Today's New York Times has an interesting article on Democratic politican Representative William J. Jefferson (not to be confused with W.J. Clinton) and his bribery scandal. It looks like Jefferson is as guilty as any of the hundreds of republican corruption scandal perpetrators, and so should be condemned if found guilty.
This diary entry isn't about Jefferson's crimes. It's about yet another example of the placement of the words "DEMOCRAT" and "REPUBLICAN" in the first sentence reporting of the various kickback and bribery scandals by the New York Times and its reporter, Philip Shenon. Lets take a look at how these slugs work their "bipartisan" scandal magic in their reporting:
Here's Mr. Shenon in today's NYT reporting on the scandal:
F.B.I. Contends Lawmaker Hid Bribe in Freezer
Article Tools Sponsored By
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: May 22, 2006
WASHINGTON, May 21 -- The F.B.I. accused Representative William J. Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, on Sunday of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a Kentucky businessman and stashing $90,000 from the scheme in his home freezer in Washington.
First sentence. Booyah!!
There it is, directly connecting the associations of the word "Democrat" with "bribes" and "scheme." But as we've seen time and again, the reporting of such scandals involving Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham and the dozens of republicans falling under ethics and corruption scheme never mention "republican" until way down in the 3rd and 4th paragraphs (if at all).
Well how about yesterday's article on the same subject by the same reporter, Philip Shenon?
F.B.I. Searches Official's Office in Ethics Inquiry
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: May 21, 2006
WASHINGTON, May 20 -- The F.B.I. raided the Congressional offices of Representative William J. Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, on Saturday night as part of a corruption investigation focused on the lawmaker and on a Kentucky businessman who has pleaded guilty to trying to bribe him.
Hmmm.
Well surely that's just part and parcel of normal reporting on ethics and bribery scandals, right? Well lets take a look.
Here's the article on Tom Delay's indictment, by Philip Shenon:
DeLay Goes on Radio and TV to Proclaim Innocence
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: September 30, 2005
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 - Representative Tom DeLay went on a media blitz on Thursday, a day after his indictment on charges of conspiracy in his home state, Texas, angrily proclaiming his innocence and saying that Democratic leaders in Congress were working with a Democratic prosecutor in Texas to try to destroy his career.
Mr. DeLay went on radio and television as his lawyers claimed their first procedural victory in the case. They said a trial judge had agreed not to issue an arrest warrant for Mr. DeLay and would let him appear voluntarily at a court hearing next month in Austin, the Texas capital.
The decision spared Mr. DeLay a potentially awkward encounter with the police in Travis County, where the indictment was issued, and the possibility that he might be handcuffed in front of cameras. A lawyer for Mr. DeLay, Dick DeGuerin, said in a telephone interview that the decision by Judge Bob Perkins of the 331st Judicial Criminal District Court, a Democrat, was "the right thing to do."
Mr. DeLay, who is usually far more reluctant than some of his Congressional colleagues to submit to broadcast interviews of any sort, granted several on Thursday.
"I've never seen more support of my colleagues for me, and they want to see me continue the work that I've been doing," Mr. DeLay said on Fox News Radio. "It was obvious to me that what the Democrats have done has united us stronger than we ever have been."
"This indictment is so over the top and so political, people immediately see it as such," said Mr. DeLay, who was forced under House Republican rules to give up his post as majority leader as a result of the indictment. "When this is over, I go back to being majority leader automatically."
Mr. DeLay said in an interview on CNN that he had evidence to show that the House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, and other prominent Democrats had pressured the Travis County district attorney, Ronnie Earle, also a Democrat, to pursue the indictment.
So lets contrast this wonderful "reporter," Philip Shenon's in depth "reporting" by reprinting and leaving unchallenged allegations made by Tom Delay, his lawyer and Fox News.
Note that Mr. Shenon never mentios Delay is a republican, yet mentions democrats as well as implied democratic "affiliation" throughout the opening grafs of the article. Note that the very first time the word "republican" appears it is to confirm that it was "House Republican Rules" that forced Delay to step down.
You're shocked, I know.
The liberal New York Times you've read so much about jumps at the chance to print the word "democrat" and "democratic party" in articles about William J. Jefferson but nary a mention with Tom Delay.
Lets look at some more "reporting" by Shenon:
2 in Congress Face Ethics Investigations
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: May 18, 2006
WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The House ethics committee agreed on Wednesday to open investigations of a pair of lawmakers -- one Democrat, one Republican -- who are the focus of criminal investigations by the Justice Department.
The committee, virtually shut down by partisan deadlock for 16 months despite swirling accusations of illegality involving several House members, also plans to examine whether other lawmakers took part in a bribery scheme led by a former House member, Randy Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham, a California Republican, resigned from Congress this year after pleading guilty to accepting illegal gifts from military contractors.
