New York Governor David Paterson is dealing with rumors that he’s about to be accused of something bad – he’s already admitted ‘marital infidelity’ and cocaine use. The rumors are going crazy, and much like with Britney Spears, we think we know, but we don’t know.
It’s gotten to the point that the rumors themselves have become an more important news story than what they might be about or whether they’re true.
If the rumors are the news, how do you report them while making sure that Paterson’s “alleged misconduct” doesn’t get shortened to “misconduct?” Well, we just use the word “alleged.”
The difference between "alleged misconduct" and "misconduct" is that we KNOW Fleetwood Mac all slept with one another in a bed made of pure cocaine.
But this story is more complicated than that. Gov. Paterson hasn’t been accused of anything. His ‘alleged misconduct’ hasn’t been alleged yet – the rumors are merely that the New York Times is going to publish a story laying those rumors bare.
What that means is this: David Paterson, governor of the state of New York, is under fire for rumored alleged misconduct.
WTF, news media, WTF?
At least “All Things Considered” has the decency and wherewithal to report the story as it is and investigate how it got that way. It even includes this truly classic public radio line: “This truly is the scandal that dare not say its name — because nobody really knows what the heck it is.”
It’s a perfect walk on the balance beam between reporting rumors and sussing out why we love rumors.
The lesson I’ve learned from NPR’s story? More questions.
- Can we please wait for something to become a story before making these premature ejaculations of reportage into a completely new story?
- Or has the New York Times succumbed to the same pathetic tactic of terrible Hollywood blockbusters and cult TV shows?
- Are they building undeserved hype in the name of selling papers?
- Are they trying to sex up their political coverage?
I know times are rough for newspapers, but I’m not so sure that hiking up the Gray Lady’s skirt is the way to fix it.
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