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December 06, 2005BELTWAY BLOGROLL
The Spin Machine, On DeLay Cycle
Yesterday's news about a federal judge's procedural ruling on charges against Rep. Tom DeLay has sparked new criticism from conservative bloggers about how the press is covering the story.
The judge dismissed a conspiracy charge against DeLay, R-Texas, but let two other charges stand, at least for now. The judge also said he would rule later on allegations of prosecutorial misconduct by Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the Democrat who brought all of the charges.
Conservatives like Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters complained that top national newspapers placed more emphasis on the charges that remain and downplayed the dismissal of the conspiracy charge. "The motion regarding prosecutorial misconduct relates directly to the two remaining charges," Morrissey wrote. "If the judge rules that Earle acted unethically or illegally in getting the indictment, the remaining charges will also get dismissed -- and it seems a fair bet that it will happen."
John Hinderaker of Power Line complained that the press treated the dismissal of the indictment differently than it did the news that one had been granted at all. "It is deeply ironic, I think, that the filing of the bogus conspiracy charge by partisan D.A. Ronnie Earle made front-page headines across the country while the dismissal of the same charge is greeted with a yawn," Hinderaker said. "The Minneapolis Star Tribune, for example, headlines today's development, 'DeLay wins a minor legal skirmish.'"
Like Morrissey, he argued that the money-laundering charge probably will be dismissed, too. And he blamed the mainstream media for spinning the news as a defeat for DeLay when, in time, he said Earle will be the loser.
The spin machine appears to have been working both directions, though, as Daniel Solove noted at Concurring Opinions by highlighting various headlines on the latest DeLay news. Conservative news outlets like The Washington Times and Fox News focused on the one charge that was dismissed, while liberal media like The Washington Post and The New York Times emphasized the indictments that remain on the books.
"[B]y these headlines, it appears that there were two very different results in the case," Solove wrote.
Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, meanwhile, questioned Earle's tactics. But he added, "Personally, I don't like Tom 'no pork here' Delay, and I think it's good for the country (and the Republicans, actually) that he won't be resuming his leadership position" in the House majority right now.
Michelle Malkin has a roundup of DeLay news. And the Democratic blogs Daily Kos and MyDD, sensing an opportunity to slay a GOP giant, drew attention to a new poll that shows people in DeLay's district currently favoring any Democratic candidate over DeLay for re-election.
Posted by | 02:31 PM
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