MRC/NB's Bozell Reacts to Media Silence on Spitzer's Democratic Party Affiliation

MRC President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell appeared on today's "Fox & Friends" to discuss findings by MRC analysts that Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D-NY) party affiliation (and Hillary Clinton superdelegate status) has been persistently overlooked in broadcast and print media outlets.:

BOZELL: ABC and then NBC "Nightly News" two days ago, not once mentioned that he was a Democrat. "Good Morning America," not once mentioned that he was a Democrat. ABC nightly news, not once mentioned that he was a Democrat. CBS, one mention on the nightly news, no mention on the morning news. AP did a three-paragraph breaking story, never mentioned that he was a Democrat, then they came out with a full story, never mentioned that he was a Democrat. Last night, NBC, never mentioned he was a Democrat. Last night, ABC never mentioned that he was a Democrat. It is unbelievable.

Co-host Steve Doocy noted that this is not new for the news media, recalling the 2001 Gary Condit saga. Condit, you will recall was suspected in the disappearance of former intern Chandra Levy:

DOOCY: You know, remember back with the [then-Rep.] Gary Condit scandal, barely mentioned he was a Democrat. Now the same thing with Eliot Spitzer. However with [Sens.] Larry Craig and David Vitter, did they jump on "he's a Republican!"?

BOZELL: Yeah, in less than 8 percent of the stories on Condit that we covered did they mention that he was a Democrat. The mayor of Detroit who was caught in a sex scandal, never mentioned that he was a Democrat. But everyone who knows the word Larry Craig knows he's a Republican. Everyone who knows Mark Foley, the disgraced congressman from Florida, knows he was a Republican, why, because they attached the label to him every single time, as they should.

Here's a transcript of the interview:

STEVE DOOCY: New York Governor Eliot Spitzer having a rough week. That seems to be an understatement. But would media coverage of his sex scandal be even tougher if he were a Republican?

ALISYN CAMEROTA: Brent Bozell is the president of the Media Research Center and he joins us now from D.C. So you've been monitoring all of the network coverage of this and you say that on two of the networks, ABC and NBC, in their coverage of Eliot Spitzer they haven't even mentioned that he's a Democrat?!

BRENT BOZELL: It's unbelievable. Two days ago on the "Today" show. Fourteen segments. Not once did they mention he was a Democrat.

DOOCY: You're kidding.

BOZELL: ABC and then NBC "Nightly News" two days ago, not once mentioned that he was a Democrat, "Good Morning America," not once mentioned that he was a Democrat. ABC nightly news, not once mentioned that he was a Democrat. CBS, one mention on the nightly news, no mention on the morning news. AP did a three-paragraph breaking story, never mentioned that he was a Democrat, then they came out with a full story, never mentioned he was a Democrat. Last night, NBC, never mentioned he was a Democrat. Last night, ABC never mentioned that he was a Democrat. It is unbelievable.

DOOCY: You know, remember back with the [then-Rep.] Gary Condit scandal, barely mentioned he was a Democrat. Now the same thing with Eliot Spitzer. However with [Sens.] Larry Craig and David Vitter, did they jump on "he's a Republican!"?

BOZELL: Yeah, in less than 8 percent of the stories on Condit that we covered did they mention that he was a Democrat. The mayor of Detroit who was caught in a sex scandal, never mentioned that he was a Democrat. But everyone who knows the word Larry Craig knows he's a Republican. Everyone who knows Mark Foley, the disgraced congressman from Florida, knows he was a Republican, why, because they attached the label to him every single time, as they should.

CAMEROTA: So because you think that party affiliation is relevant?

BOZELL: Well, you know, it's like saying that Eli Manning is a football player but never mentioning that he plays for the Giants when you do a story. It's a part of the story, of course it is.

DOOCY: You know, something else that's interesting. We talked yesterday on this program we talked about the fact that Eliot Spitzer is a superdelegate for Hillary Rodham Clinton. We talked about whether or not they'd be political ramifications for her. And yet in the mainstream media, nada!

BOZELL: Well, there won't be political ramifications if nobody knows that he's a Democrat. Now, I hate to be conspiratorial about it but look, the evidence is the evidence, they're just not saying he's a Democrat. I mean, and you know, at the same time anytime there's a Republican sex scandal, they can't stop talking about the Republican sleaze.

DOOCY: I know. Not fair. Alright, Brent Bozell. His Web site is MRC.org and its all right there. Brent, always a pleasure.

Audio of the interview also available here (837 kB | 2:48).