It wasn't so much a "conspiracy of silence" as a "lack of evidence." At least while it was he said, she said.

Granted, that has more to do with the media's complete failure to do investigative journalism than intentional silence. They're incompetent, not evil.

I had a quote from Sherlock Holmes ready, but I found out via Google that the connection has already been made, on a board I don't frequent.

/I felt all the cleverness rush right out of me.
//curse you, anonymous person!

are you still pretending to be victims over this ? Get over it you whiny little turds. Edwards was wrong, he's a scumbag, he's not the f*cking President and never will be. So what the hell else do you want ?

They sure did, but to be fair so did the allegedly ultra right-wing Fox News.

SphericalTime: They're incompetent, not evil.

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

LadyHawke: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Exactly, Mr. Hanlon.

shh, don't frighten them, i think they might just become self-aware.

Probably, but I'm more concerned with the cheerleading/propaganda campaign for the Bush administration after 9-11.

"Members of the public, people with modems, people with cell phones are now producers, editors. They can push and push and push on a story until it ends up being acknowledged by everyone."

You know how I know your old?

dletter: "Members of the public, people with modems, people with cell phones are now producers, editors. They can push and push and push on a story until it ends up being acknowledged by everyone."

You know how I know your old?

You people with your talkie-pictures and pneumatic tubes think you're so smart.

Mordant: are you still pretending to be victims over this ? Get over it you whiny little turds. Edwards was wrong, he's a scumbag, he's not the f*cking President and never will be. So what the hell else do you want ?



It is difficult to deal with my candidate's loss. Especially because most everyone else but me realized what a scumbag he was.

Another green on the Edwards thing, good grief people, GET OVER IT.

A trial lawyer and failed presidential candidate had an affair. Whoopdee doo. He's not ANYTHING now, who cares?

So who didn't expect Mr. $400 Haircut to be vain and selfish and greedy?

...No one? Good. Then can we move the fark on?

Digeratus: Then can we move the fark on?

Absolutely not. There are important and newsworthy stories out there that need to be ignored.

Karma's a biatch when you are so self-righteous and pious while also being such a hairbag in your personal life.

Don't you remember him parading his family around to indicate what a good guy he is? How about his Katrina photo-ops - when he had SIXTEEN million (and quite possibly much more) invested in a company that was AT THAT TIME foreclosing on Katrina victims?

It is not possible to overdo it when such people turn out to be hypocrites. I feel the same when bible-thumping GOP pols and preachers get caught doing teh ghey buttsex.

RemyDuron: A trial lawyer and failed presidential candidate had an affair. Whoopdee doo. He's not ANYTHING now, who cares?

There are 602 greenlights with Paris Hilton in the headline. There are 183 with John Edwards. This is Fark, so there's still a ways to go.

You know, for a "liberal media conspiracy," the liberal media sure spends a lot of time talking about the conspiracy. Wonder why.

In short -

RemyDuron: A trial lawyer and failed presidential candidate had an affair. Whoopdee doo. He's not ANYTHING now, who cares?

In my sick and cynical mind, I am coming to the conclusion that he never had an affair. One of the criticisms promoted by Maureen Dowd and others is that Edwards was too "plastic". They called him "Ken" (from the Barbie collection) and made fun of his haircuts. What better way to humanize a man than for him to "fall" and be forgiven. See, he's just like the rest of us mortals.

I find it totally suspicious that Ms. Hunter doesn't want a paternity test; they don't want us to know who the father really is. It's not Edwards, but they want everyone to believe it is Edwards. Hence the meeting in the hotel. It's easy for Elizabeth to forgive him because there really is nothing to forgive. He will quietly go away for a time and then in a few months, a year, he will be back more humble, more human, the true son of a mill worker.

as a "lack of evidence."

Try a "lack of interest in finding evidence and a lack of interest in corroborating evidence."

worlddan: RemyDuron: A trial lawyer and failed presidential candidate had an affair. Whoopdee doo. He's not ANYTHING now, who cares?

