Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(160,219 posts)
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 03:43 AM Jun 2019

Why did the media downplay the latest sexual assault allegation against Trump?


A lack of enthusiasm from top TV and print outlets to cover E Jean Carroll’s accusation has left many observers rattled

Ed Pilkington in New York

@edpilkington
Tue 25 Jun 2019 13.42 EDT

The leader of the world’s most powerful nation is accused by a prominent writer with an impeccable career in journalism of having sexually assaulted her in an act amounting to rape. Pretty big news story, you might think.

Not so in the US, it seems. When the news broke last Friday that E Jean Carroll, a revered advice columnist, had accused Donald Trump of sexually attacking her in late 1995 or early 1996, alleging he slammed her against a wall inside a dressing room in the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York then penetrated her without consent, the response from many top media titles was strangely restrained.

The president himself has denied the claims, saying: “I’ll say it with great respect: number one, she’s not my type; number two, it never happened.”

However, for a variety of reasons – some apparently blatantly political, some technical, some as yet unexplained – news outlets decided to downplay the story or even excise it altogether. The most startling example was at the New York Post, where the tabloid ran an account of Carroll’s allegations drawn from an extract from her new book published by New York magazine, only to take the story down a few hours later.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/25/e-jean-carroll-sexual-assault-allegation-against-trump-media-response
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Editorials & Other Articles»Why did the media downpla...