LONDON (MarketWatch) — The scandal over former Sen. John Edwards’ alleged fathering of a love child is rapidly being surpassed by a greater travesty — not one single major media organization in the U.S is covering the story. Edwards, who’s sought the presidency twice, actually was nominated for vice president once, and made millions as a trial lawyer by holding health maintenance organizations accountable for their alleged transgressions, is manifestly newsworthy and clearly a public figure.
Heck, he’s almost a celebrity.
Yet no major network or national daily paper is doing anything with the story. Sure, it’s distasteful. That’s one of the reasons it’s news.
But the National Enquirer owns the Edwards love child story the way the Washington Post owned Watergate.
It’s August. It’s the slowest news month of the year. Newspapers are dying on the vine.
But nobody wants to touch a sordid tale about a politician’s love life?
Former Rep. Gary Condit should have been so lucky.
Bill Clinton, Larry Craig, and Ted Kennedy can only gaze in wonder at the dearth of coverage.
In February, the New York Times spilled barrels of ink, and clear-cut a forest to tell the world that — hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean? — Sen. John McCain allegedly had had an affair. This was great stuff, until someone bothered to vet the story.
By those standards, the Enquirer’s reporting on Edwards is Pulitzer grade stuff. (They have a picture.)