The lawmakers who were identified by name as the focus of the committee's investigations -- Representatives Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican who has been close to the House Republican leaders, and William J. Jefferson, a lesser-known Louisiana Democrat -- have said they are innocent of wrongdoing.
Lookit this example of excellent, potentially award winning "reporting." I'm thinking Shenon should be up for the Fox News Excellence in Journalism Award for this one, dontcha think? It's got that beautiful "they both do it" aroma of spineless hackdom, followed up nicely with blaming the demise of the ethics committee on "partisan deadlock", and containing a masterful propagandist flourish -- the "several house members" accused of crimes without any mention of party affiliation. Yep. "They both do it" false equivalency. You go, Philip!! He does mention Cunningham was a "california republican" so thank heavens for small favors, I guess.
Here's some quality reporting from May 4th:
Businessman Pleads Guilty To Bribing a Representative
May 4, 2006, Thursday
By PHILIP SHENON (NYT); National Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 14, Column 5, 720 words
-A Kentucky technology executive pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of bribing a member of Congress in an investigation that has centered on Representative William J. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting the feeling that William J. Jefferson is a Louisiana Democrat. How about you?
Ex-DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty In Lobby Case
April 1, 2006, Saturday
By PHILIP SHENON (NYT); National Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 1, Column 5, 1424 words
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 1424 WORDS -A former top aide to Representative Tom DeLay pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he accepted thousands of dollars in illegal gifts, including money funneled through a consulting firm he set up with his wife and travel by private jet to California, in return for influencing legislation on...
Hmmm, "Represenatitve Tom DeLay." Well that's all I got to go on here. So I guess I'll assume Tom DeLay is a Democrat from Louisiana.
Well surely Shenon reported Tom DeLay is a republican elsewhere in his first sentence, right?
Former Top Aide to DeLay Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy
November 22, 2005, Tuesday
By PHILIP SHENON (NYT); National Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 21, Column 1, 1085 words
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 1085 WORDS -Michael Scanlon, a former business partner of the lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a former top aide to Representative Tom DeLay, pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiring to bribe a member of Congress and other public officials. Mr. Scanlon also agreed to repay $19.6 million to his former Indian tribe...
Hmm. Tom DeLay is a "representative." Well that's for certain. But what political party does he belong to? Gotta dig down into the lower grafs for that info, right Shenon?
This isn't meant to just pick on Shenon, who's actually done some okay reporting on other stories. Only to note the systemic tendencies of the media to rush to mention "democrat" scandals while failing to identify republicans involved in scandals. Why they do this is something a psychologist would be better equipped to answer than I would. Deep fear of career ruination by the wingnut brigade is one possibility. The braindead feeling that branding both "democrats" and "repblicans" as "both doing it" somehow makes them fairer journalists is also probably part of the mentality.
But reading today's article by Shenon on Jefferson is a freaking joke. An embarrassment. The fact they're wetting themselves over Jefferson giving them a "democrat" taking bribes tells you all you need to know. Lets check the NYT on Duke Cunningham for a few more examples of this ridiculousness:
Ex-Lawmaker Is Unhelpful In Bribe Case, Official Says
May 11, 2006, Thursday
By PAUL VON ZIELBAUER; MARK MAZZETTI CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON FOR THIS ARTICLE. (NYT); National Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 32, Column 6, 706 words
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 706 WORDS -Randy Cunningham, the former congressman who pleaded guilty last year to taking bribes from military contractors, has refused to talk with Pentagon investigators about the bribery scheme and other people involved in it, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. Rick Gwin, the agent in charge of the western regional office...
Part of Ex-Congressman's Ruined Life on Auction Block
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Antique furniture and Oriental rugs were among the items auctioned off that belonged to former Representative Randy Cunningham of California, who is in prison for taking bribes.
Article Tools Sponsored By
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: March 24, 2006
RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, Calif., March 23 -- In a final indignity after a stunning fall, pieces of the ruined life of former Representative Randy Cunningham were auctioned off in a government warehouse here on Thursday morning.
Lawmaker Quits After He Pleads Guilty to Bribes (November 29, 2005)
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
A pair of candlesticks, a dozen Oriental rugs, three mirrored armoires, a marble-topped commode and a cedar-lined lingerie cabinet, 35 items in all, went under the auctioneer's gavel. They brought the government $94,625, about two-thirds of the $150,000 that the military contractors who gave the items to Mr. Cunningham as bribes reportedly paid for them.
Well, we know that Duke Cunningham was a "representative" and a "lawmaker." Thanks New York Times!!