Media offer criticism on Edwards again, but little or no coverage of McCain's controversial October '06 hire

Washington, DC - As the national media gear up to report on the latest conservative-driven attack on a 2008 Democratic presidential hopeful, this time over John Edwards' bloggers, Media Matters for America asks, where is the coverage of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) hiring of Terry Nelson?

Nelson, a known dirty-trickster hired as McCain's campaign manager in October 2006, has been involved in numerous high-profile scandals:

• As head of the Republican National Committee's (RNC) independent expenditure unit in 2006, Nelson approved a television advertisement attacking Tennessee Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. that many criticized as racist.

• The indictments of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) on campaign finance-related charges alleged that Nelson was the conduit for money transferred through the RNC from DeLay's political action committee to Republican candidates for the Texas House of Representatives.

• Nelson's consulting firm employs a former adviser to Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth, whose 2004 campaign tactics McCain himself called "dishonest and dishonorable."

In addition, Nelson's involvement in the 2004 New Hampshire phone-jamming scandal remains in question.

"Since October, we've been waiting for the media to widely report on McCain's decision to hire shady Terry Nelson, and we may have to keep waiting till the election is over," said Eric Burns, chief spokesman for Media Matters for America. "The media are far too busy amplifying yet another conservative attack on a Democratic candidate to hold McCain accountable." Burns added, "McCain's new campaign manager has been involved in nearly every major Republican scandal of the past few years. At the very least, the media should be asking McCain, the so-called reformer, the same tough questions they are asking Edwards today about his new bloggers."

McCain is one of the most interviewed candidates for the presidency in 2008, and yet most of the major media have yet to ask him tough questions about Terry Nelson, or to widely report on the numerous scandals Nelson has been party to, or how McCain could hire such an individual to run his national campaign and still consider himself a "reformer" or "maverick."

More from Media Matters for America ...

Media have let McCain falsehoods on aide's role in anti-Ford ad go unchallenged

http://mediamatters.org/items/200702070015

In the past 24 hours, numerous media outlets have reported on the uproar among conservatives over the past writings of two bloggers recently hired by former Sen. John Edwards' (D-NC) presidential campaign. But the media have given little attention to Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) recent falsehoods regarding the role of his presidential campaign manager, Terry Nelson, in the production of a controversial 2006 campaign advertisement that many deemed racist. Indeed, since late December 2006, several media figures have allowed McCain or his aides to alternately claim that Nelson "didn't produce" the ad, was "instructed" to approve the ad, or "resigned" from the Republican National Committee (RNC) over the ad -- all assertions contradicted by the facts.

More controversial McCain campaign hires -- will the media continue to ignore?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701080004

As Media Matters for America documented, the media largely overlooked Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) hiring of Republican operative Terry Nelson as a senior adviser to his political action committee, despite Nelson's association with several prominent GOP scandals. In addition to Nelson, other members of McCain's political team have also been touched by controversy and have thus far not gained significant media attention.

Imus sat by as McCain said Nelson resigned RNC over Ford ad

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701040008

Summary: Don Imus didn't challenge John McCain's claim that his 2008 presidential campaign manager, Terry Nelson, while serving as head of the independent expenditure unit of the Republican National Committee, "realized it was a mistake" to sign off on an ad attacking Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. and that Nelson subsequently "resigned from the group of people who approved of it." In fact, Nelson has publicly defended the ad, and there is no apparent evidence that Nelson "resigned" from his RNC position in protest over the ad.

On MSNBC, Mitchell allowed McCain aide to distance Terry Nelson from controversial RNC ad

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612200014

Summary: NBC News' Andrea Mitchell did not challenge Sen. John McCain aide Rick Davis when he asserted that Terry Nelson was not "behind" a campaign ad attacking Rep. Harold Ford Jr. that was criticized as racist. In fact, Nelson was head of the political unit that paid for the ad and presumably in a position to sign off on its creation and broadcast.

Press Release: Who is McCain Campaign Manager Terry Nelson? And Will the Media Tell Us?

Nelson Linked to TN "Racist Ad," NH Phone Jamming, Swift Boat Vets, and DeLay Scandal

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612140001

Washington, DC - The media largely ignored the hiring of Terry Nelson to serve as campaign manager for John McCain's presumed bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, and with few exceptions, those that did report on Nelson's hiring have overlooked Nelson's connections to various Republican scandals.

Who is McCain campaign manager Terry Nelson? And will the media tell us?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612130001

Summary: The media largely ignored the hiring of Terry Nelson to serve as campaign manager for John McCain's presumed bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, and with few exceptions, those that did report on Nelson's hiring have largely overlooked Nelson's connections to various Republican scandals.

NY Times suggested Republican strategist fired by Wal-Mart no longer works for Sen. McCain -- one day after reporting that he does

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610280002

In an October 28 article on Wal-Mart's decision to fire GOP strategist Terry Nelson, reportedly for his involvement in producing a controversial advertisement attacking Senate candidate Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN), The New York Times reported that Nelson "has worked for various Republican leaders, including President Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona." In reporting that Nelson "has worked" for McCain, the Times obscured the fact that Nelson currently works for McCain -- according to the Times the previous day.

NY Times falsely reported that McCain denounced controversial Tennessee attack ad

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610270007

An October 27 New York Times article reported that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was among those offering "denunciations" of a controversial Republican National Committee (RNC) advertisement featuring a scantily clad actress posing as someone who "met" Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Harold Ford Jr. "at the Playboy party." In fact, the Times article went on to quote a McCain spokesman saying simply: "We're pleased that the ad has been pulled down" -- a statement that in no way constitutes a "denunciation" of the ad's content.

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