In my sick and cynical mind, I am coming to the conclusion that he never had an affair. One of the criticisms promoted by Maureen Dowd and others is that Edwards was too "plastic". They called him "Ken" (from the Barbie collection) and made fun of his haircuts. What better way to humanize a man than for him to "fall" and be forgiven. See, he's just like the rest of us mortals.

I find it totally suspicious that Ms. Hunter doesn't want a paternity test; they don't want us to know who the father really is. It's not Edwards, but they want everyone to believe it is Edwards. Hence the meeting in the hotel. It's easy for Elizabeth to forgive him because there really is nothing to forgive. He will quietly go away for a time and then in a few months, a year, he will be back more humble, more human, the true son of a mill worker.

Interesting theory. I have the same one about Bill Clinton. Originally he denied it, then he was forced to admit it. The 'evidence' was the semen stained dress. But who examined this evidence? The CIA, right? Linda Tripp was also CIA. Wasn't Lewinsky CIA too? Would you really put it past the Republicans to fake the whole thing? Given the last ten years I sure as hell wouldn't. They're that weird about sex.

dangelder: They're know their base is that weird about sex.

FTFY

robsul82: In short -

What is that picture suppose to prove?

Frank N Stein: robsul82: In short -

What is that picture suppose to prove?

That even Republicans enjoy donuts.

/And who doesn't? They are nature's perfect food.

Snarfangel: /And who doesn't? They are nature's perfect food.

mmmmm. Glaaaaaaze

Frank N Stein: robsul82: In short -

What is that picture suppose to prove?

Biatch, I don't do your research.

robsul82: Biatch, I don't do your research.

I guess I just find that picture irrelevant to "media bias" rhetoric. Doesn't every TV station give its guests donuts before their appearance? This just happened to be on-camera.

Forget the affair, did Edwards really have his staffer name-drop him to get a Playstation3 for his kid or did the staffer fall on the blade for him by saying John had nothing to do with it.

/ inquiring minds want to know

Whether or not an ex-candidate had an affair isn't news. It's Fark.

Frank N Stein: robsul82: Biatch, I don't do your research.

I guess I just find that picture irrelevant to "media bias" rhetoric. Doesn't every TV station give its guests donuts before their appearance? This just happened to be on-camera.

Uh, no, they don't, nor was that taken "at a TV station." Do your research.

If you believe that every news outlet other than Fox is 'in bed' with the Democrats... you might just be a redneck.

Screaming 'teh bias' makes you pathetic.

C'mon people-- there are only fourteen headlines in the "Politics" tag related to a has-been lawyer who had sex with a woman who wasn't his wife.

This is THE most important political story of year-- we need more of a commitment to this from all of you.

the edwards affair is only news if he's picked for vice pres.

$114,000 is too much to pay for some pussy. Unless it was campaign money then that would be free pussy.

robsul82: You know, for a "liberal media conspiracy," the liberal media sure spends a lot of time talking about the conspiracy. Wonder why.

In short -

Is someone telling someone else to take an aerial intercourse at a rotating pastry?

thrgd456: the edwards affair is only news if he's picked for vice pres.

Its political news because Edward's has eliminated himself from an possibility of being Obama's pick for VP or if Obama wins, his pick for AG, He may not have been picked anyway, but this guarantees it.

As soon as the media had even a SMIDGE of credible evidence (Edwards' confession) that could justify their making it headline news, they ran with it on every front page and at the top of every television new hour.

In fact, they still are, and most likely will be for at least the early part of this week.

The fact that this is even being seriously discussed as some sort of "conspiracy of silence" shows with crystal clarity how the right-wing propaganda machine manipulates the media with their "working the ref" tactics.

Even if they had run with it weeks ago based solely upon the word of a farking tabloid and trumpeted it from on high, the right-wing propaganda machine would STILL find something about their reporting to try to reinforce the "liberal media" myth, and they'd biatch about every news source out there that's not a blatant propaganda outlet for the Republican Party.

Their job is to push the media to the right ANY way they can. That is quite literally their job.

