WashPost Leaves Out Party Label of Politician Charged with Running Brothel

NewsBusters ^ | July 19, 2007 | Ken Shepherd

[Main Street]

Say you write for or edit the metro section of a major metropolitan newspaper and you have a juicy story of a local ex-mayor who was arrested for running a brothel. It's right on the heels of the Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) prostitution scandal and the politician in the local story in question was once a sheriff's deputy, clearly no stranger to anti-prostitution laws.

Party affiliation is just one more tidbit of information that couldn't hurt your readers, right?

Not for the Washington Post.

Seventy-two year old former Dumfries Mayor Melvin Bray was "charged with running a brothel out of a sports therapy clinic in a roadside strip mall" in Prince William County, Va., reported Post staff writer Nick Miroff. But Bray's party affiliation, Democratic, was not included in the story.

A quick Google search confirmed that Bray, who lost his reelection bid last year in the historically nonpartisan mayoral contest, is a self-described "lifelong Democrat."

[no dems]

I AM SHOCKED!!!

[flynmudd]

Who’s suprised? Not me. So far they have only exposed one republican. I guess democrats don’t have nookie on the side.

[Red Badger]

If the black book had “gay” prostitutes it would be full of dems.......

[Just another Joe]

Well now, I mean really, if you were a hooker and had to reveal someone's political party who would you out, the one Republican or the thousands of Democrats that had patronized you?

What makes financial sense here?

[dashing doofus]

Photos of the disgraced are now appearing on the internet:

http://www.ryanpfluger.com/gallery/index.php?gallery=father&image=self-made%20garbage%2C%202007.jpg

[cquiggy]

So when was it that the liberal media started putting (D) by the names of DUI offenders, child molesters, and adulterous scum like Bill Clinton. I missed the announced date that this began. In my thirty years of reading all forms of political news items I have always been able to determine when the scandal involved a Democrat simply because no party affiliation was mentioned. Over the years I have spent lots of time searching for party affiliation. With one sad finding. Democrats are rarely ever identified by party no matter what the scandal or in many cases the crime.

[thulldud]

With one sad finding. Democrats are rarely ever identified by party no matter what the scandal or in many cases the crime.

Another thing you should note in your research: when the offender is a Democrat in the US House of Representatives, he is often identified as "Rep. Joe Schmoe".

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Dumfries is close to the Quantico Marine Base. I wonder if there is a connection?

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmmm...
let me guess...Jimmah "Malaise" Carter ('Rat-Ga.)
Sen. Ted(runk) "Swimmer" Kenned(runk)y ('Rat-Ma.)
just one more...Fmr. Bubba "Cigars/Condoms"/*Snort* Klintoon? :D

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmmm...
let me guess...Fmr. Pres. Jimmah "Malaise" Carter ('Rat-Ga.)
Sen. Ted(runk) "Swimmer" Kenned(runk)y ('Rat-Ma.)
just one more...Fmr. Pres. Bubba "Cigars/Condoms"/*Snort* Klintoon? :D

[JoanneSD]

guess democrats don’t have nookie on the side. I did not know they moved it, to the side.....

[flynmudd]

Ha ha ha! Thanks, these days I need a good laugh.