How the Networks Played the Foley Story

ABC's World News Tonight made Mark Foley's resignation its lead story Friday. "A congressional career is in ruins tonight," was how substitute anchor Terry Moran opened the newscast. Investigative reporter Brian Ross, whose online site broke the story Thursday, was first to report Foley's resignation. ABC played up the obvious hypocrisy angle -- that Foley was co-chairman of a House caucus on missing and exploited children.

"Do I make you a little horny?" Ross said, reading one of Foley's instant messages to a House page.

CBS News congressional correspondent Cheryl Atkisson was second, but her piece captured the broader political implications, that Foley's self-immolation could help Democrats recapture Congress in November. Atkisson called Democrat Tim Mahoney, who has trailed Foley by double digits, "maybe one of the luckiest politicians around."

NBC was uncharacteristically off stride a bit, without a pre-produced story. Anchor Brian Williams did an analytical Q-and-A with Washington bureau chief Tim Russert, who predicted Americans would find Foley's behavior "very reprehensible" and that Foley's seat is now "a wide-open seat."

For Florida political junkies, consider this: In all or part of eight Florida counties on Nov. 7, the general election ballot will feature Katherine Harris atop the Republican ballot followed by Mark Foley. (How's that for a winning ticket?) It is too late for Republicans to put a new candidate on the ballot (see Fla. Statute 100.111 (4) a.

Comments

At least the Republicans took this guy out right away, which is more than the Democrats did with Clinton.

http://www.ocalapride.com/charlie_crist_at_tonys.htm

[George]

Has anyone at the SP Times answered the question WHY the paper sat on this story for so many months?

george:

nope! we have been asking that all day on here but the soviet tass editors of the spt (socialist party times) has not given an answer yet.

spt we are waiting!

[peggy arvanitas]

What is sad? the state of Florida heard whislerings of the rumors. Only the republican party is to blame for this. The party found it easier to scare and immobilize the Public on gay marriage and gay issues as not being family values.
So now, Foley BECAME the Republican party. And what would have been an individual matter became the Republican party.

This is what Karl Rove asked for, "framing the issue, right?"

Why did the ST PETE TIMES hold this story for 11 months?

"The boy, who is not being identified because of his age, told the St. Petersburg Times in an interview last November, when the Times first learned of the e-mails, that he cut off correspondence with Foley."

Peggy you are a 1st class nut job. Please tell us what you do for a living so we can run and hide. Freak!

[gatordem]

There are former pages saying they were warned about Foley. Sounds to me like the R leadership didn't remove him rightr away. They got rid of him when it went public, not before.

Some party of family values.

[Lulu Pickle]

Ha ha ha! Another right wing "family values" anti-gay Republican turns out to be a sex pervert! & a homo, on top of it all! Big surprise, oui? Anyway, here's my tribute to now-former Florida Congressman Mark Foley:

Here’s to a Rep. name o’ Foley
Whose penis craves hot teen boy’s holey.
He swears he’s not gay
In that effeminate way,
But he’ll gladly stick guys with his poley.

[Maverick]

Lulu, YOU are whats wrong with politics. Thats sick and disgusting and can't wait for SPT to delete it. Easily the most repulsive thing I have seen on here, and thats saying something.

Republicans: They can't protect our youth. They can't protect our country.

[Dwight]

Question:

Why didn't Foley & Crist just get it on?

Every good Republican knows that gay people can be healed with the right dose of religion, right?

They would have been just two consenting adults around the same legal age who "experimented" but contritely repented and all would have been forgiven...but oh, the whole creepy pedophile thing just throws a nasty little wrench in all those Republican values.

What a bunch of frickin hypocrites!

Speaking of Clinton, does anyone have a count of all the Republicans who cast the first stones who have since gone down in shame?

Now that would be an interesting investigative story.

[Michael Alexander]

First Foley and next Feeney, they are both slime of the same ilk.

Bob Ney admitted that Jack Abramoff bribed him to lobby Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) when Martinez was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

So what?

Well, within a month of leaving HUD to run for the U.S. Senate, Mel Martinez was treated to a $250,000 fundraiser, hosted by Abramoff. What do you think Martinez did for Jack?

come on spt (socialist party times) it has been 24 hours since people here started asking why you held the foley storey from november 05 until now, 5 weeks before the election. if you were asking questions of a politican and he didnt answer you for over 24 hours you would blast them in your paper!! what do you have to hide? Are your communist party censors that you commonly call "editors" afraid to tell us the truth? Or are they all laughing this morning because they once again their political agenda is served at all cost?

Don't misunderstand me, what foley did was terrible. He deserves what he gets. But the actions of the spt (socialist party times) are ethically bankrupt. Stop with the yellow journalism and begin to uphold your responsibility to the public trust!!!!! Stop trying to be the arbitrator that deciedes whom to attack for political gain along with when and how!!! This behavior on the part of the spt (socialist party times) must stop!!!! You have a responsibility to report the news not to hold stories until they can cause maximum damage!!

