THE SMOKING GUNS – AT 8:54 P.M. ET:  The great Newsbusters site has examined how John Edwards's revelation that he is the father of his mistress's daughter was played by the major print media.  Please remember that Edwards was a U.S. senator, a vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket who came within one state of being "one heartbeat away," and a serious contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.  He also has nice hair.

That story couldn't so much as garner a single front-page story from any of the nation's top five major newspapers - USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times or The Washington Post. And only The Wall Street Journal, found the story worthy to print on its second page, not to mention the fact that it is a business journal.

Edwards admitted in a statement on Jan 21 that he was indeed the father of Frances Quinn Hunter, saying, "It was wrong for me to ever deny she was my daughter." The story of his affair with campaign staffer and videographer Rielle Hunter broke last summer when the National Enquirer busted Edwards in a Los Angeles hotel for cheating on his cancer-stricken wife.

So where was this prominent story placed in the nation's most respected and circulated newspapers? With exception of the Journal, it was buried deep in the A-section of the aforementioned papers, with the exception of the Post, which didn't even find it newsworthy enough to put in its first section:

USA Today - 4A
The Wall Street Journal - A2 (teased on front page)
The New York Times - A12 (teased on bottom of front page)
Los Angeles Times - A13
The Washington Post - C2 (teased on bottom of front page)

The New York Times clearly thought that an international story about the politicization of the sport cricket was more newsworthy than a scandalous admission by a former vice presidential candidate. Yes, "Cricket Team Snub Reeks of Politics to Pakistanis" made it onto page A-6, while "Edwards Admits He Fathered Girl With Mistress" appeared way back on page A-12.

COMMENT:  Yet, when the Pulitzers are given out, you may be sure that it will be the establishment papers that will grab the lion's share (or the lioness's share, depending on how you view the gender issue). 

The question is:  What else aren't we being told?  I'm afraid the list may be much longer than many Americans think, starting with the real military situation that prevailed in Vietnam in 1968, when many "leading" journalists told us that our cause was hopeless, when history shows we were doing quite well.

We need a free press.  It's critical.  But our free press needs reform.

January 22, 2010