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The senator and the Times

The senator and the Times. John McCain and a short, seamy history of presidential sex. In flagrante delicto. Estes Kefauver drunkenly demanded liquor and women The press corps looked the other way. A cultural shift. Media didn’t ask, didn’t tell about JFK

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The senator and the Times

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  1. The senator and the Times John McCain and a short, seamy history of presidential sex

  2. In flagrante delicto • Estes Kefauver drunkenly demanded liquor and women • The press corps looked the other way

  3. A cultural shift • Media didn’t ask, didn’t tell about JFK • Revelations about Judith Exner (right) presaged a shift • Vietnam and Watergate made press more skeptical

  4. Gary Hart • Leading candidate for Democratic nomination in 1988 • Affair with Donna Rice exposed by Miami Herald • Hart dropped out, public angry with media

  5. Gennifer Flowers • Lounge singer takes on the gatekeepers and wins • Sells her story to The Star, holds news conference • Mainstream media forced to report a story they had ignored

  6. Meet the press • On “60 Minutes,” Bill Clinton admits having “caused pain in my marriage” • Public shrugs it off

  7. When is sex newsworthy? • Washington Post, Time killed story of Dole affair • An American hero who was going to lose anyway • Is that an acceptable standard?

  8. The gates fall for good • Prosecutor Ken Starr sought to trap Clinton on perjury charges • Starr found reporters to be a willing audience • Then as now, highly partisan environment

  9. Overruling the editors • Newsweek holds story of Clinton-Lewinsky affair • Were the editors seeking to verify it — or kill it? • We’ll never know, because Matt Drudge broke the story

  10. Media, politicians rebuked • Clinton’s approval rating rose to highest of his presidency • Republicans defeated in midterm elections

  11. A non-sex non-story • Drudge alleges a Kerry affair • U.S. media are wary, ignoring story or reporting denials • Gatekeeping role is damaged but not destroyed

  12. Bill Keller • “We believe in a journalism of verification rather than assertion”

  13. Bill Keller • “We believe in a journalism of verification rather than assertion” • Did the Times live up to that standard?

  14. Anonymous sources • “The use of unidentified sources is reserved for situations in which the newspaper could not otherwise print information it considers reliable and newsworthy” — New York Times policyon confidential sources

  15. Anonymous sources • “Confidential sources must have direct knowledge of the information they are giving us — or they must be the authorized representatives of an authority, known to us, who has such knowledge” — New York Times policyon confidential sources

  16. Anonymous sources • “We do not grant anonymity to people who are engaged in speculation, unless the very act of speculating is newsworthy and can be clearly labeled for what it is” — New York Times policyon confidential sources

  17. Additional questions • Is John McCain’s sex life the media’s business — and ours?

  18. Additional questions • What do you make of the Times’ decision to hold the story since December?

  19. Additional questions • Do you think the Washington Post story is better than the Times’? Why?

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