Does MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson Read NewsBusters?

On October 15, NewsBusters reported the huge double standard at the Associated Press concerning former Florida Congressman Mark Foley and now deceased former Congressman Gerry Studds. On October 16, MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson logged a report on this very issue (grateful hat tip to Stephen Spruiell of NRO’s Media Blog) with some extraordinarily similar content.

Here’s what Carlson had to say that should be compared to NB's report (video here):

Former Congressman Gerry Studds of Massachusetts died last week. Studds, a Democrat, was the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives. As such, he was hailed as a pioneer in many obituaries. The Associated Press, for instance, quoted Studds’ husband describing him as a civil rights hero. Less prominently mentioned was that while still a Congressman, Studds admitted to having sex with an underage male page. Sound familiar? Studds never apologized for what he did.

(With panel on screen displaying the headline “Double Standards For Studds?” and a quote from one of the AP articles referenced by NewsBusters) Quote “‘This man knew what he was doing,' Studds’s husband Dean Hara was quoted as saying about the boy.” Meanwhile, on the very same day it was warmly remembering Gerry Studds as a civil rights hero, the Associated Press was condemning former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who as far as we know never touched an underage page, and apologized for even trying. The AP described him as quote “disgraced”. 

To quote Carlson, sound familiar? Compare that to what NB posted the day before:

Yet, on the same day, the AP was not anywhere near as nostalgic or kind concerning Foley's behavior two decades later, and not anywhere near as supportive of a seventeen-year-old’s right to consent. In an article entitled “Speaker, majority leader have yet to testify about Foley scandal,” the AP painted an entirely different picture of this issue, including a depiction of Foley as "disgraced".

Spruiell finished his post, “Too bad Carlson didn't give Sheppard credit for the catch.”

Nice catch yourself, Steve.