The fact that the (especially the major television) media itself doesn't seem to have figured this out (or has, but still goes along with it willingly) tells you a LOT about the current state of our media.

Prospero424: As soon as the media had even a SMIDGE of credible evidence (Edwards' confession) that could justify their making it headline news, they ran with it on every front page and at the top of every television new hour.

In fact, they still are, and most likely will be for at least the early part of this week.

The fact that this is even being seriously discussed as some sort of "conspiracy of silence" shows with crystal clarity how the right-wing propaganda machine manipulates the media with their "working the ref" tactics.

Even if they had run with it weeks ago based solely upon the word of a farking tabloid and trumpeted it from on high, the right-wing propaganda machine would STILL find something about their reporting to try to reinforce the "liberal media" myth, and they'd biatch about every news source out there that's not a blatant propaganda outlet for the Republican Party.

Their job is to push the media to the right ANY way they can. That is quite literally their job.

The fact that the (especially the major television) media itself doesn't seem to have figured this out (or has, but still goes along with it willingly) tells you a LOT about the current state of our media.

Paraphrasing Verbal/Keyser and whomever actually came up with that quote, "The greatest trick the GOP ever pulled was convincing the world its conservative media didn't exist."

I'm still trying to figure out why this story is a big deal. It's not like he's a sitting senator trying to solicit gay sex in an airline bathroom. Jeez.

robsul82: Paraphrasing Verbal/Keyser and whomever actually came up with that quote, "The greatest trick the GOP ever pulled was convincing the world its conservative media didn't exist."

I don't even think they're conservative in any real way. The producers, editors, and pundits just all seem to care FAR more about the complaints about their coverage from the propagandist right (AM radio, righty blogs, Fox News, and especially the McCain campaign) than they care about the complaints about their coverage from the propagandist left (lefty blogs, Obama campaign, well... that's about it).

They allow their bullying tactics to either neuter their coverage of all pertinent details (wouldn't want to report a truth that makes it look like they're taking "a side") or to alter the nature of their coverage itself to favor the agenda of the right.

steverockson: I'm still trying to figure out why this story is a big deal. It's not like he's a sitting senator trying to solicit gay sex in an airline bathroom. Jeez.

Because he's a popular Democrat and the right wing is pissed that the media actually covered the plethora of Republican sex scandals over the last few years. Of course, the fact that the media had first-hand accounts, arrest records, confessions, etc. BEFORE they covered these scandals is just a meaningless detail.

Seriously, that's why they're whining about this so loudly and incessantly.

Now they're trying to "get back" at them and to push their general coverage to the right at the same time.

And you know what? It'll work. It usually does.

Prospero424: They allow their bullying tactics to either neuter their coverage of all pertinent details (wouldn't want to report a truth that makes it look like they're taking "a side") or to alter the nature of their coverage itself to favor the agenda of the right.

Exactly. That's why you see the word "balanced" used to describe every single damn news station. There are times when balance is necessary, but there are even more times where one side is completely wrong, and should be called out on it.

steverockson: I'm still trying to figure out why this story is a big deal. It's not like he's a sitting senator trying to solicit gay sex in an airline bathroom. Jeez.


If it had been that, then Edwards would have become an internet meme. That won't happen.

Perhaps they should wonder aloud of the other 400,000 IMPORTANT things they've helped cover up. Maybe if they were doing their job for the past decade, America wouldn't be so ill informed.

It's funny how we didn't see this spate of introspection after Newt Gingrich resigned.

The Speaker's affair with a House committee staffer was an open secret in DC - Everyone, Democrat and Republican, Congressman and staffers, knew about it.

How much coverage did the "Liberal Media" give this story?

None.

Would any Fark Independents care to comment? I've asked several times and they seem oddly quiet.

Drive By Liberal Media^TM does it again.

/whatever

Thirty links in twenty days = Fark fail.

How many greenlights have there been about Suskind's revelations that the White House forged documents connecting Saddam and al Qaeda? Two?

And Drew has the gall to complain about the media focusing on meaningless drivel.