By Chris Griffin

Partisan bickering

Drudge dropped the ball when he reported unsubstantiated claims about Kerry

By: Collins Ezeanyim

Posted: 2/24/04

The Fox News Channel deserves congratulations. That is not a typo. The conservative news network upheld its journalistic integrity - whatever little it had to begin with - by not reporting on a Web rumor that Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts had had an affair.

It began when online muckraker Matt Drudge posted a story on his Web site, drudgereport.com, on Feb. 12. The report concerned what Drudge called a "frantic behind-the-scenes drama" unfolding around Kerry due to media probes of his supposed infidelity with an intern. Drudge said Time magazine, The Associated Press, The Hill, The Washington Post and ABC News were investigating the rumor with the interesting tidbit that Kerry may have made the woman flee to Africa to avoid any leak of their relationship.

The same story also included an alleged quote by Gen. Wesley Clark, "Kerry will implode over an intern issue." The woman's father was quoted in the British tabloid, The Sun, as calling Kerry a "sleazeball."

The conservative media was quick to pick up on the story. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity both reported about it on their popular radio programs.

However, Fox News apparently told Hannity not to mention the Kerry
rumors on his TV show "Hannity and Colmes," according to conservative news Web site chronwatch.com.

Since then, any indication that the rumor had a basis in reality unraveled when the woman in question, Alexandra Polier, said in a statement that she had never had a relationship with Kerry, according to USA Today.

Furthermore, her father claimed that he had been misquoted by The Sun and even intended to vote for Kerry. The Clark quote also doesn't make sense considering he dropped out of the race the next day and went on to endorse Kerry.

Drudge posting the rumor and submitting it as truth is an indication that partisan politics during this election year will have the potential to be quite ugly, especially when it involves the Internet. Fortunately, the American people now know that such mudslinging will be balanced by cautioned and restrained reporting by major media outlets.

At the very least, Drudge should have had the consideration of coming up with an original scandal. A story on a prominent Democrat having an affair with an intern is woefully unimaginative.

Of course, conservatives such as Limbaugh say the lack of reporting on the Kerry rumor betrayed a liberal bias on the part of the media, according to USA Today. Conservatives say there's a double standard between the way the Kerry rumor was handled and the current media frenzy over Bush's attendance during his National Guard duty.

But Leonard Downie, The Post's executive editor, explained best how the media should handle such rumors: "One: Is it true? Two: Is it relevant to that person's performance or public life?" he told USA Today.

Unfortunately, this is not the only attempted Kerry smear that originated online. A photo depicting Kerry with anti-Vietnam War activist Jane Fonda at a speaker's platform created animosity toward Kerry among many
Vietnam veterans.

There's a problem with the photo, however; it is a complete forgery. In fact, the photo is a doctored amalgamation of a photo of Kerry taken in Mineola, N.Y., on June 13, 1971, and a photo of Fonda at a rally in Miami, Fla., in 1972. Furthermore, the photo was attached with the AP logo to make it appear authentic. It is OK if someone doesn't like Kerry, but to fraudulently use copyrighted works in an attempt to defame him is not only wrong, but immoral.

The most likely reason why conservatives are so intent on smearing Kerry is because they have a genuine fear of him. He is an intelligent person, a war hero and a four-term senator with a moderate voting record.

President George W. Bush, on the other hand, has had a terrible 2004. His State of the Union address was full of feckless content. Also, David Kay concluded that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Conservatives and liberals alike thought Bush performed poorly on his "Meet the Press" interview with former Ronald Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, stating for opinionjournal.com, "The president seemed tired, unsure and often bumbling." Not to mention the National Guard flap that the president and his handlers can't make go away. It is not surprising some conservatives would do anything to bring Kerry down.

Even if what they come up with is totally false, the Internet has the power to spread these falsities worldwide with unprecedented speed. Web surfers should be extra skeptical of any fantastic Web rumors. Here's a good litmus test: If Fox News passes on the opportunity to report on something negative about a Democrat, it must not be true.