Enquirer] Reporters Alan Butterfield and Alexander Hitchen say they cornered Edwards in a bathroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel early last Tuesday morning. They say this was after Edwards visited a woman The Enquirer says is his mistress and the mother of his love child.

A security guard who was on the scene confirmed to Fox News that the encounter did take place and that he helped Edwards escape.

The Enquirer reports that Edwards was trying to leave the hotel when the reporters, who were staying there, spotted him and began asking questions. The reporters say Edwards ran down a hallway and hid in a men's room and that is when hotel security intervened. They say that one guard threatened to break their camera and that the officers also violated several statutes of the California penal code.

Edwards, meanwhile, is refusing to comment on the story. [See the FNC report here].

Rest of the MSM ignore FNC and its story about the Edwards Lovechild

The fallout from FNC reporting the Edwards love child story on its prime time national news show appears non-existent. This reporter can find no subsequent reports or stories by other MSM outlets. It appears the MSM attitude continues to be: Edwards is no longer a public figure and there is no news here In the unlikely event that Obama nominates Edwards for VP or AG, you can bet the love child story will be all over the MSM, and that’s one good reason why Edwards will continue, for the foreseeable future, to be very much a non-public figure and not an Obama nominee for anything. The Enquirer report of his love child, true or not, has been Edwards' Chappaquiddick.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, a recent edition of Public Affairs with RealClearPolitics.com's Tom Bevan, Monday night's City of Chicago and Aurora edition of Public Affairs with State Rep. Candidate Tim Stratton (R-Glencoe, 58th Dist.), this week's suburban edition of Public Affairs with Cook County Cmsr. and Republican State's Attorney Nominee Tony Peraica, our prior shows with State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda), Ald. Sandi Jackson(Chicago, 7th Ward)...and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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Included on the Public Affairs YouTube page is our show withAld. Sandi Jackson. Additional very recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the "Public Affairs," show featuring Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan , Monday night's Chicago and Aurora editions of "Public Affairs," featuring State Rep. Candidate Tim Stratton (R-Glencoe, 58th Dist.), this week's suburban edition of Public Affairs with Cook County Cmsr. and Republican State's Attorney Nominee Tony Peraica and our recent show featuring State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda). Other recently posted shows include our shows featuring 13th CD Demoratic Nominee Scott Harper, Sen. Kwame Raoul(D-Chicago), Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago)- ; State Rep. candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) on the Obama Presidential campaign and shows with many other pols. Soon to be posted is the show we taped this past Sunday with 16th CD Democratic Nominee Robert Abboud, Barrington Hills Village President, who is taking on 16 year, 16th CD Republican incumbent, Cong. Don Manzullo. Cong. Manzullo is scheduled to tape "Public Affairs," on Sunday.