Posted by
John Caile on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:34:02 AM
Liberal journalists were worried - how would they avoid reporting on disgraced Congressman William Jefferson. The New Orleans Democrat was found with $100,000 in his freezer, and is right this moment on trial, after being indicted on 16 counts of bribery, racketeering, conspiracy, and other charges. Even more importantly (and more newsworthy) is that testimony by key witnesses has revealed that Jefferson's malfeasance was far deeper than was initially known.
Not only was the $100,000 in Jefferson's freezer meant to be used to bribe a Nigerian official, but two executives of Nigerian Digital Television have testified that Jefferson received an ADDITIONAL $100,000 in cash. But that wasn't enough for Jefferson, who apparently demanded even more: a share in the corporation in exchange for brokering a deal between NDTV and an American technology company. He could have raked in as much as $5 Million over the course of the contract.
Now, in a time of lay-offs and recession, this sort of blatant corruption and arrogant flaunting of governmental power by an elected Representative should be front page news. And, with Jefferson's trial in full swing, the press would certainly have to (grudgingly) report this very uncomfortable (for them) story. At least you would think so.
But try to find any prominent mention of Jefferson anywhere - there is virtually NO coverage. Not on TV or radio, and barely a mention in any of the major newspapers. Other than in the local New Orleans press, Congressman William Jefferson has pretty much gotten a pass. But why?
Thank Governor Mark Sanford, who came to Jefferson's rescue in the nick of time, and whose name just about EVERYONE in America now knows. From coast to coast, in every newsroom and newspaper across the land, we have now heard about the South Carolina Governor and his troubles. And what was his transgression that warrants such voluminous coverage?
After sneaking away for a week in Argentina, Governor Sanford announced at a news conference that he had an affair.
Now, any normal American might see a rather stark difference between the "newsworthyness" of a story about a governor who had an affair (and which, so far, appears to have involved NO official misconduct) and the story of a U.S. Congressman who was not only found with a $100,000 in cash in his refrigerator, but is currently on trial for a whole host of criminal actions directly related to, and arising out of, his conduct in elected office. So, why the glaring disparity in news coverage? Simple, actually.
Governor Mark Sanford is a Republican.
Congressman William Jefferson is a Democrat.
If you haven't noticed it until now, in today's overwhelmingly liberal newsrooms, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is as important in determining whether a politically charged story gets covered as the party affiliation of the person involved in the issue. Thus every story that involves a Republican in any sort of trouble will be shouted from the rooftops, while coverage of a Democrat in similar (and let's fact it, even far worse) circumstances, will be reduced to a small paragraph on Page 28 in the print media, and given barely a 3 second sound-byte on the evening news, if at all.
Because today's "journalists" understand all too well what one of TV's most insightful pioneers said back in the late 1950's - "We may not tell you WHAT to think, but we most certainly control what you think ABOUT." And they use that power to skew, massage, and edit everything you read, watch, or hear, based on one primary criterion: how will this story help or hurt the cause of liberalism (and by extension, Democrats).
Get ready for the endless "panel discussions" (made up of Democrats, of course), somber speculation on Governor Sanford's future, and most of all, the usual annoying red herring about whether or not the governor is a "hypocrite" for having an affair, what with him being a Conservative and all, you see.
Now, aside from the obvious double standard - why it is never "hypocritical" for a Democrat to cheat on his wife - is there anyone more hypocritical than William Jefferson, who took a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and then arrogantly violated his position of public trust in order to enrich himself? But none of that matters. Because the press have all decided that "the BIG STORY" is a governor's affair (did we mention he's a Republican?)
So, don't hold your breath waiting for any meaningful coverage of the far more egregious exploits of Congressman William Jefferson - that's just, you know...."old news"...and he's, well, a Democrat.