A TVNewser reader Tweeted at us today:
@tvnewser @HowardKurtz: Did CNN really exclude Spitzer from Malveaux package on Sex Scandals & Politics? Hmm..
The answer: yes it did.
Suzanne Malveaux‘s story, which aired at 2:30pmET, made mention or showed images of politicians ranging from John F. Kennedy to John Edwards; also former Governors James McGreevey and Mark Sanford, and former Sen. Larry Craig and current Sen. David Vitter, former Pres. Bill Clinton, and 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich — their private indiscretions made very public. But no mention of Eliot Spitzer who resigned as Governor of New York after it was revealed he had patronized a prostitution service. Spitzer now hosts CNN’s 7pm show “In the Arena.” We’ve learned the producer/editor on the story, who use their own judgment on what to use and what not to use, chose not to include Spitzer in the story.
Spitzer does appear on a CNN web site slideshow, but it's still a pretty egregious omission. After all, what Spizer did was actually illegal, not just unseemly, even if he caught a break from the prosecutors who decided not to charge him. Plus, of course, Spitzer was a prosecutor charged with oversight of criminal cases and the top law enforcement officer of the State of New York when some of the illegal shenanigans took place. So you could make a pretty good case that Spitzer's a worse offender than those who stories CNN decided were worth dredging up.
