PrintJanuary 13, 2009
The Media Double Standard on Corruption
The mainstream news media continued its decline in 2008, both in credibility and profitability. Here is one reason why. In late September, 2006, the Mark Foley scandal came to light, and Foley resigned almost immediately under threat of expulsion from Republican leadership. The media responded with a 5 week, in-depth frenzy into all things immoral and hypocritical about Foley and the Republicans. The "Culture of Corruption", a Democrat talking point, had many champions in the mainstream media, and they hammered home their point in countless articles and TV newscasts as the mid-term elections approached. Newsbusters reports a count of 152 stories among ABC, NBC, and CBS in 12 days. The media moralized, called for investigations, and demanded that Speaker of the House Denny Hastert step down because he knew of the emails and instant messages, and didn't stop Foley from continuing. It became a non-stop, full-throated assault on Republicans. Add in the...(Read Full Article)
