LA Times slams the door shut on blogging on Edwards.

outsidethebeltway.com ^ | July 25, 2008 | Dodd

[urroner]

LA Times Blog EditorVia Mickey Kaus, we learn that the Los Angeles Times has apparently banned its bloggers from mentioning the Edwards/Rielle Hunter story.

[urroner]

Hey bloggers,

There has been a little buzz surrounding John Edwards and his alleged affair. Because the only source has been the National Enquirer we have decided not to cover the rumors or salacious speculations. So I am asking you all not to blog about this topic until further notified.......

If you have any questions or are ever in need of story ideas that would best fit your blog, please don’t hesitate to ask

Keep rockin,

Tony

Now, the only thing about the Hunter story that actually interests me is the inside baseball: The fact that it might have the beneficial side effect of preventing Edwards from being appointed to an Attorney General position for which he is supremely unqualified in an Obama Administration. Other than that, I really don’t care whether Edwards was at that hotel visiting Hunter or not. Nor do I care if her child is his or if he was sleeping with her while his wife had cancer.

No, the reason I mention this ban is to point out that the Times was not hobbled by any such scruples when John McCain was accused — on much thinner evidence — of having possibly, maybe, sort of having had an inappropiate relationship with Vicki Iseman almost a decade earlier. In fact, a search of the Times website for her name brings up 101 results. Doubtless they’d argue that the Enquirer isn’t a credible source. But the same could be (and was) said of the two anonymous and admittedly disgruntled former aides who were peddling the Iseman story.

One needn’t leap to any conclusions here; one need only take a small step and there conclusions are.

UPDATE (James Joyner): Don Frederick and Andrew Malcolm run an interesting site at Top of the Ticket, so I’m a bit bemused that Pierce, pictured above from his days running the LAist gossip rag, is stepping in to teach them professional journalistic ethics. (End of article)

The MSM is definitely not biased in any way or form.

Make me want to puke

[bigred41]

Since the NE has also had covers stating that George Bush was back drinking again, a few covers about Laura Bush leaving him and/or divorcing him, and one that had Laura scratching his face, etc....- I don’t think that we should put to much hope that the story about Edwards is true. The NE isn’t trustworthy.

Again, if they really had followed Edwards to the hotel and stayed for “hours” in order to get a scoop, they would have a picture of the incident. They don’t. Sorry, doesn’t pass the smell test for me....

[Devilinbaggypants]

Great point! It does make one want to puke...but just continues to confirm the slide of the MSM to have any relevance at all!

[Wiseghy]

National Enquirer is not really that bad, as papers go. The

LA Times seems to assume they are much better than the NE, but the truth is that the MSM has been moving toward that form of exaggeration and sensationalism for a long time, especially lately. If I see stuff in the NE in the grocery store, I usually assume there is a grain of truth in it, and the MSM will pick it up in a few days if the story has legs.
Editing their blogs for this stuff is just stupid, unless they are sure that it is untrue. In any case, if this was about a Republican or conservative, we all know how it would be handled.

[Dr. Sivana]

Since the NE has also had covers stating that George Bush was back drinking again, a few covers about Laura Bush leaving him and/or divorcing him, and one that had Laura scratching his face, etc....- I don’t think that we should put to much hope that the story about Edwards is true. The NE isn’t trustworthy.

I think you are confusing the Enquirer with the Globe or Examiner. Different papers.

[Fido969]

Because the only source has been the National Enquirer

Maybe one of the astute LA Times reporters could look into it.

[AbeKrieger]

Do they still allow blogging on the faked moon landing or the 9/11 inside job?

[thackney]

Because the only source has been the National Enquirer we have decided not to cover the rumors or salacious speculations.

No longer the case

Security Guard Confirms Late-Night Encounter Between Former Sen. John Edwards
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051224/posts

A hotel security guard told FOXNews.com he intervened this week between a man he identified as former Sen. John Edwards and tabloid reporters who chased down the former presidential hopeful after what they're calling a rendezvous with his mistress and love child.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Just one leftist protecting another.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Velcome to Russia, comrades.

[alrea]

Just one leftist protecting another.

Edwards must not be a real important leftest any longer or a lawyer either for that matter. If he was surely some lawyer or leftest would have put him up in one of their homes for his secret meetings.