The people of florida deserve an explination!! We are waiting!!

[Imadashell]

Is this the Family values party a leader in the party in SE florida stricken by a scandel?This is the fourth GOP family values Congressmen togo down in flames.The voters will eventually figure aout the lies set fourth in the EVENING news lead by bush.The central front on the war on terror starts with tell the truth to the voters.If youre gay thats ok its your business just dont lie to the people.This policy holds true in the current race for GOV..no notabout that ..Just tell the people the GOP is handling the insurance and local property tax crisis about as well as it handles Katrina and Iraq.Cover up lies and spin.This party needs to come foward admit its incompetance and go on.

Mark Foley was a sicko who deserves what he gets. Get over yourselves in tying this to republicans and Crist.

Governor Crist will be great for our state. He is up 10 points avg, and the longer people gripe and moan about this sick freak Foley, the longer Crist holds his lead.

All the better for us GOP's, especially since the cabinet races have the GOP leading as well, but by less points.

Shame on Bill Clinton for forcing Mark Foley to make sexual overtures toward teenage boys. And shame on him for not forcing the SP Times to write a story when they first heard of this. And shame, shame, shame on Bill Clinton for single-handedly preventing the House Leadership from looking into this matter when it was brought to their attention nearly a year ago. When Charlie Crist is Governor he'll put an end to this kind of thing.

Now instead of waiting for Charlie Crist's "McGreevey Moment" we can all wait for his "Foley Fallout"

Can everybody get a grip?? Here's a ralisy check:

Dirty e-mails directed and exchanged with underage kids is wrong. But it the wrongdoing of ONE adult.

It the kind of wrongdoing from which the victims will probably recover.

You cannot paint an entire political party with the same brush. If that were the case, we would be forced to assume that all Ds are drunks who drive cars into rivers and leave people to drown inside while they go call their staffs to spin the story and save their political careers.

Charlie Crist and Mark Foley used to take fishing trips to the keys...birds of a feather.

1:14

I guess I must repeat this since you are such an incredible idiot.

Mark Foley was a sicko who deserves what he gets. Get over yourselves in tying this to republicans and Crist.

Governor Crist will be great for our state. He is up 10 points avg, and the longer people gripe and moan about this sick freak Foley, the longer Crist holds his lead.

All the better for us GOP's, especially since the cabinet races have the GOP leading as well, but by less points.

[deep_throst_74]

As long as Mark Foley is out of the picture, Joe Negron will be a natural shoe in just as long as Ralph Hughes continues to write him checks.

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/campfin/contrib.asp

Ralph Hughes contributor
Negron, Joe (REP)(ATG) 03/02/2005 500.00 CHE HUGHES RALPH W. 10909 THERESA ARBOR DR. TAMPA, FL 33617 INDUSTRIALIST

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/13/news_pf/State/Activist_s_company_bo.shtml

[just ignorant]

No Childs Behind, left behind...

[just ignorant]

Gop=Group of Pedophiles

Carol Jean Jordan should immediately step down as the Chairman of the RPOF this case is the icing on the cake. Carol Jean and other Florida Republicans leaders have know about Foley's continued issues with underage boys but have refused to show leadership by forcing him out of office. This could have been accomplished in 2004 but Carol Jean refused to listen. Carol Jean wants to travel around the United States and tell everyone how great the Republican Party is in Florida and tell the RNC how they need to be more like Florida Republicans. Now the world is seeing exactly what is going on in Florida and our parties founding Father is turning over in his grave. Maybe the RNC will show a little leadership and request Carol Jean step down as the Chair of Chairs effective immediately.

CAROL SHOULD ASK CHARLIE TO FESS UP AND MAKE THINGS LESS MESSY, CUZ, SHE SURELY CAN'T TAKE HIM COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET WITH ALL THIS OTHER MESS.. C'MON CAROL ASK AND YOU SHOULD RECEIVE.. not> i bet!!!

[just ignorant]

You know i have heard of this Crist being gay. I thought it was just rumor in the wild wild west of SoFlo. But now i have been hearning from up North. So i guess the question is, will this ever be exposed.

[Abe Lincoln]

Chairman Carol Jean Jordan’s official resignation letter states that her resignation will be effective Friday, November 17, 2006. This is the first day of the RPOF quarterly meeting in Orlando, she will preside over the morning meeting but hand off interim leadership at 12 noon in a live press conference. In the evening the Chairman’s reception will be held in honor of former Chairman Carol Jean Jordan for contribution to the RPOF. Later on that evening there will be a Governor elect reception for Governor elect Charlie Crist.

Cordially,

Abe Lincoln, Interim Chair of the RPOF

ABE, YOU ARE A SICK PUP. CAROL WILL NOT GO ANYWHERE ANY TIME SOON.. GET A GRIP AND TALK ABOUT THE REAL ISSUES WILL YA!!!

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/15648866.htm

Crist 51%
Davis 30%

Read it and weep Liberals.