When then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) was caught in a sex scandal involving inappropriate instant messages to an underage boy, the media had a field day, using the matter to tar House Republicans at large in the 2006 election cycle, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell noted in a February 7 appearance on Fox Business Network's "Cavuto." But fast-forward six years to allegations against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and the media snoozed on the story until well after he was reelected.
"Silence! You heard nothing from the media before the election. it was this complete opposite view. In other words, we're not going to cover this if it hurts the Democrats," Bozell noted of the liberal media. [watch the full segment below]
What's more, Cavuto guest host David Asman noted, Menendez in April 2012 weighed in on the Secret Service prostitution scandal, meaning there's a juicy hypocrisy angle to the story. "If it was serious enough for [Menendez] to suggest" that Secret Service agents should be fired, "isn't the media at least obliged to mention it?" Asman asked.
"Absolutely," Bozell noted.
"When [the networks] ran 99 stories on Herman Cain over a nine-day period" without a "single source" to back up the allegations against him, "if that's justifiable, how in the world can you not run a story on this guy Menendez when you've got the sources to back it up?" the MRC founder demanded.
