Since Friday, ABC has devoted 60 minutes and 23 seconds to interviews
covering the most salacious details of John Edwards' sex scandal. Yet, the
network's anchors have refrained from referring to him as a Democrat. 20/20
on Friday spent the entire hour talking to Andrew Young, a former top Edwards
aide who allegedly holds a sex tape involving the politician. Reporter Bob Woodruff never used the D-word.
Good Morning America again featured the story on Saturday. On Monday's GMA,
former Democratic operative turned journalist George Stephanopoulos interviewed
Young about his role in covering for Edwards. Over two segments that lasted 14
minutes and 50 segments, Stephanopoulos never highlighted Edwards' party
affiliation.
The only time it came up is when Young, who has written a tell-all book about
Edwards, tried to justify covering for the candidate: "At that point, I
genuinely- genuinely believed that he was the only Democrat that could beat
McCain or any other opponent."
On Friday, 20/20's Woodruff carefully avoided a party ID for the full hour
(40 minutes without commercials). He referred to Edwards' "2008 presidential
run." At another point, Woodruff recounted the early years: "Few politicians
have risen further, faster than John Edwards...The son of a mill worker turned
hot-shot trial lawyer...Edwards was elected to the Senate in 1998."
From what party was Edwards elected to the Senate? Woodruff didn't say.
Briefly mentioning Edwards' nomination as the vice presidential nominee to John
Kerry, the ABC correspondent vaguely told viewers the then-Senator had risen "to
a spot on the national ticket." Which ticket? Again, no explanation from
Woodruff.
Good Morning America did manage to identify party affiliation back on January
21. In yet another story on the scandal, reporter Dan
Harris [1] said of the revelation that Edwards had fathered a baby with his
mistress: "A scandal that if Edwards had become the Democratic nominee, could
have thrown American politics in turmoil."
Viewers probably shouldn't be surprised about ABC's hesitancy to use the
D-word. On November
21, 2008 [2] 20/20 scored a big interview with Ashley Dupre, a call girl who had
sex with then-Democratic governor Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer's party affiliation
went unmentioned.
-Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research
Center.