NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News both ignored Vitter's connection to DC Madam
During their July 10 broadcasts, neither NBC's Nightly News nor CBS' Evening News with Katie Couric reported on the disclosure that Sen. David Vitter's (R-LA) phone number was among the phone records of alleged "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey. As Media Matters for America has previously noted, Palfrey was indicted on racketeering charges stemming from allegations that she ran a prostitution ring, and is reportedly planning on calling Vitter as a witness to her defense. By contrast, during the July 10 edition of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson, ABC News senior political correspondent Jake Tapper reported on the story, noting that Vitter "is a self-proclaimed defender of family values," and was a "conservative rising star, and led a charge against same-sex marriage." Tapper reported that Vitter recently sent a "letter to senators, urging them to support abstinence education, to teach teenagers, quote, 'that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness.' " Tapper further noted that presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) recently tapped Vitter "to be his campaign's regional Southern chairman."
Palfrey has denied the government's allegation that she was running a prostitution ring. As ABC News reported, she has maintained that "she ran a legal 'sexual fantasy service' and that women who worked for her agreed not to engage in illegal sexual activity with clients, intercourse or oral sex." Palfrey kept a list of her alleged clients' phone numbers, which were released following a July 5 order by U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler. ABC News Investigative Unit producer Justin Rood reported that "[a]ccording to Palfrey's lawyer, Vitter's number appeared on a February 2001 phone record." On July 9, Vitter apologized for "a very serious sin in my past," about which he claimed he had "received forgiveness from God and my wife." Rood added that Hustler magazine "may have prompted" Vitter's apology, reporting that "Vitter's office released its statement" soon after "a Hustler editor contacted Vitter's office to ask his connection to Palfrey's service." According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Palfrey's attorneys have stated that "investigators working for Palfrey plan to contact Vitter and ask him to be a defense witness when she goes to trial."
From the July 10 edition of ABC News' World News with Charles Gibson:
CHARLES GIBSON (anchor): One other piece of political news, one of the most conservative members of Congress has become involved in the D.C. Madam scandal. We have reported that Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the woman accused of running a Washington prostitution ring had a list of client phone numbers. Well, today, Louisiana's junior Senator David Vitter said his number is on it. Here's our senior political correspondent, Jake Tapper.
TAPPER: Republican Senator David Vitter is a self-proclaimed defender of family values as evidenced by this video on this website.
VITTER [video clip]: We focus here in the Senate on nurturing, upholding, preserving, protecting, such a fundamental social institution as traditional marriage.
TAPPER: Last night, Vitter apologized for sinning, after his number appeared on phone records of the alleged D.C. Madam. The married father of four said in a statement, quote, "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling." Vitter's actions got more attention because he's a conservative rising star and led the charge against same-sex marriage.
VITTER [video clip]: It's often said, but it's very, very true, and it is worth repeating: Marriage is truly the most fundamental social institution in human history.
TAPPER: And just days ago, Vitter sent this letter to senators, urging them to support abstinence education, to teach teenagers quote "that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness." Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani appointed Vitter from Louisiana to be his campaign's regional Southern chairman, to vouch for him with wary conservative voters.
VITTER [video clip]: He's not running for president to advance any liberal social agenda.
TAPPER: Giuliani today kept his comments about Vitter brief.
GIULIANI [video clip]: Some people disappoint you.
JOHN DICKERSON (Slate.com chief political correspondent): Some voters are generous with politicians and their peccadilloes, but what voters hate is hypocrisy.
TAPPER: Tonight, it's unclear how understanding the voters of Louisiana will be, or his wife. Jake Tapper, ABC News, New York.
Because I think Americans care more about real news stories than a sex scandal. I know I could care less about the DC Madam.
Are you frickin' kidding me? Americans supposedly go gah-gah over the salacious meanderings of politicos, hollywood stars and even their neighbors. It is ratings gold!
yeah, that's why a "real news story" like the downing street memos [there were more than one] went all but unnoticed here, but it was headlines in england. how many times did the runaway bride lead the news?
While you're at it, be sure to throw in another jab at the media for being too liberal. This is, of course another fine example of it, right?
SueEld,
I agree with you...there are more important stories out there.
Just curious did you feel that way when it was the Bill & Monica show being covered 24/7? Granted, he was President but that doesn't mean Congress gets a pass.
This should probably not be more than a 2-3 day story [unless of course MORE names come to light] but it is a story that deserves air-time.
One, prostitution appears to be involved, which is illegal. Two, Vitter is the worse kind of hypocrite.
I'm pleased to see anyone that preaches moral values to the masses then turns around and personally does the opposite outed as a fraud.
..more names come to light:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19708595/
Lynn, let's not stop there. Looks like the republicans are in full fiesta mode now!
---"I know I could care less about the DC Madam."---
And even less about a U.S. Senator's integrity, ethics, justice, and fairness, evidently. Or is that only when there's an (R) after the name?
Something really funny....the local yokels, Quinn and Rose stated that this Madam was wrong in outing her clients. These two always complain about the liberals have no religion. Quinn also stated that Vitter should change his affiliation to (D) and then it would be a promotion.
Hypocrits, nah, just Trailer-Republans spouting their non-understanding of the REAL world.
It was just ABC's turn to cover the bad news for Repugnants. The Corporate/Repugnant alliance, the MSM, has discovered that a total void in coverage of scandals simply drives "inquiring minds" to other sources; while a half-hearted, deficient, or misleading article or two from one of the major outlets will allow them to claim "it was covered, and simply got no traction."
The next question is, will Vittner's history with the New Orleans prostitution enterprise come up at all, on any of those MSM outlets? It is not as though this is his first trip through the shoals.
My bad - the New Orleans Times-Picayune counts as MSM, even though not national; and I see on the other thread, that they covered Vitter's past, to some extent, at least. Gotta go read that Times-Picayune expose to see what it does say.
Turns out the the Times-Picayune piece is about half a story: no information on Vitter dropping out of the race for Governor due to the first round of scandal on the arrest of the NOLA madame; restricted to the statement of the madame herself, other than frequent reminders that there is no corroboration for her story; and character references for Vitter from those who doubt her story.
However, the comments are quite entertaining - in a fashion similar to MMFA's with mostly predictable expressions of commonplaces.
Your "theory" about Repub bad news is legitimate. It stands to reason that corporate control of information would involve getting everybody "on the story" or "off the story." By half covering an event, you can claim "its been covered, move on." or use the old Paris Hilton distraction. Great observation.
YOU KNOW IT HAS TO BE AN CLINTON OR A LIBERAL TO GET THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA ALL OVER THE STORY!!!1
Damn, that’s a real intelligent statement and in caps too.
I'm not sure it is a good idea to get Katie Couric angry at you.
Or those Madams...
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3&pid=212734 THE WORDS THAT WILL END SENATOR HIPOCRIT`S CAREER:"Some current polls may suggest that people are turned off by the whole Clinton mess and don't care -- because the stock market is good, the Clinton spin machine is even better or other reasons. But that doesn't answer the question of whether President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office because he is morally unfit to govern. The writings of the Founding Fathers are very instructive on this issue. They are not cast in terms of political effectiveness at all but in terms of right and wrong -- moral fitness. Hamilton writes in the Federalists Papers (No. 65) that impeachable offenses are those that "proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust."
By the way while I don't advocate a Bush-Cheney impeachment as much as the deserve it. (We don't have time for it) Hamilton`s word are quite appropriate in support of that.
Shocking!! Madam Deep Thoughts, (a.k.a Katie Sputum Couric) won't report the news.